Study examined how second-language readers filter information from second-language texts through culture-specific background knowledge. Korean graduate students with advanced English read stories and answered questions. A think-aloud protocol assessing their understanding and inferences indicated an effect of culture-specific schemata and…

This study examined characteristics of multiple-choice reading comprehension tasks suspected of influencing their difficulty, through administration of the California Achievement Tests to 158 deaf college students. Problem components evaluated included manifest content, psychologically salient features, and processing demands. Variation in item…

This article presents and illustrates four text structure maps to help poor readers in comprehension. These patterns are: (1) the descriptive or thematic map; (2) the sequential episodic map; (3) the comparative and contrastive map; and (4) the problem/solution map. Guidelines are offered for sequencing instruction in the text maps. (DB)

This study evaluated Frith's 3-phase model of reading acquisition with 300 children in 2 cohorts who were followed from kindergarten through grade 3. Varying relationships were found among global language abilities, word recognition abilities, and reading comprehension depending on grade level. Implications for the study and treatment of…

Twenty-two classroom teachers (grades one through seven) of mainstreamed students with learning disabilities were interviewed concerning their use of social studies textbooks. Results indicated that teachers were concerned about content and comprehensibility of the texts. Teachers reported dealing with difficult texts by helping individuals with…

Reviews the use of graphic organizers as a means to assist students in the complex act of making sense of content-area text. Explores theoretical and historical foundations of the graphic organizer and reviews current research. Derives implications for the classroom teacher and future research. (RS)

Analysis of data from approximately 58,000 deaf and hard of hearing students (ages 6 through 21) analyzed relationships among reading comprehension and mathematics computation achievement scores, classroom attributes, and demographic factors associated with achievement. Adjustment of scores for demographic factors suggested higher performance for…

Determines how science and social studies textbooks were used by teachers and students in 12 fourth grade lessons and what kinds of questions the teachers asked during the lessons. Finds that students do not get much practice reading informational text, and instruction often fails to promote conceptual understanding and meaningful learning from…

Education lags behind other scientific disciplines in its effective use of data displays. An example is provided in which the reorganization of data from two bar graphs into one table highlights the obvious and subtle results. To address the need for effective data display, the companion article, "Understanding Graphs and Tables," was…

This introduction to the special issue on reading comprehension in content areas notes the articles' emphasis on integration of research into practice, process orientation, development of metacognitive strategies, and the value of discussion. (DB)

Describes the procedures one teacher used to help students develop a love of reading and think about and respond to what they read. Outlines how students were provided with structure (questioning techniques), time (proceeding at their own rate), and choices (selecting their own reading material). Discusses student progress and program…

Fourth and fifth graders marked on a checklist the titles and authors of children's books which they recognized. This measure of exposure to print was correlated with children's growth in reading ability as measured by standardized tests. Individual differences in growth in reading were significantly related to the measure. (BC)

Investigates why some middle school students appear to be good decoders but have problems with reading comprehension. Shows that their listening comprehension was no better than their reading comprehension, and thus rather than needing further instruction in decoding, they require assistance in developing their general language and listening…

Describes "Effective Reading," a newly revised community college developmental reading course, which focuses on reading comprehension skills of predicting, confirming, and integrating; uses the direct teaching model of demonstration, guided practice, and independent practice; and is corequisite with an introductory sociology course. Reports…

Listening and reading comprehension tests were administered to 180 children in grades 3-8. A regression equation was derived and applied to listening comprehension scores of seven children with reading difficulties. The procedure was determined to be useful in predicting reading comprehension and attributing it to poor decoding, poor…