Suggests that literature circles can provide a stimulating and motivating method of teaching reading, and they help increase student reading performance as measured on a criterion-referenced test. Notes that when students participate in literature discussion groups their reading level and motivation can increase. (SG)

This report describes a plan for developing metacognitive reflection in readers in order to improve reading comprehension in both fiction and nonfiction texts. The targeted population was sixth graders at two sites: one in an upper middle-class neighborhood of a large city, the other in a rapidly changing community in a collar suburb of that same…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving the recreational reading habits of fifth-grade students and encouraging them to become lifelong readers. The targeted population lived in a growing, low- to upper-middle-class, suburban community, located in Hanover Park, approximately 35 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. Students in…

Competent readers use strategies automatically; moreover, the use of strategies is a natural part of their reading process. Interested in the effects of the direct teaching of strategies to poor readers, a researcher decided to use a classroom action research approach. She studied reading strategies used by competent readers before, during, and…

This report describes a program for increasing reading test scores. The targeted population consisted of one second-grade, one third-grade, and two fourth-grade classrooms in a growing middle class community located in a far western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The problem of low reading test scores was documented though the 1995 IGAP scores on…

This study describes an approach for enhancing reading strategies through the use of technology for improving reading comprehension and vocabulary. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in a growing low to middle class community, located in central Illinois. The problem of declining reading scores was evidenced in data…

An action research project implemented a program for improving the reading skills of at-risk middle school students. The targeted population consisted of fifth- and seventh-grade students in a rural, middle class community located in northeastern Illinois. Evidence for the problem includes teacher observation, checklists, standardized tests, and…