Fourteen adults who stuttered and 14 adults who did not participated in a self-paced word-by-word reading experiment. Results indicated that the two groups were not different with respect to speed of word identification but that persons who stuttered retrieved semantic information more slowly than those who did not stutter. (Author/PB)

A study examined relationships between reading fluency and comprehension by having 49 students (grades 3-4) orally read four passages with an incrementally increased percentage of scrambled words. A suggested criterion of approximately 50 words/minute was found using the mean fluency rate of the highest passage of demonstrated adequate…

A synthesis of research on interventions designed to build reading fluency in students with learning disabilities identified 24 studies on various interventions. Results suggested that effective interventions include explicit models of reading fluency, multiple opportunities to read familiar text repeatedly, independently, and with corrective…

Describes a college reading rate improvement course in which students review reading research regarding the variables involved in reading and explicitly analyze their own reading behavior. Argues that students aware of their own reading behavior can better plan their reading assignments. (RS)

A speed reading technique is described for use with reluctant readers. The technique uses timed probes with practically any reading material, to heighten student motivation in addition to increasing fluency. Methods for self-recording progress data and strategies for building fluency are described. (JDD)

Composite measures of reading performance and symbol-processing speed were analyzed in a total of 105 reading-disabled children (age 7-12) and 97 controls over an interval of 4-8 years. Rates of change in reading performance were highly similar for subjects and controls, but differences in symbol-processing speed increased as a function of age.…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using oral or silent reading rates to evaluate reading ability. Argues that although there are potential problems with measuring reading rates, it can be a useful way of documenting students' progress. (MM)

Evaluation of 16 college students with dyslexia found no significant differences between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Comparison of the 16 dyslexic students with 16 nondyslexic students revealed significant differences on reading achievement and reading time but not on untimed reading comprehension. (JDD)

This study to determine the validity of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test (BLAT), involving 30 students, found significant correlations between scores on the BLAT and braille oral reading speed, comprehension, age, grade, years of blindness, intelligence, and achievement. The correlation was greater between the BLAT and comprehension than between…

This study examined the contributions of phonological awareness, rapid naming, and verbal memory to the reading and spelling skills of 54 children (ages 7-12) with severe reading disabilities. Five academic tasks were examined: word attack, word identification, spelling, prose passage speed and accuracy, and reading comprehension. (Author/JDD)

Examines information-processing differences among four types of readers differing in reading comprehension and speed. Finds that good comprehenders outperformed poor comprehenders on all types of tasks, but the results were less clear for the high- and low-speed readers. Proposes differences in working memory as a source of individual differences…

Investigates the extent to which readers make inferences and integrations during reading. Finds that slow readers and readers with "careful-reading" instructions appear to infer script-arguments and integrate arguments to a high degree. Finds that fast readers and readers with "fluent-reading" instructions do not infer script-information and show…

Occupational reading competencies that should be taught in workplace literacy programs include technical vocabulary, finding and using information, following directions, and self-regulation of reading processes. Simulations of work tasks help learners understand the importance of reading in work settings. (SK)

This study, involving 47 students in grades 2-10, investigated letter-naming speed to determine whether it measures cognitive speed, a theoretical factor that purportedly influences reading rate. It was determined that cognitive speed and cognitive power are two independent factors and that letter-naming speed can be used to measure cognitive…

Four methods of monitoring oral reading rate progress were compared, with 48 elementary age students with learning disabilities. Although no significant differences were found among conditions, results suggest that self- or peer monitoring can be employed (with accuracy of measurement equal to that of teacher monitoring) as an efficient method of…