This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 53 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) instructional procedures for teaching word meanings; (2) readability; (3) reading acquisition; (4) the relation of word deprivation to reading in elementary school children; (5) blending and segmenting as prereading skills; (6) teaching reading comprehension; (7) the effects of oral reading and related language experiences on the reading readiness of kindergarten children; (8) memory span and the optimal introductory reading lesson; (9) factors related to the development of sixth grade students' reading habits; (10) administrators' perceptions of the involvement of specialized reading personnel in the elementary school reading program; (11) lexical access for single printed units in first grade children; (12) selective attention in language comprehension; (13) the effects of training in visual imagery and phrasing on reading comprehension; (14) the development of reading-related knowledge over the preschool years; (15) training in test wiseness on reading scores of low and middle socioeconomic status children; (16) the relationship of teacher reinforcement to pupil behavior and reading achievement; and (17) cognitive style and reading. (FL)