Analyzes students enrolled in a college developmental reading class and their use of critical literacy techniques to improve reading and writing skills. Considers three areas of students' progress: reading and writing connections, language and vocabulary, and purposes for reading. Stresses the importance of introduction and mastery of these areas…

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…

Ways to succeed in school and advice on reading books and textbooks are covered in four essays. The analogy of playing the "game of school" and preparing for and playing a sport is developed by Charles I. Brown in two essays. Study activities that are designed to be done before, during, and after class are suggested to help the student maximize…

This paper illustrates how the Kelly repertory grid and the Thomas focusing technique can be used to help teachers and learners become aware of learners' purposes for reading, and how these purposes can be used in a program for improving competencies in reading for learning. The grid elicitation and focusing techniques are briefly described. Four…

The Student Teaching Assistant (STA) Program was initiated in 1972 by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Reading-Study Center to provide highly qualified peer tutors for interested campuses within the University's system. STA training workshops are held each summer for approximately twenty academically-able students from participating campuses.…

Describes a study investigating the effects of group hypnosis on the reading improvement of university students. Finds marginally significant improvement in total vocabulary and comprehension scores and greatest improvement in students with initially low reading scores. Sees group hypnosis as an efficient and economically feasible instructional…

Teachers cannot expect that students at any level know how to create meaning with expository text. Students' ability to comprehend expository text can be improved through the use of comprehension skills. In order to learn the skills, they need to be broken down into specific steps and taught explicitly. Six comprehension skills are described in…

Assesses the feasibility of using a statewide database containing standardized test scores to examine the utility of developmental reading programs in Texas. Suggests that a wide range of academic experiences may pull most students up in terms of reading competence. (TB)

A new model reading lesson is presented for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. Teachers are encouraged to give their students real books to read rather than texts prepared especially for ESL students. The approach involves the teacher as a resource and advocates students learning to evaluate their own understanding by discussing…

Discusses the types and functions of graphic displays found in textbooks, whether they facilitate learning, how well students read graphic displays, and what classroom teachers can do to help students read and interpret graphic displays. (SR)

Discusses the rationale and technique for using subtitled foreign films with an integrated language approach in a developmental college reading class. Reports student attitudes. Shows that the subtitled films motivated students to read, gave them good time on task, and improved their knowledge of other cultures and eras. (SR)

Suggests that autobiography is a fertile context for students to develop a facility for reading and writing and for defining and constructing themselves within an academic setting. Discusses using autobiography in an introduction to academic discourse course for developmental college students. (RS)

Describes a five-week intervention to improve reading comprehension of four college students, focusing on expert reading strategies, metacognitive awareness, and enhancing self-efficacy. Finds that all participants improved on the targeted reading strategies, made significant gains in reading comprehension, and reported high satisfaction with the…

Descriptions of selected college reading improvement programs (most of which were begun in the 1920s or 1930s) reveals that with the exception of increased standardization in the areas of administrative concerns, little seems new. Reviewing the cases of seven college reading improvement programs (Harvard, Hamline, Amherst, University of Chicago,…