Discusses how reading strategies can be successfully taught in second or foreign-language reading instruction, examining research that has been done on reading-strategy training and confronting the issue of how to make reading-strategy instruction appropriately text and context sensitive. Research that emphasizes the five metacognitive elements…

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)

This report on basic skills training at Norfolk State University (Virginia) profiles current activities and ascertains the perceptions of the faculty in order to develop general guidelines that might be useful for continued planning. Data from 107 questionnaires completed by Norfolk faculty show that they regard basic skills as critical for…

Shows that proper usage and understanding of Black English vernacular among teachers helps to create positive self-image in Black students and aids these students in learning to read. (DA)

Addresses past, present, and future issues and trends in beginning reading instruction, tracing the development of a related issue in the context of early-childhood education: developmentally appropriate practice (DAP). Addresses historical changes in reading education and in DAP guidelines, suggesting that reading education and early-childhood…

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…

This report was prepared to assist the United States Army in evaluating the usefulness of readability formulas in identifying material that will be comprehended by readers at a given reading skill level. Existing readability methods and research findings were reviewed against three major criterion questions and the findings are discussed. The…

This paper examines the mindset of educators regarding reading instruction and attempts to raise consciousness as to how reading can be better taught in United States schools. It calls for the need to go beyond the status quo and to allow for an honest, critical evaluation of the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of current instructional…

Presents a study of United States History textbooks that identifies possible shortcomings of several readability formulas as tools in determining the appropriateness of reading materials. Suggests additional factors to consider when selecting textbooks and techniques to help students understand reading materials. (AEM)

This volume surveys major sources of published data on the academic performance of California public secondary school students and compares current performance levels to those attained in the State in the recent past, as well as to national trends. Chapter I is an introduction. Chapter II, "General Measures of Student Preparation,"…

The language of hearing impaired students differs from that of their hearing peers, and can affect their ability to comprehend printed material. Language can be defined as the knowledge of the integration of semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. Hearing impaired children will have difficulty in acquiring language at a normal developmental rate…

The lack of emphasis on occupational literacy competencies in most public school reading curricula leaves students poorly prepared for the demands of the workplace. Most jobs require mastery of the following literacy competencies: technical vocabulary; locating and using information; following directions; and self-monitoring of comprehension and…

This working paper is a compilation of articles prepared for the Policy and the Higher Literacies Project. The two-year project examines key leverage points in state and local education policy levels and how they may promote or constrict the acquisition of higher levels of literacy for a much broader range of American students. Research strongly…

This information sheet describes Reading and Writing, one of four streams or subject areas offered in the Certificates in General Education for Adults (CGEA) in Australia. The stream is organized around the four main social contexts in which individuals function within society: family and social life, workplace and institutional settings,…

Offering boys greater choice over what they learn may help address their underachievement in modern languages. However, they may not profit from this unless they are given explicit guidelines regarding how to go about their learning. The article discusses the effects of social and educational contexts, student motivation, learning strategies,…