As part of a two-year project that examined the processes by which children initially approach the reading task, the second phase of a preliminary study was devised that modified the pretest, the instructional modes and format, the sequence and amount of information presented in the instructional sessions, and the procedures for testing and recording study results. The pretest was expanded to provide information on the child's reading-related abilities and his/her understanding of the nature, purpose, and meaning of the reading task. The modifications in the instructional process combined the instruction, observation, and probing questions of the first phase with a systematic approach to the study of the children's ability to generalize new material and a series of experimental tasks that tested the hypotheses relating to the individual child's reading responses. (MAI)