Discusses the use of excerpts from "Boswell's Life of Johnson" with high school students and suggests that Boswell's scholarship reflects a form of literary research. (MKM)

Reviews "Comprehension Instruction: Perspectives and Suggestions," by Gerald G. Duffy, Laura R. Roehler, and Jana Mason. (FL)

Argues that, despite the capacity of cognitive psychologists to shed light on certain disputes in literary theory, it is necessary to continue to look to poets for insight into how authors share their experience with others through print. (FL)

Considers how a person unaware of the text and choosing not to make meaning from it obtains little comprehension. Examines a motivational-cognitive model of reading that contributes to text comprehension. Notes that the motivational process is divided into five parts: (1) Task Mastery Goals; (2) Intrinsic Motivation; (3) Self-Efficacy; (4)…

Concludes that (1) knowing whether we comprehend as we read is indispensible to the process of understanding itself; and (2) without self-monitoring, there can be little textbook learning and even less hope for informed participation in democracy. (FL)

Points out that current alarmist rhetoric about widespread reading failure is not based on facts. (HOD)

In our theoretical framework, reading engagement entails multiple perspectives on reading that consist of motivational dispositions, cognitive strategies, conceptual understanding, and social discourse. Possessing these attributes, engaged readers are typically higher achievers than less engaged readers, who show fewer of these qualities or less…