The introduction of Common Core State Standards has many middle grade school teachers concerned with implementing standards while retaining student reading engagement and motivation strategies. This study analyzes the effectiveness of providing social networking strategies in online book discussion groups on enhancing middle grade student reading…

Reports on a study that investigated the relationship between intonation in oral reading and reading comprehension of Black West Indies college students. Concludes that there were no significant relationships and outlines procedures for future research. (FL)

Reports on research findings that suggest that the use of underlining can result in significant improvement in reading comprehension and retention of textbook type materials. (Author/GW)

Reports on a study to examine the way college students in a reading methods course learned about and demonstrated the strategies they use to construct the main idea of an essay. Concludes that teacher modeling and concrete examples are important to all levels of instruction, kindergarten through university senior. (RS)

Examines the processing order between the comprehension of a text and the use of comprehended ideas for such thinking tasks as comparing, evaluating, and problem solving. Finds that readers with limited background knowledge read in a more linear fashion than those with extensive background, who read in a parallel manner. (RS)

Investigates how effectively third, fourth, and fifth grade students monitor their comprehension at two levels (reconstructive and constructive). Finds that students rated their performance higher than they actually performed on both levels of questions; and that there was almost no relationship between students' actual performance and…

Notes that readers do not depend solely on the visual aspects of reading, but also make use of nonvisual understanding in decoding print. Among the nonvisual components of reading discussed are desiring knowledge, understanding the nature and purpose of reading, reading for meaning, and predicting an author's message. (MKM)

Extends a previous study examining the relationship between reading comprehension and thinking skills by using an "on-line" reporting procedure in which undergraduate subjects reported on their reading during the process of reading. Reports that the extent of a reader's background knowledge affects the order of processing as well as the kinds of…

Presents a discussion by dedicated teachers (who were taking a university course for reading assessment and diagnosis) about students' problems with vocabulary words that impede successful reading comprehension. Discusses how the interactive process of developing the strategies pushed the teachers' imaginations and created a challenge for the…

Measures the effects of infusing writing components into a university reading laboratory. Reports that reading improvement was significant with writing infusions but that results are inconclusive due to lack of true experimental design. (AEW)

Suggests individualized reading as a solution to the problem of varied interests and ability levels in large introductory college courses. Details how directed individualized reading followed by oral reports presented to the professor was used successfully in an introductory psychology course. (ARH)

Investigates whether reading instruction for adult English-as-a-Second-Language students should focus on fostering linguistic ability or on increasing background knowledge. Demonstrates that both linguistic knowledge and prior knowledge contribute significantly to reading comprehension. Argues that an integrative approach to reading instruction is…

Identifies three problem areas in teaching students with limited English proficiency to read: (1) the readers' input (what they bring to the reading process), (2) the author's input, and (3) the reading process itself. Recommends that teachers acquaint themselves with students' prior knowledge and language competence level and strive for a balance…

Presents a method for improving reading comprehension through direct instruction of inductive reasoning. Students gather clues to personality of characters as play progresses and from these arrive at an overall generalization concerning the complexities of the character. (SRT)