It has been suggested that good readers make better use of semantic/syntactic information and use relatively less graphic information than do poor readers. To test these hypotheses, minor visual alterations were inserted in words in connected text. Fifteen good and 15 poor readers at the fourth-grade level read two of the altered Passages orally.…

The study investigated the effects of attentional deficits on the relative preferences for associative, acoustic, and orthographic attributes in word recognition by 45 learning disabled children in grades 2, 4, and 6. (Author/PHR)

Poor readers often know only the most common meanings or nuances of multimeaning (polysemic) words frequently encountered in reading materials. Teacher-directed, systematic vocabulary instruction must focus on specific problem areas. A three-step plan for teaching multimeaning words is proposed, emphasizing recognition and classification of word…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of intensive instruction in reading decoding skills with 9th graders at risk for school failure or with learning disabilities. Sixty-two students were identified as reading more one or more grade levels below ninth grade in each of two high schools. Subjects in one school were removed from their English…

This book guides parents and children in developing strategies to figure out words. The first chapter, Skills for Identifying Words, presents general strategies for making sense of words, and for using the eyes and ears to identify words. The first chapter also offers listening and visual exercises. The second chapter, Using Phonics To Identify…

Two experiments designed to examine the effects on poor readers' comprehension of increasing their decoding speed indicated that the decoding training on single words and phrases increased the speed of word recognition but did not improve comprehension performance. (MKM)

Uses preschool tests of general verbal ability, verbal memory span, phonological awareness, lexical access speed and accuracy, and letter knowledge in preschool as independent measures predicting performance on second-grade reading comprehension, word discrimination, and word decoding speed. Finds differential main effects and interactions but a…

This article challenges the word-identification view of reading and the resultant assumption that anyone who has difficulty reading words is dyslexic. It describes research demonstrating that word identification is less important in proficient reading than coordinating various language cues and metacognitive strategies to construct meaning. The…

First and second graders studied words by means of a talking computer system that highlighted and pronounced orthographic units in words that were touched with a light pen. Results suggest that presenting words as wholes is at least as helpful for short-term learning as presenting them segmented. (LB)

This 5-year study compared 204 first graders, 60 poor reading third graders, and 105 adults who had been evaluated for reading problems in childhood. Results suggest that attention deficit disorder has no impact on the development of word identification skills but does affect long-term educational outcomes. Phonological decoding and rapid naming…

Describes first-grade children who completed a battery of tasks that included standardized measures of word recognition and spelling, measures of phonological and orthographic processing skills, and a short indicator of exposure to print via home literacy experiences. Finds that phonological and orthographic processing skills are separable…

This paper describes studies at the University of Colorado, where children with reading problems read stories/books on talking computers using DECtalk. Supported by accurate word feedback, the children's word recognition and phonological decoding have improved. Projects using computer speech programs in a spelling program, home-based reading…

Considers the relationship between decoding and sight-word reading. Investigates whether to use the whole-word method or to build decoding skills before introducing sight words. Sets up five goals to address these issues. Concludes that sight-word reading instruction is likely to be successful if decoding skills are firmly established first. (SC)

Answering the call for a comprehensive textbook on what reading teachers really need to know, this is the book that arms educators with not just the what and the how, but also the why that other texts don't cover. Two prominent literacy experts team with an elementary school specialist to give preservice teachers an easy-to-understand textbook…

Two studies of second graders at risk for reading disability, which were guided by levels of language and functional reading system theory, focused on reading comprehension in this population. In Study 1 (n = 96), confirmatory factor analysis of five comprehension measures loaded on one factor in both fall and spring of second grade. Phonological…