A model of cognitive operations that children use in reading and comprehending a sentence was tested by using Sternberg's independent-process analysis on 64 second and fifth graders who were either high- or low-ability readers. Three specific component processes were examined: a decoding process, a word meaning process, and a comprehension…

To determine whether increasing decoding speed affects the comprehension of poor readers, two experiments were designed to test two groups consisting of seven good readers and eleven poor readers chosen from fourth and fifth grade. In the first experiment, poor readers were trained to read a list of words as rapidly as the good readers and were…

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FOUR METHODS OF INCREASING READING RATE, COMPREHENSION, AND FLEXIBILITY WAS STUDIED. TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE FRESHMEN AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY SERVED AS SUBJECTS. TWENTY-FIVE LESSONS WERE GIVEN OVER A 6-WEEK PERIOD. SUBJECTS WERE TESTED IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE LESSONS AND AGAIN AFTER 8 WEEKS. THE METHODS OF…

In an analysis of a processing activities model of memory applied to connected discourse, 206 college students assigned to eight conditions in two studies evidenced significantly greater recall when provided with semantic level tasks than either surface feature analysis or reading control (intentional and incidental) conditions. Additionally,…

The 1976 reading achievement scores of year 5 pupils in Queensland (Australia) primary schools were compared with the scores of year 5 pupils in 1971, using Reading Test QR5. The sample included 1,754 students in 111 primary schools. Analysis of the results showed that scores for vocabulary development, comprehension of implied meaning, and…

This study was designed to determine the effects of two teacher responses on rate of oral reading. The teacher responses were the simple response of correcting a mispronounced word and the response of praise contingent on correct reading while ignoring all errors. The subjects were four boys ranging in age from nine to twelve from a residential…

This project developed an informal reading test from adult basic education teaching materials and investigated reading performance at six levels among adults attending basic education classes. Graded word lists, readiness oral reading passages, and graded oral reading passages were administered to 37 adults. The six most discriminating word lists…

This report deals with a 2-week reading and study program developed for socially disadvantaged incoming freshmen at Rutgers University. Of the group studied, 84 percent were black, and the rest were white boys. Of the blacks, 53 percent were female. The organization of the skills acquisition program is described. Also given are informal and formal…

A voluntary remedial reading and study skills class for students whose ability in these areas is insufficient to meet college demands is described. After the initial diagnostic pretesting is complete, each student works with a tutor or instructor to design a learning program suited to his individual needs, with six or seven half-hour units per…

The relationship between learning style (impulsivity-constriction and stability-anxiety), reading scores, and scanning performance was investigated. Twenty high school students enrolled in a precollege reading and study skills program participated in an 80-trial (10-session) scanning experiment. The task involved searching for a target sentence…

Using string-manipulation algorithms, FORTRAN computer programs were designed for analysis of written material. The programs measure length of a text and its complexity in terms of the average length of words and sentences, map the occurrences of keywords or phrases, calculate word frequency distribution and certain indicators of style. Trials of…

The speed and accuracy of skilled and less skilled first-grade readers were assessed in the fall and spring. Children read random lists of words and coherent paragraphs. Poor decoding skills, rather than an inability to use content to facilitate word recognition, caused the poor performance of less skilled readers. (Author/BS)

Elementary school children's understanding was assessed after they read or listened to brief texts that described a scene, explained a sequence of events, or told a story. Results indicated that effectiveness in understanding depends on the fluency with which component processes of perceptual recognition, comprehension, and memory are coordinated.…

Verbal coding and listening comprehension ability differed among skilled and less skilled readers in second, third, and fifth grades. As verbal coding speed increased, comprehension skill became the more important predictor of reading skill. Apparently, verbal coding processes, which are slow, inhibit other reading processes. (Author/CP)

A study investigated effects of regular instruction and practice with prescription reading glasses with three adolescents with low vision. Two students demonstrated no advantage in reading large print and one student experienced a decreased reading rate using standard print and reading glasses. Students preferred reading standard print with…