As the first title in the new series, "New Directions in Communication Disorders Research: Integrative Approaches", this volume discusses a unique phenomenon in cognitive science, single-word reading, which is an essential element in successful reading competence. Single-word reading is an interdisciplinary area of research that incorporates…

To investigate young children's understanding of metaphorical language, 90 chidren from preschool to third grade were read stories ending with metaphorical sentences of varying degrees of difficulty--sentences representing more or less predictable story outcomes and differing in the complexity and explicitness of their figures of speech. After…

A series of studies with adults resulted in a standardized test to assess children's comprehension of main ideas in simple narratives. The test, utilizing stories from the WISC-R picture arrangement task, was then employed in a developmental investigation with second, fifth, and eighth grade students. Each student completed the WISC-R arrangement…

Examines the differential influence of pictorial vs. verbal forms on the comprehension of metaphor in younger (second grade) and older (fifth grade) children through their performance on the pictorial Metaphoric Triads Task. (HOD)

Two experiments were conducted to investigate children's understanding of the relationship of narrators to the texts they narrate and how children's developing cognitive abilities influence that understanding. The subjects, 164 children aged 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, heard a series of short passages containing several characters, one of whom was the…

In this concise, thought-provoking book, prominent researchers analyze existing knowledge on adolescent literacy, examine the implications for classroom instruction, and offer specific goals for future research. The volume reviews cutting-edge approaches to understanding the unique features of teaching and learning in secondary schools. Particular…

Considers demands on the reader of printed material displayed on the video screen. Ways that electronic media can engender and foster reading skills are discussed, including use of graphics in video displays and ways educationalists may contribute to development of videotext and software to teach reading. (40 references) (MBR)

Reviews representative instructional studies of inference training, reciprocal teaching, and process training. Discusses both the concept of explicit comprehension instruction and potential difficulties in classroom implementation. Raises two important curricular concerns. (NH)

Since E.L. Thorndike's landmark 1917 study of the complexity of reading comprehension, inferential research has generally focused on either inference as a developmental process or the nature of inferences made during reading. In his 1930 study, R. W. Tyler established that inference could be objectively measured. S. G. Paris conducted several…

As comprehension failure results whenever readers are unable to infer missing causal connections, recent comprehension research has focused both on assessing the inferential complexity of texts and on investigating students' developing ability to infer causal relationships. Studies have demonstrated that texts rely on four types of causal…

Compares the effects of audio and audiovisual presentation on young children's cognitive processing while explicitly controlling the amount and complexity of information. (HOD)

A review of the literature reveals little evidence that classroom decision making is an important component in teaching effectiveness. Studies investigating decision making before (preactive) and during (interactive) instruction indicate that teachers are preoccupied with activity flow and procedural concerns rather than with increasing student…

Reports on an eight-year longitudinal study of Dutch children on the relationship of the development of reading ability in primary schools with general academic success. Finds that young children with reading problems in primary school keep them throughout their educational career. (CFR)

In this manuscript, the author explores the question, What does research suggest for middle level readers? To answer it, she conducts a synthesis of empirical studies published between 1990 and 2001 that appeared in journals linked to the author's professional membership (i.e., "Research in Middle Level Education" ("RMLE"), "Reading Research…

A study investigated suggested interrelationships of linguistic awareness, cognitive ability, and reading achievement. The extent to which differences in reading achievement were related to differences in the other areas was also explored. The Linguistic Awareness in Reading Test (LARR), the Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), and the Stanford…