The focus here is on learning by school-age children, assisted by the family and/or peers, and supported and managed by professional teachers. The author/educator, who specializes in researching paired learning, provides an outline of the essential concepts of peer-assisted and parent-assisted learning, followed by discussion of some specific…

This article looks at the relevance of linguistic and psycholinguistic studies to mother tongue instruction. Particularly, the semantically-oriented research of higher level units of language and speech, is considered. As some Estonian studies imply, there are indications that the application of psycholinguistic research in teaching practices…

The booster lessons included in this book are designed for those children who need targeted support to secure National Curriculum Level 4 in the Key Stage 2 English tests. As the children work through 18 booster lessons, they will revisit key objectives that will help ensure that they achieve their full potential in the end-of-Key Stage 2 tests.…

This book, written in English and Zulu, presents stories written by older people from the Muthande Society for the Aged Literacy Programme in South Africa. It is suitable for people learning to read for the first time or for people learning to read in a second language. In the Muthande Society for the Aged Literacy Programme, both teachers and…

A study used a Functions of Reading Scale to explore the reading activities of students in grades three, five, and eight in Ireland and the United States. Results showed the patterns of relationships between the variables in the Scale to be consistent across cultures and grade levels. (FL)

Examines whether reading aloud in the classroom is an appropriate student-centered method of teaching reading. Describes how using this method to study Steinbeck's novel, "of Mice and Men," provides a structural, sociolinguistics, cultural, and stylistic knowledge through a combination of explanation and active engagement. (Author/VWL)

Proposes the use of web pages as an interdisciplinary tool in classes of English for professional and academic purposes. Languages and computing are two areas of knowledge that the graduate of the Polytechnic University of Madrid and its School of architecture need to study in order to supplement the education received during their degree with the…

A study of the effect of parent-school relationship improvement efforts on student achievement examined operation of home-reading programs in five disadvantaged Australian primary schools. Advantages in reading achievement for the children (n=140) persisted for children of high-contact and high-support parents after three years. (Author/MSE)

Four moderately mentally retarded students, aged 8-13, were instructed in a basic skills reading program which emphasized a phonemic alphabet, pictorial cueing, and stimulus manipulation techniques. The training improved the Dutch students' ability to read one- and two-syllable words, and was generalizable to untrained words of the same…

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)

This study investigated the effects of previewing and providing background knowledge for American short stories on Taiwanese students' comprehension of the stories and attitudes toward the treatments. Implications of the findings for reading instruction in second-language classrooms are discussed. (JL)

Reports on two studies to determine if teaching poor readers to use inner speech could improve their reading and writing skills. Finds that both experimental groups improved significantly in both reading and writing. Includes three tables containing comparative experimental data. (CFR)

Notes the lack of funded research. Finds that evidence for beliefs is lacking in any broad frame, although there are reports which add to the picture concerning how children learn to read and how they become better readers. Discusses reading research methodology. (RS)

Reexamines definitions of and explanations for the Hawthorne Effect in research subjects. Notes that the Hawthorne Effect was tested in a study of the effectiveness of paired classroom reading among students. Challenges the notion that subject's behavior is modified by participation in research. Reviews various research studies that question the…

Describes a program that sends books home for parents to read to children in New Zealand. Reports on a study of classroom teachers and parents in 19 primary schools. Finds that, nearly all parents report participating, but there lacked a systematic communication between parents and teachers about instructional practices. (CFR)