Whether text comprehension strategies could be taught to children with poor decoding and reading skills was studied with 428 fourth graders (poor readers) and 167 students from schools for the learning disabled. Clear benefits of training were apparent at posttesting, but maintenance test performance did not show prolonged benefits, suggesting a…

The Whole School Approach to Early Literacy Development program, implemented in high-needs schools in Calgary (Alberta), focused on changing school culture so that teachers, administrators, parents, specialists, and students cooperated to meet high expectations for student achievement. Participating schools committed to six requirements that…

Longitudinal study of literary acquisition among first-graders (N=166) from two distinct linguistic communities in a rural Moroccan town showed that the significant differences in Arabic (first literacy) reading achievement between Berber- and Arabic-speaking groups disappeared by the fifth grade. (Author/CB)

Examines the reading attainment levels of a group of elementary students who had either experienced nursery, day care, or no preschool provision outside the home. Compares pupils' scores on reading tests over four years. Although the results were inconclusive they suggest positive reading attainment outcomes related to preschool experience. (MJP)

National data were used to study the longitudinal effects of variables on choice of Holland social type college majors versus other majors for 524 Asian/Pacific Islanders, 509 Hispanics, 507 Blacks, and 568 Whites. Effects of mathematics scores and gender were fairly consistent across racial/ethnic groups, and effects of reading scores and…

This article considers the research evidence from United Kingdom evaluations of integrated learning systems, systems that include extensive computer-based courseware plus management software. It discusses the value of these systems for pupils with learning difficulties and focuses on their effects on the reading attainments of pupils who are lower…

Discusses instructional psychology and teaching reading. Focuses on Early Reading Research (ERR), a 2-year study following a sample of 433 children as they progress from reception into Year 1. Reports on the first year of research when children were in either six experimental classes (implementing ERR reading framework) or six comparison schools.…

This paper reports two studies that investigate differences in comprehension monitoring skills between good and poor comprehenders. Two groups of 9- to 10-year-olds, who were matched for reading vocabulary and word recognition skills but who differed in comprehension skill, were selected. In the first study, in which the children were required to…

Over the past 7 years the debate on educational policy in Germany has been greatly influenced by major empirical studies of educational performance in the tradition of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), notably the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Programme for…

PISA (the Programme for International Student Assessment) is a triennial survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds. It is the product of collaboration between participating countries and economies through the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), and draws on leading international expertise to develop valid…

Findings from the recent OECD PISA studies highlight the need for the Hungarian school system to improve both effectiveness and equality. Hungarian 15-year-old students scored somewhat below or around the OECD average in the areas of reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy. In addition, students differ less in academic achievement within…

A study investigated the effectiveness of integrating computer technology (multimedia learning resources in a "virtual" classroom) with content area and reading and writing curriculum. All students in grades 2 through 5 at Sun Valley Elementary School, Canada, had their reading and writing assessed. In addition, the writing performance…

An exploratory study examined the influence of teaching conditions and instructional strategies on student reading performance in Latvia and compared influences to those in other countries. A representative sample of students was drawn from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in…

This summary report presents the main findings of the fourth Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) survey of English (involving a random sample of approximately 6,000 pupils in Scotland) and highlights teaching issues. After an introduction that discusses the survey, sampling methods, assessment framework and materials, and performance levels,…

In a 5-year longitudinal study, the home literacy environments of 60 preschool children in Canada were assessed. Over the preschool and early school experiences of these children, they were administered various measures of meta-literate awareness and later, standarized reading measures, to determine the nature of the home environment's influence…