Examines children's comprehension of stories and their verbal interactions during storybook readings in groups of various sizes. Finds that reading to children in small groups results in as much interaction as one-to-one readings and leads to greater comprehension than whole-class or even one-to-one readings. (KEH)

Evaluates the effectiveness of the Sack-Yourman Developmental Speed Reading Course software program designed to increase reading rate and comprehension. Finds the software program effective in allowing students to quickly move from "chore" operations and didactic sections to "real" reading. Offers specific recommendations for…

Four ideas for language classroom activities are presented, including an exercise in oral discourse analysis, a newspaper-reading activity using the holistic approach, the use of slight phonological changes to turn a title into a joke or play on words, and an exercise looking at varieties of language style. (MSE)

Proposes to examine reading problems by means of discourse analysis of students' translations. The study is based on two previous experiments in which first-year university students translated English texts into their native language (Hebrew or Arabic). (37 references) (Author/VWL)

Proposes the use of literary texts in the intermediate-level college second language course as a means of discovering tools for decoding and interpretation that will be useful to other language tasks. An approach to the introduction of texts includes preparatory exercises, discussion, and written analysis. (MSE)

Examines how personal versus formal writing tasks affect students' response to and comprehension of literary text. Finds that personal writing tasks enabled students to produce qualitatively more effective responses that tended to be more fluent and constructed with a wider range of response statements. (RS)

The progress of 138 elementary students with specific learning disabilities was followed as they were instructed using the Alphabetic Phonics curriculum. After 3 years, the curriculum produced significant progress in reading comprehension for average and above average students, though below average students did not advance substantially in…

Four language class activities are suggested, including an exercise designed to involve even the most recalcitrant students in oral communication, an artist's visit to the class to discuss his work, use of an authentic document to develop understanding of figurative language, and a reading comprehension and interpretation activity. (MSE)

Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of two electronic text variables used in desktop publishing on undergraduate students' reading speed and comprehension. Research on text variables, graphic design, instructional text design, and computer screen design is discussed, and further studies are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

The effectiveness of the Program for Fostering of Reading and Thinking for disadvantaged adolescents in Israel was assessed during a controlled study using 133 eighth and ninth graders. The study assessed verbal reasoning exercises, special training effects, and various types of texts and cognitive operations. (TJH)

Examines comprehension of sentences with multiple negations among 71 monolingual Anglo and bilingual Hispanic undergraduate science and engineering majors. Finds that both groups misused rules of logic and natural discourse; similar groups benefited from training to eliminate inappropriate reasoning strategies, but only Anglos retained the…

Makes use of natural language of the beginning reader to teach a unit on dinosaurs. Outlines steps in the approach, strategies to heighten awareness and application, questions for encouraging further study, and a webbing technique. (RT)

Reports a longitudinal case study of preschoolers' unprompted questions during story reading with their parents. Reports that children ask more questions about pictures and story meaning than about word meaning and graphic forms. Concludes that home reading may affect comprehension more than print awareness. (RS/JAD)

Describes a Brazilian university's first semester English for Special Purposes class for library science students. An outline of guidelines is presented for designing instructional materials for a second semester library science course focusing on the application of text comprehension skills, learned during the first semester, to summarizing and…

Deaf children need reading programs which emphasize comprehension of meaning rather than syntax and grammar. Successful reading programs can emerge when reading is viewed as a highly social experience, reading materials are meaningful and highly contextualized, and semantic processing in American Sign Language is used to assist reading in English.…