This monograph, the sixth in a series on the development of the reading process, is concerned with the development of reading comprehension. In the first chapter, "Comprehension in Listening and Reading: Same or Different," Joseph H. Danks analyzes the evidence for the proposition that tbe comprehension processes for language in print and language…

This report examines the nature of the modern basal reader, its economics, and use. First, the report provides a history showing how the confluence of business principles, positivistic science, and behavioral psychology led to the transformation of reading textbooks into basal readers. Next, the report examines objectives and subjective factors…

Designed to provide an exchange of ideas about children's reading comprehension, this book has gathered insights and perspectives from both educators and psychologists concerning the comprehension process. The first section of the book consists of three chapters devoted to literature reviews, each dealing with an aspect of comprehension. Specific…

The comprehension approach to second language education emphasizes acquisition of listening comprehension prior to and as a vehicle for acquisition of other language skills. The following articles on this approach are collected here: (1) "Nonlinear Learning and Language Teaching" (Winitz); (2) "Aital cal aprene las lengas…

In an integration of listening research with other areas of language arts, this monograph presents a framework for understanding listening skills and outlines classroom activities that are based on scientific data. Stressing the priority and value of listening instruction, the introduction discusses the need for more attention to listening and…

This brief survey of the field of psycholinguistics is intended for both students and anyone interested in language. It contains a summary overview of the main features of this area of language study: scope and principles of inquiry; basic concerns; and key concepts. Chapter topics include: language acquisition (first words, the birth of grammar,…

This book examines the methods, materials, outcomes, and technologies of past literacy practice, with special focus on the teaching of reading comprehension. The book presents a study of published texts on reading comprehension instruction in America in the "preresearch" period (1783-1910), as well as published research reports from 1910 through…

This book makes a scholarly contribution to the debate about standardized testing in American education by using the methods of discourse analysis to examine not only representative material from reading tests but also children's responses to it. The book is particularly attentive to the role of culture in shaping children's understanding of what…

Major collections of research contributions on the fundamental nature of children's television viewing have been compiled in this book. Each chapter presents the assumptions, methodologies, theories, and major research findings of a particular research program or tradition. Chapters 1 through 4 are directed toward the examination of children's…

Concerned with improving student comprehension of text, this book focuses particularly on teaching students how sentences tie together. Articles in the three sections are grouped as follows: Part 1, What Is Cohesion Comprehension? contains "Cohesion, Coherence, and Comprehension" (Alden J. Moe and Judith W. Irwin); "Identifying…

By examining the full range of uses of the cloze procedure, this book intends to help teachers use the procedure to better understand the reading behavior of their students and to assist their students in making reading progress. Chapter 1 defines the cloze procedure and discusses the similarities and differences in reading processes when using…

A discussion of schema theory as it relates to the learning of English as a Second Language reviews related research and its implications for classroom instruction. The first section looks at schema theory in general and content schemata in particular, focusing on how they affect reading comprehension. Studies of non-native speakers, schema…

Reflecting the interdisciplinary emphasis that reading comprehension has received during the past decade, the articles in this volume deal with both the processes involved in reading and the instructional practices used in teaching it. The six articles devoted to reading processes deal specifically with the following topics: schemata,…

The 10 articles in this book examine how comprehension is affected by what the reader brings to the text, the manner in which the text is structured by the author, and the contextual variables that shape the meaning derived by the reader. Specific topics covered in the articles are (1) background knowledge and comprehension, (2) learning how to…

Intended for those who want to understand the nature of listening in the communication process and for students who wish to understand and improve their own behaviors as listeners, this book draws upon theory and research in the field of listening as well as from a variety of other disciplines. The 10 chapters of the book discuss the following…