In a study of the impact of same-language subtitles in television and video, 46 elementary students in India viewed subtitled music videos, 46 viewed videos without subtitles, and 46 saw no videos. Pre-posttest data showed some reading improvement with untitled videos but the best and most sustained improvement was with the use of subtitles. (SK)

As students who have difficulty in acquiring the basic processes in reading are significantly disadvantaged in later schooling, there is a need for effective interventions for young at-risk students. Reading Recovery is the most widely known and extensively promoted intervention for young struggling readers. However, serious reservations have been…

The Fact and Fiction Research Project, funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) and based at the School of Education, University of Southampton (England), completed a 2-year study into gender and reading in the 7-9 age group. The project, designed to address boys' underachievement in English by reviewing their development as…

A Catholic school program designed to improve reading had the most effect on boys. Possible reasons included explicit teaching, demonstration of the practical value of reading, highly structured lessons, worksheets, award certificates, and encouragement to read nonfiction. (SK)

Reports that the addition of 15 minutes of relaxation training to weekly remedial reading periods for disabled readers throughout a school year raised concentration levels and decreased anxiety, neuroticism, and number of reading errors. Describes a few types of relaxation exercises that may be helpful. (ET)

Investigates children's reading strategies and progress when a meaning-based approach to reading instruction was implemented in a first-grade reading classroom. Describes the design of a reading program in which the teacher introduced totally predictable books, literacy-related centers, and minilessons in context on selected letter-sound…

This paper examines the high levels of social connectedness and civic engagement between the [North] Brisbane School of Arts and the local metropolitan newspapers in their eagerness to establish and promote a reading club that would curb what they felt was the local community's preoccupation with reading popular novels. The Brisbane Literary…

This report describes the birth of the Eve Malmquist Institute for Reading (EMIR) and its first year of operation. The report is in two parts. The first part presents the addresses given at the opening ceremony where the speakers gave their views on different aspects of reading and reading development, such as reading for pleasure, reading…

Intended for use by those interested in promoting books and reading in the world, this report examines book production and reading characteristics in Bulgaria. Major sections of the report deal with intellectual production, publishing activities, physical production, distribution, reading habits, professional training, and legal and institutional…

Discusses the practice of listening to children read aloud as a method of improving reading skills. Demonstrates that the phenomenon is not a simple, fixed treatment to be assessed on limited dependent variables. Concludes that in current evaluations there is insufficient analysis of the practice to do justice to possible effects and to help…

Investigates how well kindergarten phonological awareness (PA) and naming speed (NS) account for reading development to Grade 5. PA was most strongly related to reading in the first two years of school, and NS's initially weaker relationship increased with grade level. Children with weak PA and slow NS were most likely to develop reading…

Presents a case study in which one 9-year-old nonreader of English at a private school made progress in a 6-month remedial reading program. Describes strategies that may help other primary school teachers of English as a second language. Describes the process of instruction and highlights the implications of the findings. (SG)

Uses research data to suggest a new basis for understanding gender differences in girls' and boys' achievements in reading. Argues that raising levels of attainment across the board depends on building an active reading culture in the classroom. Suggests the Literacy Hour and the emphasis on work encompassing word, sentence and text levels for all…

Background: It is widely recognized that effective interventions for poor reading involve training in phoneme awareness and letter-sound knowledge, linked in the context of reading books. From the applied perspective, it is important to gather data on the effectiveness of different forms of implementation of literacy support within this framework.…

Investigates the effects of prior provision of context on the reading behavior of an above-average reader. Results indicate that discussion of context, through examining relevant illustrations, answering questions, and introducing new words, significantly decreased errors and slightly increased the amount of self-correction. (Author/GEA)