To investigate the applicability of schema-theoretic notions to young children's comprehension of textually explicit and inferrable information, slightly above-average second grade readers with strong and weak schemata for knowledge about spiders read a passage about spiders and answered wh-questions tapping both explicitly stated information and…

The effects of content schemata, embodying the reader's existing knowledge about a topic, on reading comprehension were examined in two experiments in which high school and college students were instructed to take a distinctive point of view while reading and recalling a story. Perspectives assigned before reading, shortly after reading, and long…

Three studies were conducted as part of a series designed to identify the subskills of word identification that correlate most highly with reading comprehension and to examine various methods of assessing these subskills. In the first study, the prototype of a decoding (word identification) test was administered to 282 first, third, and fifth…

This publication is designed to acquaint both mathematics teachers and reading specialists with some of the skills students need to read mathematics effectively and to provide sample activities that may be used as a part of mathematics instruction to help students develop these skills. Topics covered include: Specialized Vocabulary and Symbols,…

The relationship between writing and reading processes can be analyzed from several contextual perspectives. The contextual perspectives may be linguistic, social, schematic, or strategic. While the writer follows several steps in getting meaning into print, the reader may not be able to reverse perfectly these steps and get meaning from print.…

The central feature of language is symbolic meaning, and the act of reading is a part of the symbolic process that characterizes human life. Meaning occurs as a result of interpretation in a context, not as a result of response or reaction. Signs have a literal meaning in a specific context, while symbols have a figurative meaning in an implicit…

The inservice teacher education course described is designed for elementary school teachers seeking to improve their teaching skills in diagnostic reading. The scope and sequencing of topics in the course are outlined. The activities and resources involved in using course materials are described and ordering information is provided. A critique of…

The purpose of this publication is to present methods designed to develop a greater awareness of the affective domain and to examine the way children's literature and poetry is used at school and at home. The 12 articles provide information about the following topics: developing an awareness of attitudes, examining approach-avoidance behaviors in…

MUCH OF LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHING IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WORDS ARE NATURAL UNITS OF LANGUAGE AND THAT PRINTED WORDS HAVE ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCES WITH WORDS IN SPEECH. THE OUTCOME OF THIS ASSUMPTION IS TO EMPHASIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD'S SIGHT VOCABULARY AND WORD PERCEPTION, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO THE TEACHING OF READING.…

A statewide assessment study of reading programs in Rhode Island is described. Data concerning the history of the primary reading program of the 1965-66 fourth-grade class were gathered; a status study of the reading programs throughout the elementary grades for that year was conducted. Principals' and teachers' opinions on the requirements for a…

The general reading attainment realized by 44 college-bound senior high school students in a 12-week program was studied. The effects of intelligence, sex, race, high school attended, college board scores, age, college choice, and socioeconomic status on the criterion variables of reading rate, vocabulary, and comprehension were also studied. The…

Effects of school noise conditions on student written task performance were studied. Three noise levels were examined--(1) irregular interval noise, 75-90 decibels, (2) average or normal noise, and (3) quiet condition, 45-55 decibels. An attempt was made to reproduce noise conditions typical of the school environment. A second controlled…

The widely accepted 95 percent word recognition criterion used for designating the instructional reading level is re-evaluated. A survey of the original study of Betts and Killgallon indicated (1) that the 95 percent word recognition criterion was based on a 41-case sample at the fourth-grade level, (2) that repetition errors occurred most…

This report provides an overview of a series of studies testing the thesis that basic reading skill is a powerful mediating mechanism in social psychological explanations of pupil performances in a range of subject-matter outcomes of schooling. Basing analyses on the data base of the International Association outcomes of schooling. Basing analyses…

This paper proposes that phonics and meaning instruction in beginning reading programs can be designed to be mutually supportive. The first section outlines attempts to modify a commercially available reading program in order to provide useful phonics instruction strategies. Students showed strong gains on achievement tests after implementation of…