Test management systems are suggested for individualizing the teaching of reading in the elementary classroom. Test management systems start with a list of objectives or specific goals which cover all or some major areas of the learning to read process. They then develop a large number of criterion referenced tests which match the skill areas at…

Data from four of the Cooperative First Grade Studies (1964-1965) were reanalyzed for four first grade projects, (Fry, Hayes, Mazurkiewicz, and Tanyzer). These projects were selected because they compared the Initial Teaching Alphabet approach with traditional orthography-basal reader approaches. The focal point of this reanalysis was to study the…

Designed to improve reading comprehension and other complex verbal functions, fertile instruction in word skill focuses on improving accuracy of word knowledge, increasing fluency of access to meanings in memory, and enriching semantic network connections among related concepts. It is particularly appropriate for teaching the high frequency words…

A study examined secondary teachers' present knowledge of the reading skills needed by their students. Subjects, 76 teachers of 15 different high school subjects, were asked (1) what specific reading skills they considered most necessary for their students to be able to read subject area materials, (2) what reading skills their students are best…

Forty-four junior high school students were randomly assigned to two vocabulary instruction treatments. One treatment used context-rich, three-sentence passages as sources for target word definition. The other, the semantic mapping treatment, entailed learning new words by identifying the similarities and differences with related, known words.…

A study was conducted to compare the effects of two types of word-attack correction procedures within the context of the "Decoding B" component of the S.R.A. corrective reading program and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program with remedial students. Ten teachers and 58 students (aged 7 to 14) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment…

Nineteen children, aged 7 through 17, were pretested, individually tutored in reading for 12 weeks, and posttested in a study to examine the effect of an individualized reading tutorial program on the locus of control and locus of evaluation of children with reading disabilities. A reliable, valid measure of locus of control and locus of…

College freshmen, when confronted with an essay question using broad concepts such as "society,""freedom," and "progress," seldom clarify or define the concepts in their essays before expressing their opinions or solutions. Students who read without interpreting the concepts implied by certain words shortchange the…

Based on college students' grade point averages (GPA) and their scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Tests and the Joy Combining Forms Test, a multiple classification analysis of variance was performed to determine the effects of three different methods of vocabulary instruction on student achievement in a reading and study skills course. The…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a point of departure for a coherent program of vocabulary growth. The paper offers three premises for a coherent program of vocabulary growth: (1) vocabulary is best learned as it functions in communication settings, (2) teachers can more effectively stimulate vocabulary growth if they attend more…

Seeking to discover how comprehensively and systematically one significant category of semantic elements is taught in current reading instructional material, a study surveyed the teaching and use of prefixes in the teachers' guides, readers, and workbooks (grades two to six) of six major reading series. Findings indicated that many of the most…

This paper reports some results from a study sponsored by the Office of Naval Research that has focused on identifying sources of reading disability in young adults. Separate sections of the paper describe experiments conducted to investigate three sets of component processes--word analysis processes, integrative processes, and discourse analysis…

In order to study young children's awareness of interword space as a cueing convention and determine their ability to deal with language on an abstract level, 23 black kindergarten children who had been exposed to formal reading instruction were tested. In the first test children were asked to study cards on which a single word or groups of words…

The writing and production of classroom publications can become a strong motivating factor in stimulating children to read. Since a wide variety of activities is necessary in compiling a class paper or magazine, all children can be involved. Guidelines should be established and followed concerning titles and themes for the publication, duties of…

In teaching the moderately retarded student to read, it is essential to develop a basic survival reading vocabulary consisting of words necessary to remain alive, as well as to retain one's personal dignity. The individual must be able to recognize and respond appropriately to common signs of instruction and direction within the community. From a…