Strong reading and literacy skills are essential for students' success in K-12 and beyond by providing the foundation for understanding the world and communicating effectively. This Spotlight will help readers learn how classroom conversations can boost reading proficiency; identify research on how to get students absorbed in reading; examine…

In the present study, we examined the reading activities of young readers, while reading an expository text. A total of 24 third-graders was administered a think-aloud task on two occasions. Their protocols were analysed by a coding system that captured two levels of the reading process: the word identification level and the reading comprehension…

Reports a study in which a computerized-text system (CTS) was developed to facilitate students' question-asking during reading. Results suggest that third grade students' use of a CTS to read text and ask questions results in gains in reading performance. (JAD)

To investigate prediction as a strategy that can improve reading comprehension, 50 third grade students from Toledo, Ohio, were first divided into experimental and control groups. The 2 groups both read the same 5 basal stories for instruction, were given the same pretest passages, answered 10 comprehension questions, and then followed a 3-day…

Working on the assumption that when reading comprehension is viewed from a constructivist framework, where meaning grows and changes as the text progresses, categorization into comprehension levels such as literal and inferential will be misleading, two third grade standardized multiple choice test items were selected from a larger body of test…

Examines the effect of strategic reading instruction in conditions not previously studied: two third-grade classrooms of Navajo learners. Notes that one class received instruction designed to foster the use of reading strategies and the second class did not. Suggests that strategy instruction positively affected the behavior of the students in the…

A study examined the effects of instruction versus no instruction of comprehension monitoring strategies and the effects of direct instruction of a written or checksheet comprehension monitoring strategy on the metacognitive awareness and reading achievement of students. Subjects, 57 fifth-grade and 51 third-grade students from 6 intact classrooms…

A study examined the effectiveness of a literature based reading strategy used in a Chapter 1 setting, using a series of books with a familiar character. Subjects, 36 third-grade students in a Chapter 1 reading program at 5 different schools representing a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, were divided into control and experimental groups…

A study tested a method for developing reading fluency with third-grade Hill Tribe children in a welfare school in Chiang Mai, a city located in northern Thailand. Most of the students were bilingual, speaking their native tongues and Thai, their second language. Only 18.7% of the Hill Tribe population can read Thai, and many students fail to…

This study examined the effects of instruction versus no instruction of comprehension monitoring strategies on the metacognitive awareness and reading achievement of third and fifth grade students. The study also examined the effects of direct instruction of a written or checksheet comprehension monitoring strategy on the metacognitive awareness…

A study investigated the effects on reading comprehension of guided imagery instruction before reading. Subjects, 25 third-grade student volunteers from a small Montana community, were given a vocabulary pretest to determine the effect of background knowledge. They were then randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups--read only, guided…

Investigates prediction instruction in three basal reading series. Finds that many basal reader materials do not contain explicit definitions of predictions, nor do they provide rationale statements related to prediction instruction. Discusses implications for prediction instruction in basal readers. (RS)

The aims of concept-oriented reading instruction (CORI) are to increase motivation, strategies, and conceptual learning. To attain these aims, CORI classrooms are: conceptually oriented, observational, collaborative, and personalized, emphasizing strategies of searching, comprehending, integrating, and composing for audiences of peers. Two…

Since many studies indicate that young readers have difficulty comprehending many commonly occurring forms of anaphora, an instructional experiment was conducted in which a variety of anaphoric forms was taught, the intervention period was of sufficient duration, and external validity was enhanced so that results would be generalizable to the…

To determine the effects of repeated readings with cues on reading fluency and comprehension, a study was conducted on 30 third grade students reading at or above grade level, utilizing three equally difficult passages. Half the children were told to read for meaning, and the other half were cued to read for speed and accuracy. These cues were…