Recently a team of reading specialists from fourteen different nations completed a study in comparative reading with the aim of comparing literacy acquisition in countries with different cultures and languages in an attempt to derive new hypotheses regarding sociological, psychological, and linguistic variables in learning to read and write.…

Suggests ways in which a teacher can change the learning task to suit the student's level of development. References. (VJ)

Examination of cognitive prerequisites for the acquisition of reading skills identified two kinds of conceptual representations of language activities--functional and technical concepts. English-as-a-second-language students can transfer these concepts to second-language literacy, but attention must be given to orthographic coding principles of…

Using studies from many countries, the author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of three designs for bilingual instruction: delivery in the second language, initial instruction in the mother tongue, and mixed delivery in both languages. Cognitive development and students' attitudes toward their native language are considered. (SJL)

The symposium theme of "Today's Child and Learning to Read" provides the focal point for the 12 papers included in this volume. Each is concerned with an individual area of reading and the relevance of that area to the needs of today's students. Nearly half the articles deal with specific current approaches to reading instruction and their…