Across stages of acquisition, second language (L2) competencies are contingent on the variation among individuals learning the language, in both informal and formal learning contexts. This study investigates a group of outliers whose extreme test scores serve as a foundation to examine them as individuals. The study addresses the outliers'…

The answer to the question "How well do young people and adults read?" is central to modern societies. Despite new forms of oral and visual communication, the written word is more important than ever in economic and social interaction. As the world becomes more complex, all citizens need to use reading and writing effectively to thrive…

A principal motivated students to read independently by challenging them to select their group prize if they could attain a school goal by reading 20 minutes daily at home. Gains in student morale and reading achievement are attributed to the plan. (MJL)

This document discusses the author's personal opinion and feelings on teaching. She expresses her love for literacy and the hope to engage her students with the same feeling, yet not force it upon them.

The results of a course held in response to requests from the member states of UNESCO, this report presents the abridged content of lectures, discussions, and observation visits concerning the methods and experiences of the 19 participants in promoting reading habits in 16 Asian and Pacific countries. The report notes that one of the key issues in…

Discusses the deterioration of reading culture in Hungary over the past 15 years. Notes increases in television viewing, decreases in achievement and in reading comprehension, and changes in amount and types of materials read. Notes hopeful evidence of relative improvement of reading. Characterizes some important trends (practical, commercial, and…

Maya K. David reports an interesting view of reading in Malaysia through the eyes of graduate student Mohd Nazri bin Hamid (2003), who conducted an exploratory study about the culture of reading in an academy of Islamic studies. The purposes of Nazri's investigation were (a) to examine undergraduate students' reading habits, (b) to offer a…

Discusses the independent reading choices of students in grades six, seven, and eight at one middle school in Maryland. (MG)

Focuses on reading in the school domain and concludes that achievement in reading results from a combination of maturation, exposure, and instruction. Assesses the limits an successes of the instruction of reading in the U.S. and makes cross-national comparisons. (RDN)

A review of the literature was conducted to summarize how characteristics of individual readers help to determine the nature and quality of their comprehension of specific texts and to discuss how this knowledge might be used by teachers to promote effective reading in their classes. Three dimensions of readers were identified as being causally…

Among those who share the responsibility for developing the reading habit in children are the child's family, schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, and the mass media. There are many ways to read, just as there are many kinds of reading materials, including poetry and narrative stories. Some children read only to follow the plot, others add…