This action research project describes a program for improving literal and inferential reading comprehension skills aimed at increasing overall academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of third, fourth, and fifth grade students in middle class communities located in the Midwest. Evidence for the existence of the problem includes…

This report describes a program for improving students' reading fluency in order to become more proficient readers. The targeted population consists of first and second grade students in a growing middle class community located in the Midwest. The lack of fluent reading was documented through teacher observation and the calculation of how many…

Acquiring literacy is one of the most important elements in building a foundation for success in education and life. This study describes a program that was implemented from January through May, 2001, for improvement in phonological awareness, alphabetic awareness and reading readiness skills through explicit instruction of phonemic awareness with…

This study focused on using technology to supplement a phonics based reading program. The research took place in a transition class (a class between kindergarten and first grade for students who are not mature enough for first grade but who do not need to repeat kindergarten) in Knox County (Tennessee) Schools. The class was divided into two…

This study attempted to assess whether a teacher inservice program would effect a change in teacher attitude and in the amount of time reading was taught in social studies and science content areas. A total of 22 teachers representing kindergarten through fifth-grade levels voluntarily participated in five inservice sessions; 22 teachers in a…

In order to facilitate the design of a secondary reading program which would be creative and relevant in its structure and content, this descriptive study randomly sampled students from a population of approximately 600 suburban Illinois high school freshmen. The needs of these students were investigated by means of several perceptual inventories,…

Five hundred second-grade pupils participated in a study of the effect of the Allain Color Pack reading system on reading achievement. Subjects were divided into equal treatment and control groups; each group was stratified according to low, average, and high reading ability determined on the basis of pretests of vocabulary and comprehension. The…

This practicum sought to improve reading vocabulary and comprehension in fourth-grade students by using comic books 30 minutes per day as a supplement to the regular basal reading program. High-interest comic books were used by a class section of 18 students in the experimental group, for a period of four months. Another class section of 20…

Eighteen first grade students participated in a study to determine if reading achievement would be significantly higher for children who experienced reading-while-listening to children's literature as an enrichment activity than for children who did not have a similar experience. The children were divided into two treatment groups of equal size.…

This study compared four approaches to improving reading flexibility of community college students advised to enroll in a remedial reading skills program. The experimental group practiced on the Educational Developmental Laboratories Controlled Reader (hardware group). Three control groups also participated: software group, core program group, and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the organization, program format and duration of college reading improvement instructional programs (CRIPs) in selected four-year American colleges and universities from 1950-1974, and to gather information which is vital to effective curricula and planning for higher education in the area of reading…

Identification of ingredients of successful urban reading programs in order to effect an increase in reading achievement in urban schools is the purpose of this paper. An historical-sociological framework is established. Pertinent literature which seeks to explain the causes of reading failure in urban schools is reviewed. Among the topics…

The purpose of the study was to trace and document by means of historical research methods, the organization of the St. Louis Public School System's elementary reading curriculum in regard to instructional methodology, legislation, and influential personalities. Chronologically, the study covered the period 1821-1973. The reading curriculum of the…

The purposes of this study were to develop criteria for effective reading programs and objectives, to determine the correlation between the quality of the objectives written and the quality of the reading program characteristics of Title I funded reading projects in West Virginia for 1966-75, to determine the correlation between the quality of the…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of pre-reading guides would effect better comprehension in the reading of short stories by ninth grade public school students. Four pre-reading guide sheets were prepared and validated for use in this study for each of the following stories: "The Interlopers" by Saki, "The Necklace" by…