The aim of this study was to determine whether explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemically based decoding skills would be an effective intervention strategy for children with early reading difficulties in a whole language instructional environment. Twenty-four 6- and 7-year-old struggling readers were randomly assigned to an…

Presents the findings of a study of the attitudes of classroom teachers toward reading consultants. (DD)

The cue utilization and hypothesis testing strategies of expert reading diagnosticians were examined throughout the diagnostic process. Diagnostic processes of three diagnosticians (a reading specialist, a learning disabilities specialist, and a classroom teacher), who were very different in background and teaching assignment, were studied at work…

Determines, for reading specialists in general and for reading specialists in the federally funded Chapter 1 program specifically, (1) their professional training; (2) their actual responses as compared to their perceived "ideal" responsibilities; and (3) their topic preferences for in-service education offerings. (RS)

A survey of 767 teachers from five major regions of the country solicited teachers' views and perceptions concerning the roles and responsibilities of reading consultants. It was found that 85% or more of the respondents thought that the prime functions of reading consultants are to diagnose students' reading problems, interpret test results,…

Presents results from a survey in the United States that provides some indication of how reading specialists fulfill their roles and how they offer students effective literacy instruction. Notes that the goal was to investigate what reading specialists do so that educators could better understand how they provide services to students and teachers.…

A pilot study investigated the quality of diagnostic decisions that are made on the basis of a precise model of reading and learning to read. The study was carried out by creating a computer simulated reading clinician that embodied a recent model of the reading process and by observing the behavior of this simulated clinician as it diagnosed…

It is essential that everyone connected with the supervision of reading be trained so that a system of analyzing reading instruction can be effected. Based on the assumption that the most effective supervision occurs in a one-to-one situation, the training program presented in this document centers on a workshop on supervision with four specific…

In this study, classroom teachers were found to value the reading specialists' role as resource person more highly than any of their other roles. (MKM)

Describes a study in which a content teacher and a reading specialist taught students study skills and content together; analysis of the results showed that students who are taught study skills with content learn better. (TJ)

Notes that reading specialists function as instructors and leaders. Outlines a study on the role of reading specialists in which principals were iven questionnaires and reading specialists were interviewed. Concludes that state certification offices and universities need to focus on leadership skills in the training of reading specialists. (PM)

Presents a study of students with severe reading difficulties in a public school setting. Compares the results with those of a study conducted in 1946. Suggests that field-based specialists can do a thorough diagnosis with tests and procedures currently available. (MG)

Using a framework for responsive teaching as the theoretical foundation, this study examines ways teacher educators mediate teachers' transfer of responsive teaching. Guided by Bransford & Schwartz (1999) in defining transfer as preparation for future learning, our research explored teachers' transfer of learning as the teachers developed…

Through a literature search and survey of 79 schools, the authors gathered answers to these questions about middle school reading programs: What practices are recommended by reading specialists? Are programs developmental and/or remedial? How do programs function in terms of participants, staffing, specialized remedial facilities, instructional…

Determines (1) the nature of clinical experiences for reading specialists provided at various educational institutions; (2) perceptions of graduates regarding the value of their experiences; (3) practices used in their current teaching roles; and (4) the degree of congruence between what they experienced and their current practices. Finds that the…