The scientific approach with humans is usually subject to many human and environmental variables that are difficult to control. Reading behavior and reading disability are two of the most researched topics in education and psychology, yet reading research continues to abound with contradictions. Standardized tests, speed reading, and computer…

A series of research studies on the consistency of reading specialists' diagnoses of students with reading problems have indicated that clinical agreement has been astonishingly low. To investigate which factors seem to lead to consistency in clinical diagnosis, a study was conducted based on a theory of clinical problem solving called inquiry…

An account of the Barking Reading Project designed to prepare classroom teachers (instead of reading specialists) to respond to children with severe reading difficulties. The subject of a two-year government research study, the project's findings endorse initiatives that promote classroom teacher ability to make good teaching decisions relating to…

Thirty-eight college students were the subjects of a study designed to examine the efficacy of training graduate reading specialists through a diagnosis simulation program versus the use of a traditional child study approach. The major task of this investigation was to compare, by way of univariate or multivariate analysis, various combinations of…

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare concepts of the ideal role and functions with the actual role and functions of the reading specialist. The public elementary reading specialists, classroom teachers, principals, and reading supervisors of Franklin County, Ohio, served as subjects. A Q-sort instrument was used for gathering the…

The views of three groups of educators regarding their ratings of the importance of individual competencies for reading specialists were investigated. The importance of selected modes used for helping reading specialists acquire these competencies were also studied. Data were gathered through the use of two rating instruments: the Competency…

What reading consultants do varies considerably from person to person as there is variability in the role each reading consultant perceives as his or her responsibility. To assist reading consultants in prioritizing their roles to meet their constituents' needs, 113 elementary teachers enrolled in graduate reading classes at the University of…

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of the relationship between test data of problem readers diagnosed in a reading center and the kinds of recommendations made by a reading specialist at the center in the areas of phonics and comprehension. A second dimension was to assess the agreement of the diagnoses in the areas of phonics and…

Reports on a survey used to evaluate the secondary school reading program in Polk County, Florida. (DF)

In this survey, teachers in 46 elementary schools in the San Francisco Bay area were asked to describe how they worked with reading specialists, if at all. Of 414 teachers reporting, 49.3% reported that the reading specialist instructs selected students, usually outside the classroom, and provides no other services to the teacher. Only 20% of the…

A survey method was used in conducting this study of the status and direction of reading activity in selected middle schools in Pennsylvania which include grades six, seven, and eight. Among the purposes of the study were to investigate current practices in teaching reading in the middle schools of Pennsylvania and to present recommendations for…

In response to concerns about the adequacy of the preparation provided for reading specialists in light of the duties spelled out for them in a 1977 Wisconsin statute, a study was undertaken to obtain perceptions of the responsibilities of reading professionals from Wisconsin school administrators and reading specialists. A total of 253…

Thirty-six reading specialists and classroom teachers enrolled in a graduate reading diagnosis course participated in a study to determine whether clinical performance could be improved by alterations in a clinician's memory and strategy. Overall procedures in this study included pretests, 30 hours of clinical training in diagnosis, and posttests.…

Compares the rankings made by reading consultants and reading teachers of eight dimensions of reading attitudes. Finds significant differences in the rankings of the two groups on only three of the attitudinal dimensions. (FL)