This study describes a program designed to increase student background knowledge in order to improve reading comprehension. The targeted first grade class is located in a Midwest, middle class, metropolitan community. More than half of the school's population is identified as low-income. Evidence for the existence of the problem was obtained…

This study describes and tests the aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) approach to reading. The rationale which forms the basis of ATI--pairing student to method--evolved from the works of Piaget and other psychologists whose studies focus on the general, and cognitive, development of children. From these studies, it was determined that…

A self-instructional unit in early reading designed for community college child care students is presented in this paper along with information about the development of the unit. Introductory chapters discuss the controversy about teaching young children to read, the systems approach used in developing the unit, and the steps followed in preparing…

The purpose of this study was to judge the viability of an operational approach aimed at assessing response styles in reading using the hypothesis of sensory hierarchical organization. A sample of 103 middle-class children from a New York City public school, between the ages of five and seven, took part in a three phase experiment. Phase one…

In an effort to improve the reading readiness skills of children entering the first grade, a special class was established in a lower socioeconomic area of a large city. Testing procedures were instituted to select appropriate pupils, and pretest and posttest results were used to evaluate the program. The 19 pupils selected for the class were…

This study was designed to identify specific language variables that could prove to be useful as predictors of a child's success in beginning reading. The study is theoretical in nature and provides background information that may be useful in future empirical investigations. A review of the literature on child language acquisition was conducted.…