The paper describes procedures designed to increase active academic responding in reading by intermediate level learning disabled students in an inner city school. The study investigated a home tutoring program applied by parents and teachers. The program increased the amount of reading time for selected students while providing parents with a…

The dimensions of critical thinking and reading encompass the levels of analysis, reaction, evaluation, and growth in self-image. Historically, the four major views of critical reading have seen it as a cognitive process, a way of detecting propaganda devices, a way of examining distorted and dishonest use of language, and a way of applying the…

A study was undertaken to investigate the effects of one hypnotic session on the reading improvement of high-risk college students with low aptitude scores and histories of failure in academic situations. The 27 students in the experimental group participated in a one-hour hypnosis session in which they were given a procedure to follow for…

The paper reports on multisensory approaches to reading instruction of learning disabled children. G. Fernald's "tracing" method, also known as the V-A-K-T method, is described and research questioning its effectiveness is cited. Next, the Adapted Fernald Technique (AFT) which requires the student to write, illustrate, read and reread…

The improvement of college students' reading rate and comprehension is a major educational concern. Many students arrive at college unprepared for the massive amount of required reading. This study presents several attempts to improve vocabulary, reading rate, and comprehension and addresses tangential issues related to the improvement of reading…

This collection of PowerPoint slides describes the Reading Excellence Program, a $260 million federal grant program that will competitively award grants to states to improve reading. It begins with a reference to the book "Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children," then presents a graph indicating percentage of fourth graders not able to…

A common technique to aid in developing critical thinking skills is to suggest pertinent and key questions and recommend that readers engage in an internal dialogue to answer these questions. This approach can be used effectively in reading newspaper articles and will become more useful with practice. Twelve constructive questions that newspaper…

Traditionally, reading educators' alternatives for improving students' reading comprehension have been to (a) modify the text, (b) augment the text with aids, or (c) modify the students' reading behavior. The first involves limiting the average number of words per sentence and substituting short, easy words and structures. Results with this…

This paper describes the activities of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in reading research and development with particular emphasis on the Essential Skills Program. The Essential Skills Program's purpose is to aid all children in obtaining skills necessary to function in society. The paper is divided into three categories: activities…

The Fact and Fiction Research Project, funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and based at the School of Education, University of Southampton (England), completed a 2-year study into gender and reading in the 7-9 age group. The project, designed to address boys' underachievement in English by reviewing their development as…

This slide presentation first states the purposes of the Reading Excellence Act (REA): (1) teach every child to read by the end of the third grade; (2) improve reading instruction through the use of findings from scientifically-based reading research; (3) provide early intervention to children experiencing reading difficulties and prevent…

Examples from the evaluation of a program in which data collection systems were developed jointly by the program's staff and evaluators are described. The Louisiana SPUR (Special Plan Upgrading Reading) Project was evaluated by the Louisiana Department of Education Bureau of Evaluation. SPUR involves 63 of the state's 66 public school systems and…

An overview of significant research studies, bibliographies, historical reviews, definitions, and commentaries on speed reading during the past 60 years is presented in this paper. The first part of the paper considers the concept and definitions of speed reading, and summarizes research from the l940s and 1950s--including discussion of eye…

An action research study that offered students in sixth form, college of education, and university a framework and context for exploring and reviewing their reading-for-learning competencies led to significant improvement on a battery of measures. This paper draws attention to and makes explicit the psychosocial events within the action research…

This paper delineates some major federal efforts concerning reading, namely, the activities of the National Institute of Education (NIE), the role of the U.S. Office of Education (USOE), and implications of Title VII of the Education Amendments of 1974. The impact of these agencies and legislation on the community is also examined. NIE is…