Describes the developmental education program at Southeastern Louisiana State University and explains how it meets the needs of students who enter the university with inadequate academic preparation. Reports on a study that examined the students' self-concepts, attitudes toward reading, and learning styles. (FL)

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an assessment of reading comprehension of nine-year-olds in 35 countries and was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This report compares findings from the United States with other countries and takes a closer look at…

Hidden messages are part of the culture of reading at any school, particularly at the secondary level. In many schools, the overt message that reading is essential to success on state-mandated tests and in society is jeopardized due to hidden messages about the nature of the reading process and the place of reading in everyday life. A qualitative…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated whether the Accelerated Reader program meets its claim to motivate and improve reading achievement for all students, including those with special needs. The Accelerated Reader program is a computer-based reading management system that includes a database of thousands of books ranging…

Discusses a project in which a professional writer, poet Ian McMillan, was brought into middle school classrooms to aid in writing instruction. Describes the writer's contributions to the program, the problems he encountered, and his perceptions of the purposes of writing and the value of his writing residency. (SG)

Examines what happened when college students enrolled in an adolescent literature class met young readers encountering young adult literature in a Book Club setting. Describes this inquiry-based partnership between a university classroom and junior high and elementary classrooms, and the accompanying challenges and benefits for preservice…

This study investigated the influence of a community-based heritage culture program on Chicano students in a southwestern suburban middle school. Subjects were 61 seventh- and eighth-grade students, all Chicanos, with little or no previous instruction in indigenous Mexican culture. The pre- and post-survey, administerd a week piro to and 3 weeks…

A study in two South African schools investigated the impact of encouraging free, voluntary reading on the English language skills of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners. Subjects were 139 fourth- through seventh-grade students in an experimental group and 105 students in a control group. Pretests of reading comprehension were administered…

Research supports that drama should be an integral part of the elementary and secondary curriculum. Utilizing drama strategies enriches learning in the reading program, the literature program, and the areas of oral language development, nonverbal communication, vocabulary development, listening skills, thinking skills, and creative writing. Yet,…

Students in college developmental reading classes were given a questionnaire about the experiences they had had in reading during their elementary and high school years. They were asked questions about (1) the materials they used in former reading classes, (2) books or stories they had found particulary memorable, (3) the effectiveness of…

A study examined the poetic conventions of rhyme, meter, and diction to determine whether central tendencies and differences in evaluative response at various stages of late childhood and adolescence were discernible. Data were gathered from students of four grade levels (5, 7, 9, 11) enrolled in New York City public schools (359 students in all).…

A study gathered information concerning the reading habits and attitudes of three groups of educators: 249 preservice teachers, 89 inservice teachers, and 65 teacher educators. A self-reported survey questionnaire was used to gather the data. When asked whether they enjoy reading, 89% of the preservice, 100% of the inservice, and 92% of the…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Parent Readers program, an intergenerational reading project which attempted to change the reading behaviors of underprepared community college students who are parents and to affect the literacy environment of the home in ways that promote the literacy status of the parents/students and their children.…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 18 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effect of illustrations on third grade students' attitudes toward the elderly; (2) visual and phonological coding in word processing by fourth, sixth, and…

This paper, number eight in an ongoing series, is part of an interdisciplinary project on the context of reading and reading research that explores similarities and dissimilarities in the response to literature in readers from different cultures. Presented are the written responses from 129 readers in Denmark, Greenland, Great Britain, India, and…