In this study it was hypothesized that field dependence or independence would introduce systematic variance into Iranian EFL learners' overall and task-specific performance on task-based reading comprehension tests. One thousand, seven hundred, forty-three freshman, sophomore, junior and senior students, all majoring in English at various Iranian…

This study investigated the differences in four components of phonological awareness (i.e., judgment, deletion, blending, and substitution) and early reading ability across reading levels, and the correlation between phonological awareness (PA) and early reading ability in low and average-achievement groups. 27 students with reading difficulties…

We examined whether strategies of memorization, transfer through elaboration, and metacognition accounted for reading, science, and mathematics achievement across 34 countries. 158,848 fifteen-year-olds completed a reading literacy test and a questionnaire. Of these students, 88,401 completed a science test, and 88,590 completed a mathematics…

There is a substantial and persistent gap in achievement between children from different backgrounds [National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). "Children's reading and mathematics achievement in kindergarten and first grade". Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office] that can be traced to the preschool years [Snow, C. E., Burns, M.…

The effects of regularity, frequency, lexicality, and granularity on single word reading in Norwegian children with dyslexia and control children matched for age and reading level were examined. The reading impaired children showed the same pattern of performance as younger children matched for reading level on most tasks except for the fact that…

In this study, we report results of a study examining the relationship between home environment factors and reading achievement in Zimbabwe. The study utilised data collected by the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ). The data were submitted to linear regression analysis through structural equation…

While considerable attention is being paid to reforming education systems to prepare students for the challenges of globalization and a knowledge-based economy, teacher education models in the Asia Pacific remain insufficiently critiqued. There is an urgent need to rethink teacher education as, in spite of decades of investment and development,…

This study investigates the relationship between Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores in mathematics, science and reading and the employment rates in the following four economic activities: research and development, agriculture, industry, and service industries. Thirty-three countries were included in the study, and most…

To account for the fact that the average reading literacy in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) is lower than the national average, a study examined the value that individuals place on literacy. Subjects, 625 males and females, each of whom was a head or one of the heads of households between 21 and 65 years of age and had not participated in an…

This paper looks at the relationship between reading attainment and examination achievement of Black Afro-Caribbean students who formed part of a cohort of inner London schoolchildren included in a longitudinal study. The findings of the research are discussed in terms of policy implications for education. (Author/CT)

The 1970 International Educational Achievement (IEA) survey had placed New Zealand's nine- and fourteen-year-olds first in reading achievement in comparison with all other participating countries. By the time the 1990 IEA survey took place, however, mean achievement levels had slipped somewhat, and by the mid-1990s New Zealand's reputation was…

The latent structure of the reading test of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy study was investigated. The use of latent class modeling for investigating the measurement properties of a large-scale reading assessment database is demonstrated. The study focused on response data from…

A sample of British special needs coordinators identified numbers of children in their schools with reading difficulties. More children were likely to be thus identified in schools with higher mean reading levels. Increasing use of within-school assessments under the new Code of Practice might therefore divert resources away from the neediest. (SK)

Three issues in the debate over reading are (1) choice of instructional materials; (2) methods of teaching and testing; and (3) national standards for reading. Advocates a rational approach that recognizes limitations of tests to assess reading attainment and uses social dimensions and links with other language modes. (SK)

Comments on development of literacy "benchmarks" by the Commonwealth Government. Suggests that the benchmarks (1) will prove a highly productive discursive (and thus financial) context for some researchers, assessment organizations, and professional development teams; and (2) are a product of the melodrama of crisis, having no foundation…