Finds no relationship between young children's ability to attend to text and to nominate a greater number of purposes for learning to read. (FL)

Discusses the nature of cohesive relationships and the contribution of cohesion to comprehension in determining the role of cohesion in written text. (DF)

Contrasts the views of teachers and students concerning topic work, finding that teachers see it as more valuable than do children. (FL)

Discusses teachers' intentions and practices, parental involvement in the teaching of reading, and the consequent view many children develop of reading as a low status activity. Suggests that teachers' reliance on commercially produced teaching packages for reading denies the intrinsic value of reading, which they claim to be so important. (MG)

Gathers information about children's reading habits against the background of the Standard Achievement Tests (SATs). Questions three children in each of four schools in England on their reading habits. Notes that few of the children associated reading with pleasure. Suggests that schools can never rival the potential of the home for encouraging…

Reports on a project to increase reading frequency in the home among working class disadvantaged White children. Concludes that in spite of many adverse factors decreasing the likelihood of increased reading frequency, the majority of families became and stayed involved with the project over its three-year span. (SRT)

Discusses the theory that reading is more than the searching for meaning within a text. Argues that the meaning of a text actually is in the interaction between reader and text. (FL)

Notes the absence of teacher participation in debates over reading instruction in Great Britain. Discusses results of studies that surveyed preservice and inservice teachers. Finds that teachers used a mixture of approaches to teach reading; all teachers used some form of assessment; and most felt their initial teacher training was inadequate. (RS)

Reports on the use of reading schemes in British infant schools, as indicated by survey responses of 631 infant school heads. Notes that most schools adopt a similar policy to beginning reading, using one principal reading scheme that is supplemented by a varying number of other schemes. (GT)

A comparison of the effects of educational counseling of parents of backward readers with the effects of specialized remedial help for such readers suggests that an interested, well-informed staff who can enlist the positive cooperation of parents can substantially reduce the problem of reading failure without elaborate specialized provisions. (GT)

Surveys experiences of 101 primary school teachers of the newly introduced Literacy Hour--about the training and preparation they had received, the implementation of the Literacy Hour, its effectiveness and how children with special difficulties are differentially affected. Reports on other aspects of the Literacy Hour, such as ability…

Uses miscue analysis to find patterns of reader strategies on two types of texts: a syntactically complex/high vocabulary newspaper editorial; and a syntactically simple/low vocabulary editorial. Suggests that teachers should guide students to focus on the contextual relationships found both within and beyond the sentence level. (MG)

Reports the results of a survey of Brent primary school headteachers concerning home-based reading programs. Finds considerable parental involvement in children's reading, as well as heightened institutional interest in developing parental-involvement programs. (NH)

Determined that given an accepting environment is provided by the teacher, children will feel safe enough to express their thoughts about and reactions to what they are reading by interrupting their own reading and talking to their teacher. (SRT)

Describes a 10-week reading program that paired students and parents as reading partners. Concludes that the program was successful because the children's reading scores improved measurably and parents felt the program was worthwhile. (SRT)