A model of reading comprehension focuses on eye fixations, which are related to the level of reading processes--words, clauses, and text units. Longer pauses are associated with greater processing difficulty. This model is illustrated for a group of undergraduate students reading scientific articles from "Newsweek" and "Time" magazines. (GDC)

Evaluates the effectiveness of the Sack-Yourman Developmental Speed Reading Course software program designed to increase reading rate and comprehension. Finds the software program effective in allowing students to quickly move from "chore" operations and didactic sections to "real" reading. Offers specific recommendations for…

Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of two electronic text variables used in desktop publishing on undergraduate students' reading speed and comprehension. Research on text variables, graphic design, instructional text design, and computer screen design is discussed, and further studies are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

Merges the Simple View of reading with rauding theory by advancing a revision, called Simple View II. Presents empirical evidence that, when the Simple View II is merged with rauding theory, the result is a theoretical framework which includes interrelationships among all of the important constructs involved in reading ability, for students in…

Reliability and validity of a new measure of cognitive speed, the Speed of Thinking Test (SST), were investigated with 129 college students, who also completed a vocabulary test, a test of reading speed, and a test of reading comprehension. The SST appears to be a reliable and valid measure. (SLD)

Examines the relationship between optimal listening rate and reading rate of 56 Japanese college students of English at different proficiency levels. (Author/VWL)

In a study at California State University, Sacramento, the effects of color light and relaxation exercise therapy were investigated with 16 students (ages 23 to 48) with learning disabilities. Therapy consisted of either 20 sessions viewing color light through a Lumatron instrument or 20 sessions listening to relaxation exercise tapes. Diagnostic…

To help students develop techniques which lead to maximum reading efficiency, it is first necessary to help them develop a positive self-image. Growing evidence is focusing attention on self-image as the crucial determiner of progress. Poor progess in reading at the elementary level leads to poor self-image, which in turn hinders the student in…

In an analysis of a processing activities model of memory applied to connected discourse, 206 college students assigned to eight conditions in two studies evidenced significantly greater recall when provided with semantic level tasks than either surface feature analysis or reading control (intentional and incidental) conditions. Additionally,…

The major purpose of this investigation was to determine the relative efficacy of two methods of teaching reading in a college learning-improvement project. Seventy students from undergraduate psychology classes were divided into two instructional groups and one control group. It was hypothesized that subjects receiving modified paperback scanning…

Chapters 1 through 16 of this book offer information on how to increase reading efficiency, particulary for study material and textbooks. Chapters 17 through 24 deal with the evaluative reading skills. Individual chapters deal with skillful reading, planning an hourly schedule, reading speed, fixations in reading, skimming, concentration,…

Two groups of undergraduates differing in reading ability were tested on a number of reaction-time tasks designed to determine the speed of encoding visual information at several different levels, tests of sensory functions, verbal and quantitative reasoning ability, short-term auditory memory span, and ability to comprehend spoken text.…

Scores in reading and comprehension on the University of Minnesota Reading and Speed of Reading examinations for the years 1928 and 1978 were compared. The 1978 freshmen were found to be at least one grade level below their 1928 counterparts in vocabulary, reading comprehension, and rate of reading. (MLW)

Three experiments, in which subjects read passages of variable readability, measured "cognitive capacity usage" (the attention level to reading material) by recording by subjects reaction times in a secondary task (responding to a "click"). The data indicated that the easy texts filled cognitive capacity more completely than the difficult texts,…

Three techniques for teaching effective reading--using students' textbooks, reading modules, and individual instructional packets--have proven successful in reducing reading time while improving comprehension skills for students in a reading and study skills course at a Texas university. Students assigned to the course use their content area…