Understanding a text requires more than the ability to read individual words: it depends greatly on vocabulary knowledge. This important book brings together leading literacy scholars to synthesize cutting-edge research on vocabulary development and its connections to reading comprehension. The volume also reviews an array of approaches to…

A study examined the effects of prior knowledge on the reading comprehension of disadvantaged first-grade students from an inner-city school in northern Utah. A thematic approach using trade books, field experiences, Language Experience Activities, and student journals was used to increase background knowledge of the at-risk first graders who were…

This study investigated the nature of preservice teachers' instructional actions during Directed Reading-Teaching Activities (DR-TA) to involve students in reading and enhance their understanding of text, noting scaffolding processes used to engage children in making sense of text. Twenty-eight preservice teachers who were first-semester K-8…

Intended for teachers of grades 6-10, this book was designed to motivate young people to read, build their comprehension skills, and extend their learning across the curriculum. The book's participatory mealtime programs incorporate learning with activities such as writing and art projects, role-playing, storytelling, games, interviewing, and…

This paper presents the results of a research study carried out with Mexican college students to analyze the relationship between readers' cognitive styles (field dependent/independent) and their performance at different levels of written discourse processing in Spanish (L1) and English (L2). The sample for the study included 452 undergraduate…

Reading is a complex activity that involves both perception and thought. Reading consists of two related processes, word recognition and comprehension. Learning to read is an important educational goal. Research has shown that there is a great deal of transfer from learning to read in one language to learning to read in a second language. This…

This digest describes a research and development program being carried out in transitional bilingual education programs at five elementary schools in the Los Angeles area. Researchers have been collaborating with teachers and project advisors to develop, implement, and describe instructional strategies that improve the chances of students in these…

Cites research indicating that while students react more strongly to visual presentations, they recall more details when reading. Offers explanations for the differences. (MM)

Examines traditional Native Americans' emphasis on the value of understanding the learning process and a holistic curriculum and the Native Americans' perspective toward teaching and learning. Discusses how contemporary educators can learn from a traditional Native American learning model. (LC)

Points out that the emphasis in English language teaching should shift from spoken to written English since international communication today generally means gaining access to written information. (CFM)

Various socio-environmental influences (social class, preschool education, and home environment) on the development of receptive language in preschool children were investigated. Only middle class children benefitted significantly from nursery school experience. (BW)

Compared "read schema activation," in which one group of Japanese women college students of English as a Second Language read a whole text related to the target text; and "written schema activation," in which a second group wrote about the topic of the target text. A control group read the target text twice. There were no…

Investigates, within the context of the question-answer framework of a foreign language oral proficiency test, the interactive nature of spoken discourse between Canadian students and assessors when there is trouble in talk as perceived by the assessors, with a focus on how they accommodate to the students. The study has implications for rater…

Annual evaluation of the speech perception performance of 34 prelingually deafened children, grouped into those who received cochlear implants either before or after age 5, found open-set word recognition performance was significantly better for children implanted before age 5. Amount of daily use of the implant significantly affected all measures…

Examines Israeli-Druze students' reading comprehension in Hebrew as a second language as related to their attitudes, cultural background, and interest in the material. Participants were administered questionnaires, Arab and Jewish cultural stories, and multiple-choice questions about each story. Results are discussed. (51 references) (Author/CK)