Comments on several other articles in this issue of the journal regarding standards for reading research methodologies. Distinguishes between conceptions of inquiry concerned with human actions and events. Sees the ends of inquiry as "design features" of different types of rational features, controlled inquiries, of which natural, social, and…

Finds that perceptual identification of target words explicitly presented was significantly higher than that of new targets and that targets inferred to maintain coherence and targets predicted by the text were identified as well as explicit targets and significantly better than targets schematically appropriate to the text. (SR)

Reports a case study of an acquired dyslexic subject who showed no evidence of having any access to sublexical phonological information. Notes, however, that the subject showed normal effects of spelling regularity for low-frequency words, suggesting sublexical phonological processing. Suggests that the types of explicit tasks previously used are…

Uses an error detection paradigm to examine the use of different standards of evaluation in younger and older adults who are skilled or less skilled at evaluating their understanding. Finds that skilled readers more often detect falsehoods and inconsistencies than nonsense words, whereas less skilled readers more often detect nonsense words and…

Tests how domain-related knowledge influences inference generation during text comprehension. Examines local and global inferences. Finds that all knowledge groups process sentences involved in local inferences similarly, but not global inferences. Suggests that individuals with prior knowledge use their knowledge actively to generate global…

Assesses early interactive processes of development in reading, spelling, and implicit and explicit phonological awareness in a group of children at four time-points as they progressed through their first three years in school. Finds that results describe the ways in which spelling acts as a mediator for the influence of explicit phonological…

Determines readability levels for each of the Caldecott Medal books, and presents the full list. Finds that the overall grade-level readability average was 4.75. Offers some suggestions for using the books in elementary classrooms. (SR)

Examines three work sites employing deaf individuals (graduates of Gallaudet University), investigating how much time deaf adults spend reading and writing on the job; what types of reading and writing activities they engage in; how deaf employees communicate with their hearing supervisors/co-workers; and what their perceptions are of literacy…

Notes that reading research has advanced from notions that reading is a visual-perception task of word recognition and decoding to more precise psycho- and neurolinguistic models of language and literacy. Concludes that reading is a skill that develops to an automatic level depending on the degree to which the individual can access phonemic and…

Focuses on inferential processes in reading and the question of whether those processes are automatic. Examines the importance of inference generation during reading comprehension. Describes research that investigates which inferences appear to be automatic. Discusses characteristics of skilled reading that are related to the automaticity of…

Demonstrates that reactivation of unsatisfied goal information depended on the type of original goal context and whether it was fully reinstated and that reinstatement of goal information from the distant target episode was successful only when the context was fully reinstated. Supports models of comprehension that assume reactivation of relevant…

Tests two views of how relevant global information becomes readily available to readers. Demonstrates that backgrounded information became readily available if it shared features in common with the current contents of working memory. Shows that this occurred independently of whether the information was relevant or thematically related;…

Examines the slogan "explicit and systematic teaching of reading" by discussing a framework of four dimensions of learning and teaching: (1) explicit-implicit; (2) systematic-unsystematic; (3) mindful-mindless; and (4) contextualized-decontextualized. Concludes that an optimum mix of all four dimensions is needed. (SR)

Looks at the link between children's understanding of a morphemically-based orthographic rule and their awareness of morphemic distinctions. Questions the orthographic rule of using the apostrophe to denote possession in English. Concludes that different forms of linguistic awareness affect different aspects of reading and spelling. (SC)

Offers a fanciful dialog between Socrates and his followers to present findings about spelling development. Discusses the work of two scholars (Frank Smith and Steven Krashen); then discusses various hypotheses. Concludes that effective spellers get to be that way because they read as if they were writers; and a strong relationship exists between…