Investigates the relationship of out-of-school activities to reading achievement. Finds a wide variation between children in amount of out-of-school reading. Concludes that reading books was the out-of-school activity that had the strongest association with reading proficiency, but that on most days most subjects did little or no book reading. (MM)

An action research study described and evaluated a program for improving the reading comprehension of targeted first, second, and third grade students, in a progressive suburban community in northern Illinois. The problem was noted by the researchers, who in recent years had observed a need for improvement in reading comprehension as indicated by…

A study conducted in the Orange County Public Schools in central Florida investigated the reading interests of sixth-grade students. The study also gathered information from teachers regarding the nature and source of reading materials used for independent reading in their classrooms and on the implementation of sustained silent reading practices.…

A 2-year study was conducted in 1965-67 for the following purposes: (1) to evaluate the materials and techniques of a new beginning reading program, Listen Look Learn (LLL) Multi-Media Communication Skills System, in order to make revisions where necessary and (2) to compare the LLL system in its formative stage with that of basal reader programs.…

A survey of selected neighborhoods in eight cities was conducted to determine the relevance, availability and utilization of leisure-time reading materials in both English and Spanish for Hispanic-American children. Spanish-speaking children, parents, teachers, librarians, educators and community workers were interviewed in each of the eight…

This study describes a program designed to increase reading practice at home and at school. The targeted population consisted of elementary students from separate river communities located in the Midwest. Evidence for the existence of the problem included teacher observation of apathy to reading practice, student attitude surveys to gauge…

Explains the relevance of reading-comprehension research for classroom teachers, discussing how knowledge of the world and active engagement with ideas in the text influence comprehension and looking at how to develop both these capabilities. Four sections discuss the power of background knowledge, reading aloud and discussing literature with…

The purpose of this study was to determine if reading aloud to children regularly would have an effect on their motivation and desire to read independently. Subjects, 100 fourth and fifth grade students in Wayne, New Jersey, participated in the study. One fourth and one fifth grade class were read to on a daily basis for 30 minutes. The second…

In an effort to predict whether field dependent readers would be adversely affected by postreading tasks involving high memory demands and requiring restructuring skills, a study assessed how the field dependent-independent cognitive style may be related to performance on reading comprehension question tasks for school-age learners. Subjects, 55…

Examines the content of the pamphlet "What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning." Asks (1) what it means to say it is "drawn from""Becoming a Nation of Readers"; and (2) whether the editors are guilty of political chicanery with reading research, as some have argued. (RS)

"Decodable text" devotees say phonics is scientifically superior to the whole-language approach, which supposedly lacks research validation. However, 60 years of research supports holistic, literature-based approaches to literacy. Whole-language instruction is further validated by research on independent reading, cooperative learning, Reading…

Investigates how a computer-based instructional intervention (creating multimedia reviews of books) might increase fourth and fifth graders' independent reading. Finds that the success of the intervention was related to the mediating effects of using technology, changes in the interactions among students and teachers, and students' engagement in…

To investigate adolescent reading habits and interests, a reading interest survey was administered to 103 male and 133 female sophomore English students from two high schools with similar socioeconomic backgrounds but different individualized reading programs. In the first school, students read and made book reports on three novels of their own…

An ideal secondary level remedial reading program would be based on the philosophy that both freedom and structure are required, that learning demands involvement and feedback, and that success breeds success. Such programs should be structured (i.e., based on clearly defined content and a clearly designated mode of presentation). There are many…

Reports on a study that found that children who read, write, and discuss whole texts of their own choice show remarkable insights into literature and its making, and that the insights match those of experienced adult literary critics. (SKC)