A study examined the correspondence between parent involvement and second graders' reading achievement. It also examined the relationship between students' IQ scores and their reading achievement. Evaluation instruments included the SAT and the O-LSAT. Parents completed a parent involvement questionnaire, and two key informants were interviewed.…

Because an instructor's attitude toward students' language is a crucial factor in determining whether students will be active participants in the educational process, it is important for teachers to be aware of dialect differences. Labelled by many as "nonstandard," Black English is a dialect derived from Gullah, a creole based on…

A study was conducted to: (1) gather data which would permit researchers to describe the teaching behaviors and language characteristics of parents during literacy events with their children; (2) analyze these data for positive or negative influences of parents' oral language on their children's participation in the reading/writing activities; and…

Intended to help dispel several unsupported "myths" about reading instruction, this book analyzes a selected group of teaching practices that have been supported by reading experts but not by research findings. The "myths" discussed in the first 12 chapters of the book are as follows: (1) phonics hinders comprehension; (2) unpredictable spelling…

Traditionally, studies of beginning reading have focused either on between-subjects' differences or on changes in reading performance characteristics induced by specific training procedures. A third approach to reading is a within-subjects' comparison of individual performance characteristics at varying difficulty levels. The present study…

Twenty first grade children were videotaped during their first six weeks of learning to read in a study of the modified synthetic phonics program and the four progressive stages of oral reading behavior (emergence, contextual, nonresponse, and postresponse). The approach used by the teacher emphasized learning new words through the concurrent…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the effect of vocabulary instruction on the comprehension of poor readers; contextual methods of teaching sight words to elementary remedial readers; the effects…

A school psychologist describes techniques and approaches to accurately assess students' reading skills and determine what materials and methods should be used for instruction. Among formulas considered for estimating reading expectancy are mental grade and years in school formulas. Research is described which indicates that school psychologists…

In a study designed to validate oral language proficiency tests, it is planned to administer a series of tests to 100 native Mandarin Chinese-speaking subjects (foreign students and their spouses). The tests will measure communicative competence in speaking (ability to speak, exhibiting control of linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic rules;…

Written primarily for the secondary school English teacher, this book suggests specific projects to extend the range and variety of the English curriculum and to develop the students' language skills and imaginations. Part I contains discussions of the nature and purposes of English lessons, the place of literature in education, methods for…

Designed to provide the student with experience in oral communication, this curriculum guide presents a one-semester speech course for junior high school students with "normal" rather than defective speech. The eight units cover speech in social interaction; group discussion and business meetings; demonstrations and reports; creative dramatics;…

This article describes a program at the University of Nancy, for the teaching of introductory phonetic transcription to beginning students majoring in English. The alphabet chosen for this program, the English Pronouncing Dictionary Alphabet, lends itself particularly to use with beginners. Introduction to this alphabet takes place in ten sessions…

Practical classroom-tested ideas for elementary language arts instruction are provided in this planbook. Individual chapters deal with stimulating pupils' interest, using oral language in learning experiences, building listening skills, developing practical uses for creative dramatics, building knowledge through games and exercises, resolving…

In an experiment designed to involve reluctant learners in a creative learning experience, a class of youngsters assumed the role of a Sahara Desert tribe and talked about their perplexity in finding a chair washed up on the beach. Using this incident as the focal point for a project, the teacher divided the children into small groups to compose…

The 10 readings collected in this volume emphasize the value of oral interpretation as an approach to teaching literature in the secondary school. Wallace A. Bacon indicates how the act of interpretation as it is experienced in the reader's mind can recreate the act of literature. Frances L. McCurdy, Margaret M. Neville, and Allen Bales discuss…