Nassaji and Geva (1999) concluded that lower level processes, particularly efficiency in phonological and orthographic processing contributed significantly to individual differences in adult ESL reading. Moreover, they reported that speed of letter naming, while not directly associated with reading comprehension, was related to linguistic…

This study reviewed the literature on phonological processes and decoding in beginning reading, and sought to determine the effect of functional articulation defects on decoding abilities in 18 first-grade students. Results indicated that students without speech impediments did not score significantly higher on a decoding test than students with…

The failure of readability formulas can be attributed to three weaknesses in the formulas. First, they ignore or violate current knowledge about the reading process. Most formulas affect only sentence length and word difficulty while ignoring factors that influence text comprehensibility, such as cohesion, the number of inferences required, the…

Reviews the literature concerning informal reading inventories and discusses a number of issues related to them, including question choice, scoring criteria, and allowable miscues. Offers guidelines for constructing and using the inventories. (FL)

Reviewed studies that used methods of brief lateral visual presentation of linguistic stimuli to investigate asymmetry of organization in the cerebral hemispheric functions of both normal and poor readers. Most studies failed to demonstrate that both groups approach the given tasks in the same way. (Author/DB)

Argues that the extent of a child's sense of story influences the child's prediction of syntax and comprehension. Suggests ways for teachers to encourage children to develop their sense of story. (RL)

Discussions and critiques are provided of reading research from the perspective of second-language acquisition; they include theoretical advances, the role of schemata, native language reading ability and second language proficiency, cognitive strategies and metacognition, and reading research methods and assessments. (112 references) (GLR)

Characteristics of secondary students with a learning disability in reading are reviewed, and the stages of reading development are outlined. Strategies for academic and social inclusion of these students are discussed, including peer tutoring, guided notes, cooperative learning, learning strategies, and teaching reading in the content area. (JDD)

Relationships between phonological coding abilities and reading outcomes have implications for differential diagnosis of language-based reading problems. The theoretical construct of specific phonological coding ability is explained, including phonological encoding, phonological awareness and metaphonology, lexical access, working memory, and…

Two views of the sources of poor reading comprehension are currently distinguishable in the research literature: a decoding sufficiency view and a comprehension skills view. The decoding sufficiency view argues that decoding is the only skill that must be acquired for general language comprehension. The broader, comprehension skills hypothesis…

The second in a series concerning some implications of learners' cognitive style for the development of reading competence, this paper explores the relationships between cognitive style and reading achievement, with attention to such factors as the stability and flexibility of cognitive style functions. The paper discusses J. E. Hill's concept of…

While reading has been recognized as a potentially useful and enjoyable pastime for the elderly, physical and psychological decrements affect the ability of the elderly to read. As the eyes age, near-point tasks become more difficult. In addition to reduced sensory intake, perceptual changes occur. The central nervous system slows, and data travel…

Review of research of between-class and within-class ability grouping on the achievement of elementary students. Ability grouping appears most effective for specific subjects with students remaining in heterogeneous classes most of the day. Cross-grade assignment for selected subjects can increase achievement. (SLD)

Article reviews research focusing exclusively on the reading knowledge of preschool children who have not begun schooling and have not received formal reading instruction. The categories are (1) studies that document what preschool children learn about reading (informally at home or in preschool), and (2) studies that tell us how children learn…

Reviews recent research on metacognition and presents some implications for its use in the classroom. (FL)