With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and in preparation for standards-aligned assessments and twenty-first-century literacy demands, the needs of the adolescents who struggle with reading demand attention. Students who exhibit poor literacy levels have historically occupied seats in secondary classrooms, but the likelihood…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide actionable information to educators, administrators, and researchers about current, available research-based educational technologies that provide adaptive (personalized) instruction to students on literacy, including reading comprehension and writing. This handbook is comprised of chapters by leading…

The two major determinants of reading comprehension are language comprehension and decoding, but prior studies of the development of reading comprehension from an early age show inconsistent results. To clarify these inconsistencies we report a 6-year longitudinal study (starting at Age 4 years) where we control for measurement error and track the…

This nonexperimental study examined academic performance profiles and contributions of language-specific and metacognitive skills to science reading comprehension of Grade 7 students of varied English proficiency. The sample included 204 regular education students, most of whom were English learners (ELs; 35 non-ELs, 86 current ELs, and 83 former…

Several studies have shown that narratives can influence readers' beliefs about themselves. In the present study, our goal was to investigate whether stories portraying a strong protagonist can positively influence recipients' beliefs of being in control of events in their own lives (self-related control beliefs). Experiment 1 showed that…

Critical thinking is crucial to the learning process, cognitive development, and effective information seeking. People can use critical thinking skills to understand, interpret, and assess what they hear or read in order to formulate appropriate reactions or responses. The present study intends to investigate the predictive power of critical…

This study compared the effect of two notetaking strategies (Cornell Notes vs. REAP) on EFL secondary school students' critical reading skills. The Alternative Treatment Design with Pretest was used where three intact classes of first-year EFL secondary school students were randomly assigned as a control group and two experimental groups. All…

Recent Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) analyses find that cyber charter schools in seventeen states show consistently low reading and mathematics value-added test scores compared to traditional public schools serving comparable students. This generally accords with prior research. We hypothesize that the relatively poor…

This study examined variability of the home literacy environment (HLE) using multiple measures among families of low SES. The relations of the measures to each other and to children's early oral language skills and print knowledge were reported. Considerable variability of the self-reported HLE items and the Children's Title Checklist (CTC) but…

This study of sociology faculty in twelve private colleges and universities compares teaching with textbooks and textbook alternatives in undergraduate classes. Faculty explain that textbooks provide a breadth of material that is organized and streamlined in a way that promotes consistency across instructors, facilitates content delivery to…

This study evaluates the effect of attending a U.S. public middle or junior high school as compared with a K-8 school on eighth graders' academic and psychosocial outcomes. In a national sample, we conducted propensity score weighted regression analysis. Initial findings indicated that for eighth-grade students, attending a middle or junior high…

This quasi-experimental study investigated whether a strategy-oriented media-based reading program could improve English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' reading comprehension. Eighty-five students who were registered for English Reading at a university were recruited through convenience sampling to take part in the study. In this study, a…

Although the number of studies on literature in language education has increased in the past two decades, the subject is still in need of empirical research. This case study examines literary texts, their selection, frequency, and functions in Finnish general upper-secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. The data was collected…

This study compared the performance of bilingual learners, educated in either a Transitional Bilingual (TB) or Dual Language (DL) program, on the Reading and English portions of the nationally recognized college entrance exam, the American College Test (ACT). A statistically significant difference was found on the t-tests run for the Reading (p…

This brief presents a promising approach to supporting young children's early math skills development. The approach synthesizes the influence of parents, the home environment, and children's health care providers, and is being implemented by Reach Out and Read. Reach Out and Read is a program in which health care providers give young children new…