Orthographic linguistic awareness measured at the beginning of kindergarten was found to be highly correlated with reading achievement measured at the end of the first grade, with the relationships being consistently higher for girls than for boys. (FL)

Describes dynamic assessment which uses a response-to-instruction paradigm to complement traditional diagnostic assessment of word recognition and comprehension. States that this approach to assessment provides the opportunity to evaluate systematically the instructional factors that influence reading performance. (MG)

Characterizes the influence of various conditions of word exposure upon children's receptive and expressive learning of novel words occurring within storybook reading interactions with adults. Examines adults' questioning versus labeling of novel words and adults' use of perceptual versus conceptual questions about novel words. Suggests that…

Reports two experiments that address effects of differential pre-reading instructions. Suggests that instruction that monitors procedural representations helps readers with foreign language (FL) proficiency to construct situational representations, but is of little help to solve an inference problem. Finds that individuals generate different…

Uses a social constructivist framework to investigate how five children at the end of first grade constructed images of themselves as readers with a purpose. Presents data in the form of narratives describing the children and their views. Discusses the children's reading identities and purposes for reading as condensed into five categories:…

Concludes that classroom teachers can articulate theories of reading outside the school, but that their actual instructional practice is governed by a complex set of contextual factors. (FL)

Concludes that beliefs about reading influence teachers' decisions about the importance of reading outcomes typically taught in the elementary grades, and that teachers who hold student-centered reading beliefs are not likely to value instruction that focuses on decoding. (FL)

Argues that it may be possible to help students read more and, at the same time, to pique their interest in the classics by suggesting that they read the works of Western writer Louis L'Amour. (FL)

Promulgates definitions of instructional maze and cloze procedures, clarifies the basic facets of the techniques, and discusses both the instructional and diagnostic functions of each. (FL)

Summarizes P. A. Killgallon's 1942 study that helped to establish the criteria for the instructional reading level, examines W. R. Powell's 1970 critique of that study, and presents concerns about Powell's study. (FL)

Concludes that there may be some need for teachers to alter their language of instruction so as to eliminate specialized terms that create confusion among beginning readers. (FL)

Reports on an evaluation of five inexpensive reading machines that incorporate some of the features of computers for use in the classroom and reading laboratory. Indicates overall teacher acceptance of each machine. (FL)

Outlines the classification of children who experience difficulty reading into two categories - poor readers with learning disabilities and poor readers without disabilities. Examines the validity of this form of classification and offers a new approach for dealing with children with reading problems. Explains that the proposed approach utilizes a…

Provides a review of current research on the relevance of morphological awareness to reading and reading instruction. Discusses children's development of awareness of the morphemic structure of words and the need for children to learn strategies that will help them read, spell, and understand morphologically complex words. Concludes that educators…

Argues that in the last 10 years the field of cognitive science has added much to the understanding of how to promote text comprehension. Focuses on the role of questions, text structure, and causal network theory as an approach to comprehension enhancement. (RS)