In this article, the authors report findings from a yearlong study that addressed teaching first-grade students to make inferences and engage in inferential discussion about children's literature. Because of the importance of both inferencing and discussion for comprehension, a collaborative team of two researchers and a classroom teacher focused…

The present study examined the predictive validity of a dynamic test of decoding in which participants are taught three novel letters and how to synthesize the corresponding letter sounds into new words. One version of this dynamic test was administered to 158 kindergarten children before the onset of formal reading instruction along with…

Extensive reading has been continuously studied as a promising instructional method for improving students' language proficiency, including reading proficiency, vocabulary acquisition, and grammar awareness. The present study is a meta-analysis, which synthesized the data of 21 empirical studies (N = 1268). It was designed to explore whether…

Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in Australia have persistently performed at relatively low levels in national and international tests of reading literacy. Research attention is required to look for new models to promote reading and reading engagement for disadvantaged students. The current study discussed a case study derived…

This article describes how creativity is integrated into an English as a foreign language (EFL) reading classroom for a class of adolescent readers in Taiwan. The chosen focal material was a book called "Our Iceberg Is Melting" by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber, and the four language learning units in which creativity was infused were…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a complex initiative which requires the ongoing support and communication of multiple stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, support staff). The purpose of this paper is to examine RTI and direct application of the framework with public school practitioners. The paper is separated into several sections.…

Students often struggle to comprehend complex text. In response, we conducted an initial, year-long study of Quality Talk, a teacher-facilitated, small-group discussion approach designed to enhance students' basic and high-level comprehension, in two fourth-grade classrooms. Specifically, teachers delivered instructional mini-lessons on discourse…

Discussions with sixth-form students about reading led Carolyn Massey and Paul Wiggin to start a sixth-form reading group. They describe here the series of themed sessions that they planned, and the student discussion and reflections that resulted. Listening to their students discuss their reading led Massey and Wiggin to reflect on what is meant…

This qualitative case study examined two first-grade teachers' scaffolding within daily small-group reading instruction for students identified as having the most difficulty with reading and how the scaffolds supported students' reading. This research occurred in two first-grade classrooms at Springville Elementary School, a school in a rural town…

This study was conducted in order to determine if the engagement of teachers in professional learning communities (PLCs) made a difference on student reading comprehension scores. Literacy is a critical skill needed throughout the schooling years as well as into adulthood and educators are continually seeking ways to improve the reading skills of…

This action research study describes the influence of differentiation of reading instruction based on student choice and interest on the reading growth of seventh-grade special education students in the academic enrichment classroom. This research was grounded in the theoretical framework that involves differentiation of instruction (Tomlinson,…

Middle school students continue to fall below the Proficient level of state standards in the area of literacy. Response to Intervention (RTI) was introduced to provide teachers of all grades and subject areas the necessary steps to aid at-risk students in their classrooms. Due to the lack of specific guidelines for RTI, some teachers implement the…

The effective delivery of interactive read-alouds to young children fosters language and literacy development. Such development is attainable only when students can read proficiently and on grade level, starting from pre-k and kindergarten. The effectiveness of read-alouds is highly dependent on how teachers interact with their students during the…

Students often struggle to comprehend complex text. In response, we conducted an initial, year-long study of Quality Talk, a teacher-facilitated, small-group discussion approach designed to enhance students' basic and high-level comprehension, in two 4th-grade classrooms. Specifically, teachers delivered instructional mini-lessons on discourse…

This project examined the effects of a state-wide curricular shift in developmental education course offerings on student success in college-level courses at public community colleges in Texas. Specifically, it evaluated the efficacy of accelerated developmental integrated reading and writing (INRW) courses compared to non-accelerated, separate…