Using a multiple-choice test and a story frame test, this study measured the effect on reading comprehension of reading a story aloud to English-as-a-Second-Language students. Findings indicate that these students outperformed on both tests those students who read the story silently. (Six references) (Author/CK)

A method is presented for using a restricted latent class model--a binary skills model--to determine skills required by a set of test items. Results from the method's application to reading achievement data for about 63,000 fourth graders indicate that the model offers useful information on test structure and examinee ability. (TJH)

Reports a study that assessed the effects of reciprocal teaching on the comprehension of poor reading comprehenders who read nonfiction material in a regular classroom. Heterogeneous reading groups from two elementary classes participated in reciprocal teaching. Data analysis showed there were significant improvements in comprehension that were…

Assessed first and third graders' and undergraduates' knowledge of strategies appropriate to comprehension and memory. Also assessed their knowledge of task variables affecting comprehension and memorization tasks. Only undergraduates showed understanding of comprehension-memory distinction. Third graders showed some understanding of differential…

This study examined students' alternative conceptions of reptiles and amphibians and the extent to which these conceptions remain intact through the elementary (grades 4 and 6), junior, and senior high school years. We administered multiple-choice and free-response instruments to a total of 513 students and interviewed at least 20 students at each…

The effects of computer-presented automatization exercises in a group of 14 poor readers were assessed in comparison to a matched control group of 14 poor readers that received computer-presented exercises aimed at the use of context for word identification and comprehension. Training took place three sessions a week for 15 minutes per session and…

To examine the skills and knowledge children use when they develop and tell stories, this study sought to provide an experiential demonstration of how schemata guides comprehension. Subjects were preschool, third-, and fifth-grade children described by their teachers as having average reading comprehension. Each child met with a researcher in an…

This study attempted to verify a strategic metacognition model of an efficient, successful science reader based on an analytical induction of reading research results; develop a valid objective assessment instrument; and provide a profile of middle school students' metacognitive knowledge about science reading, science test, and text reading…

A study investigated the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) reading (which relates reading fluency to reading comprehension) with bilingual Hispanic students. For 10 weeks, 50 second-grade bilingual students and 26 students who spoke English only were administered CBM reading measures twice weekly.…

A study investigated children's natural learning of word meanings while reading. Subjects, 447 American and Chinese children in third and fifth grades, read one of two cross-translated stories and then completed a test on the difficult words in both stories. Results indicated: (1) significant incidental learning of word meanings in both grades in…

A program was designed to improve the reading achievement of second grade students in a rural Georgia school. An analysis of the problem indicated that: a higher percentage of second grade students from low socioeconomic conditions scored lower on standardized reading achievement tests than other second grade students; students who scored lower…

A longitudinal research project studied the development of the reading ability of Dutch primary school students and its consequences for their school career in secondary education. Data were gathered on 310 students from 24 Dutch primary schools over a period of 8 years. A longitudinal reading model (with decoding, reading comprehension, and…

In an effort to implement a program of reciprocal teaching dialogues, 6 first-grade teachers orally presented third-grade biology lessons to a group of 6 students, most of whom were identified as at risk for academic difficulty. Teachers aimed to teach students ways to approach learning from text and increase students' understanding of biological…

This paper presents a study of the interactive effects of developmental factors, types of tasks, and types of models on imitation. Subjects for the study were 16 boys and 16 girls at each of the ages of 7, 10, and 14 years. Each child was administered two types of imitation tasks: an objective task on which children judged the age of unfamiliar…

The Inter-American Test of General Abilities (TOGA) for bilingual children has parallel Spanish and English forms which have been used to determine language proficiency and dominance. Generally, there has been little emphasis on measuring such physical test features as size, spacing, color, and typeface. The purpose of this study was to determine…