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THE FACTORS WHICH MIGHT HAVE CAUSED ADULTS TO DROP OUT OF AN ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM WERE EXAMINED. THIS ADULT PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED IN A SMALL CITY IN WISCONSIN FROM JANUARY TO JUNE, 1966. TWO TEACHERS, A READING TEACHER AND AN ENGLISH TEACHER, HELD CLASS TWICE A WEEK FOR 50 SESSIONS. THIRTY-EIGHT ADULTS RANGING IN AGE FROM 18 TO 60 WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS ACCORDING TO READING LEVELS. SIXTEEN ADULTS COMPLETED THE 50 SESSIONS OR 100 HOURS. DATA WERE GATHERED BY MEANS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE, AND PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WITH 10 OF THE 22 DROPOUTS. THE CHANGE TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, PAYMENT FOR CHILD CARE AND TRANSPORTATION, AND CHANGE IN JOB WERE FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS' NONCOMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM. RESULTS CONFIRMED THE FINDINGS OF THE NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER THAT ADULTS OF THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS DROP OUT OF ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES MAINLY FOR EXTERNAL OR SITUATIONAL REASONS. IMPLICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED, AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFERENCES INCLUDED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL READING CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING (16TH, ST. PETERSBURG, DECEMBER 1-3, 1966). (BK)

A framework for organizing instruction in reading is discussed which includes the following objectives: identification of essential skills in reading, a statement of objectives, assessment, identification of appropriate teaching/learning activities, and evaluation. The objective of instruction is to focus on what the teacher wants the children to learn, how he can tell whether they have learned it, how to go on with the teaching, and whether the outcome is what was desired. The major problem of reading research is arriving at an acceptable definition of "reading," but, whatever the definition, a number of other problems need to be solved before researchers can assume that adequate instruction in reading exists. Until this assumption can be made, research effort should not be dissipated in pursuing other than educational factors as causes of reading disability. (DI)

Essential skills and objectives for the Stuy Skills element of the "Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development" are presented. Three major subareas--maps, graphs, and reference--and several substrands for each are identified. Sources consulted and a rationale for choosing specific skills are given. (Author)

The Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development is a vehicle for implementing a skills-centered approach to reading instruction. The components of the design are (1) management guidelines; (2) an essential skills list for six areas (word attack, comprehension, study skills, self-directed reading, interpretive reading, and creative reading) and behavioral objectives for each area; (3) instructional guidelines including a teacher's resource file; and (4) assessment measures which permit teachers to focus upon behaviors related to specific skills. Manuals are provided to assist with the implementation of the design. The design is supported by three kinds of empirical evidence: (1) reliability and validity investigations of the skills-related criterion-referenced tests (the individual tests were serving a purpose not met by the more formal group tests); (2) evidence that implementation of the design has a salutory effect on reading achievement (the comprehension and study skills phases of the design are yet to be implemented); and (3) data showing that teachers can realistically set and successfully pursue specific skill-attainment goals. Tables and references are included. (AW)

The Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development is a skill-centered approach to reading instruction in the elementary school. Skills in six areas have been identified: word attack, comprehension, study skills, self-directed reading, interpretive reading, and creative reading. The Design provides behavioral objectives and criterion-referenced tests for each skill. The results of the machine-scored tests indicate the skill strengths and deficits of each child. Resources including published materials and teacher-directed activities are also keyed to each skill. A management system in the form of a profile card provides a continuous record of each child's skill development and permits flexible grouping on the basis of skill needs. The intent of the Design is to provide individualized skill instruction as well as a continuous progress approach to reading. The Design is in its second year of field testing. (Author/AW)

This monograph reflects some of the current thinking about inservice teacher education, with a particular focus on the role of inservice education in improving reading instruction. Chapter one, an introduction to inservice education, attempts to deal with the problems involved in implementing inservice programs as well as to establish the need for them. Chapter two discusses the process of inservice planning and implementation. The topics covered range from the identification of legitimate needs for inservice education, through the steps of implementation, to the evaluation of the efforts expended. Staff roles and responsibilities are dealt with in chapter three. Formats for inservice sessions (e.g., lecture, demonstration, observation, interviewing, brainstorming, role playing, and buzz sessions) are presented in chapter four, and strengthsand limitations of each are considered. Some descriptions of inservice programs that have already been implemented are given in chapter five. (WR)

These four studies in a series deal with good and poor readers' utilization of selected cues in paired-associate learning. Specific cues considered were color, order of presentation, and verbal mediators. Answers to two basic questions were sought: (1) Do the selected cues have a facilitative effect upon children's paired-associate learning? (2) Is the learning of good and poor readers affected differently by the additional cues? For the 72 elementary school subjects in the study, color was shown to have a positive effect upon learning when intralist similarity was high, but there was no reliable differential effect for good and poor readers. Serial (as opposed to scrambled) order of presentation was shown to enhance both initial learning and recall. Instructions to use verbal mediators also enhanced learning; but again there was no differential effect for good and poor readers. Interactions among the selected cues and other relevant factors and implications were considered in terms of constructing a program for the teaching of reading. (Author/JS)

Data based on the single word responses children made to visually presented alphabet letter stimuli were examined and compared with earlier adult studies. One hundred and eighty sixth-grade students from two elementary schools participated in the study. The subjects responded by writing the first word they thought of beginning with the letter presented. The 26 letters of the alphabet were presented in random order, with children from one elementary school responding to upper-case letters and children from the other elementary school responding to lower-case letters. Incomplete response booklets were discarded, and others randomly discarded until a total of 70 for each school remained. Results indicated that strong associations were common across the case of the letter. Response patterns for upper- and lower-case letters were essentially the same. Some response differences between boys and girls were noted. As in the adult studies, most response patterns could be classified as subject words or nouns. The present study supports the conclusion that word frequency patterns do develop in response to alphabet letter stimuli. References and tables are included. (WB)

The extent to which intralist similarity affects kindergarten pupils' rate of acquisition, word recognition skills, and tendency to generalize responses to similar words was investigated. The subjects were 54 children from a semirural elementary school who had had no formal training in letter recognition. Three acquisition lists were used to represent increasing intralist similarity. Word recognition and generalization tasks were constructed. The children, randomly assigned to learn each list, were given prefamiliarization training and then were given acquisition and test trials. Analysis of variance results revealed no significant differences between groups in the serial-order trial condition, but showed that introduction of intralist similarity impeded rate of acquisition. The medium-similarity group responded more like the no-similarity group than like the high-similarity group. It was concluded that, contrary to the findings of previous studies, the present results implied that medium similarity is sufficiently effective for use with beginning readers since it allows rapid initial learning while causing greater accuracy in subsequent word recognition than no similarity. Tables of results and references are included. (MS)

The school principal's leadership role in the operation of the reading resource teacher program is discussed in terms of (1) his conception of the total school reading program, (2) his perception of and relationship to the reading resource teacher, (3) his efforts to secure faculty support for both the overall reading program and the reading resource teacher program, and (4) his administrative responsibilities in support of the program. The school principal has the critical role in the planning, implementation, and operation of the reading resource teacher program at the building level. He is the link between the teachers and the administrators of the school system, so he must understand, direct, and support any program that is to succeed in his building. Some of his administrative responsibilities that are directly related to the reading resource teacher program include budgetary, staff, and liaison considerations. References are included. (Author/NH)

This paper first presents the rationale for an eclectic approach to remedial teaching and then considers a teacher training program designed to encourage eclecticism. The wide range of pupil characteristics, teacher attributes, and instructional approaches and the lack of any universal cure for reading problems necessitates an eclectic approach in order to establish the flexibility required for effective remediation. The training program suggested by the author is based on a broad background of knowledge and includes a variety of field work experiences. He also briefly describes a similar program in operation at the University of Wisconsin. (TO)

A CONTINUATION OF A STUDY OF PUPILS' ABILITY TO FORMULATE AND STATE A LITERAL MAIN IDEA IN THE READING OF SHORT, SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED PARAGRAPHS IS REPORTED. ONE OF THE MAJOR TASKS WAS TO DEVELOP A DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF THE MAIN IDEA RESPONSES FOR A GROUP OF 400 SECOND- AND FIFTH-GRADE PUPILS. A 12-POINT SCALE WAS USED FOR THE NUMERICAL ORDERING OF RESPONSES OF THREE PARAGRAPHS AT THE FIRST-GRADE READABILITY LEVEL. RESPONSES REQUIRED A SYNTHESIS OF BOTH SUBJECT AND PREDICATE IN ONE SENTENCE AND WERE CODED AND CATEGORIZED BY THREE JUDGES. DATA FROM BOTH GRADES WERE EXAMINED SEPARATELY TO MAKE INFORMAL COMPARISONS. INTERJUDGE RELIABILITY COEFFICIENTS WERE VERY HIGH FOR PARAGRAPHS COMBINED AND SEPARATE. LOW INTERPARAGRAPH CORRELATIONS INDICATED THE PARAGRAPHS WERE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE. SECOND GRADERS TENDED TO REPLY IN TITLE-LIKE RESPONSES, INDICATING AN INABILITY TO COPE WITH COMPLETE STATEMENTS. SINCE THE MAJORITY OF FIFTH GRADERS WERE ABLE TO RESPOND ADEQUATELY, THERE IS A NEED FOR WORK WITH MORE COMPLEX TASKS AT THIS LEVEL. FURTHER EXPERIMENTATN IS PLANNED. REFERENCES ARE LISTED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (BOSTON, APRIL 24-27, 1968). (MC)

Research on the function of color in instruction and learning is reviewed, and the rationale for its use in instructional materials and as an aid to learning is examined. Three points are made: (1) on the basis of research results, it is not yet possible to prescribe the use of color cues in instruction; (2) color is presently being used in instructional materials only as a means of carrying basic information, not as an additional cue to enhance learning; and, (3) the cue value of color depends on the availability of a variety of other more potent cues. It is implied that the nature and extent of interaction among differing ages, abilities, skill development, color cues, and other available cues should be further clarified. (Author/NS)

The two reported studies examined children's approaches to and success in conceptualizing a literal main idea in reading. The first study examined elementary pupils' ability to formulate a main idea for brief, carefully controlled paragraphs written with one specific but unstated main idea. The study revealed that although subjects' grade placement and paragraph readability were critical factors in determining response quality, the children's main idea responses were generally of low quality. In the second study second- and fifth-grade students were asked to formulate hypotheses about the main idea after each successive sentence of a paragraph was presented. This study revealed that relatively few subjects were successful in formulating a high level main idea statement and that children may have no clear conception of what a main idea ought to be. It was suggested that systematic teaching designed to channel pupils' energies in formulating "ain idea statements would yield worthwhile results. Background information, methodology employed, and paragraphs used in the study are included. (RT)

Although refinement and development are to continue, the Wisconsin Prototypic System is now at the point where it can serve as a basis for a reading program, particularly where there is to be strong emphasis on individually guided instruction. This report discusses the rationale and assumptions underlying the system and lists its component parts: an outline of reading skills, an individual skill development record that stays with the child from grades K through 6, prototypic exercises for the assessment of reading skills (reductions of the exercises are included in the report), the Wisconsin Expanding Inventory of Reading Development for use in group assessment of reading skills, and a compendium of materials and procedures. Inservice preparation of staff, grouping for instruction, and implementation in the multiunit school and the traditional school are also discussed. Further areas of research are suggested. (WB)

FURTHER EXAMINATION WAS MADE OF AN EARLIER RESEARCH FINDING WHICH SHOWED, CONTRARY TO "LOGICAL" ANALYSIS, THAT VERBAL REPRESENTATIONS EVOKE MORE SENSORY RESPONSES THAN DO BLACK AND WHITE LINE DRAWING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SAME STIMULI. THIS RESEARCH FINDING HAD BEEN CONFIRMED BY TWO EARLIER STUDIES WHOSE SUBJECTS WERE ALL WHITE STUDENTS IN A RURAL COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL IN THE NORTHWEST AND RACIALLY UNDIFFERENTIATED STUDENTS IN A NORTHERN METROPOLITAN HIGH SCHOOL. IT WAS SUGGESTED, HOWEVER, THAT SUBJECTS WITH OTHER BACKGROUNDS AND IN OTHER GRADE LEVELS MIGHT RESPOND DIFFERENTLY. TO TEST THIS CONTENTION, THE INVESTIGATOR ADMINISTERED THE SAME MATERIALS AND FOLLOWED THE SAME PROCEDURES EMPLOYED IN ONE OF THE EARLIER STUDIES WITH A STUDENT SAMPLE FROM TWO SMALL SOUTHERN CITIES. THE NEW SAMPLE CONSISTED OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY STUDENTS IN A NEGRO SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY STUDENTS IN A WHITE SCHOOL. ON AN OVERALL BASIS, THE RESULTS OF THE NEW STUDY CORROBORATED THE EARLIER FINDING. ONLY THE OUTCOMES DEMONSTRATED BY THE NEGRO ELEMENTARY SUBJECTS FAILED TO SUBSTANTIATE THE FINDING, AND A REPLICATION WITH YOUNG NEGRO STUDENTS WAS RECOMMENDED. THE EARLIER STUDIES HAD SHOWN A POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTAL TREND TOWARD SENSORY RESPONSES. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GAVE MORE SENSORY RESPONSES THAN THE ELEMENTARY SUBJECTS, BUT THERE WAS NO CLEAR TREND FROM ONE GRADE TO THE NEXT WITHIN SCHOOLS. GIRLS TENDED, AS IN THE EARLIER STUDIED, TO GIVE MORE SENSORY RESPONSES THAN BOYS. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AS PART OF AN SYMPOSIUM AT AN ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 1966). (JH)

THIS PAPER SUMMARIZED THE RESULTS OF SEVERAL STUDIES CONDUCTED BY THE AUTHOR TO (1) INVESTIGATE THE GENERALITY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REACTIVE INHIBITION AND ACHIEVEMENT AND (2) DETERMINE FACTORS THAT AFFECT INHIBITORY POTENTIAL. THESE STUDIES WERE MADE WITH A VARIETY OF SAMPLE GROUPS. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN REACTIVE INHIBITION AND ACHIEVEMENT IN READING, SPELLING, AND HANDWRITING WERE DEMONSTRATED. GIVEN A FAIRLY LOW LEVEL OF MOTIVATION, POOR ACHIEVERS APPEARED TO ACCUMULATE REACTIVE INHIBITION MORE RAPIDLY THAN GOOD ACHIEVERS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE GOOD ACHIEVER'S PERFORMANCE AND TENDENCY TO ACCUMULATE REACTIVE INHIBITION INCREASE WHEN MOTIVATION IS INCREASED, BUT NO SUCH RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE POOR ACHIEVER. IN ADDITION, THE AUTHOR TENTATIVELY SUGGESTED THAT ANXIETY ALSO PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PRODUCING REACTIVE INHIBITION, ALTHOUGH THIS RELATIONSHIP WAS NOT CLEARLY SHOWN. BASED ON HIS VARIOUS FINDINGS, THE AUTHOR TO ACCUMULATE REACTIVE INHIBITION INCREASED WHEN MOTIVATION ACCUMULATE MUCH REACTIVE INHIBITION AND POOR ACHIEVEMENT. HE WARNS, HOWEVER, THAT HE DOES NOT SUGGEST THAT SUCH A TENDENCY IS A "MAJOR" CAUSE FOR READING DISABILITY. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL READING CONFERENCE (DALLAS, DECEMBER 1965). (JH)

THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE ANXIETY LEVEL OF SUBJECTS WILL AFFECT THEIR TENDENCY TO ACCUMULATE REACTIVE INHIBITION WAS TESTED. THE STUDY EMPLOYED THE CHILDREN'S MANIFEST ANXIETY SCALE TO IDENTIFY 120 HIGH AND LOW SCORERS AND AN INVERTED-NUMBER PRINTING TASK TO QUANTIFY REACTIVE INHIBITION. THE HYPOTHESIS WAS PARTIALLY CONFIRMED. WITH HIGHLY MOTIVATING INSTRUCTIONS, HIGH ANXIETY SUBJECTS ACCUMULATED MORE REACTIVE INHIBITION THAN LOW ANXIETY SUBJECTS, BUT WITH LOW MOTIVATION, THE HIGH AND LOW ANXIETY GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER. ANXIETY LEVEL APPARENTLY BECOMES A POTENTIAL DETERMINER OF INHIBITORY POTENTIAL ONLY AFTER A CRITICAL LEVEL OF MOTIVATION HAS BEEN REACHED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT AN ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 1966). (JH)

BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS IN 36 STATES WERE SURVEYED IN THE SPRING OF 1966 TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT LOCATION, LENGTH OF TIME OF OPERATION, PRIOR EDUCATION AND SEX OF ENROLLEES, LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION PROVIDED, TOTAL ENROLLMENT, AND MATERIALS USED. DATA FROM A TWO-PAGE QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED BY THE DIRECTORS OF 367 LOCAL PROGRAMS (A 71 PERCENT RETURN) WERE ANALYZED ACCORDING TO THE AGE OF PROGRAMS TO DETERMINE IF OLDER PROGRAMS, ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE TITLE IIB FUNDS WERE AVAILABLE, HAD CHARACTERISTICS WHICH DIFFERED FROM THE MORE RECENTLY DEVELOPED PROGRAMS. RESULTS OF THE DATA, PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM, ARE DISCUSSED AND INTERPRETED, AND TRENDS ARE NOTED. ADDITIONAL STUDY OF THE FOLLOWING IS RECOMMENDED--THE GROWTH RATE OF NEWLY ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS, THE TREND TOWARD MORE MEN IN THE LITERACY PROGRAMS, THE LACK OF INSTRUCTION FOR ILLITERATES OFFERED IN THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, AND THE TEACHER KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF MATERIALS PRIMARILY DESIGNED FOR ADULTS. FIVE TABLES ARE INCLUDED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL READING CONFERENCE (SAINT PETERSBURG, DECEMBER 1-3, 1966). (LS)

THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE HANDWRITING, READING, AND SPELLING PERFORMANCE OF FOURTH- AND SIXTH-GRADE CHILDREN TO THE TRANSITION TIME FROM MANUSCRIPT TO CURSIVE WRITING WAS STUDIED. THE FOUR TRANSITION TIMES WERE EITHER THE FIRST OR SECOND SEMESTER IN GRADE 2 OR THE FIRST OR SECOND SEMESTER IN GRADE 3. HANDWRITING LEGIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY THE WISCONSIN SCALE, A 7-POINT SCALE, AND BY A SCALE PROVIDED WITH THE CALIFORNIA ACHIEVEMENT BATTERY, A 7-POINT SCALE. HANDWRITING SPEED WAS MEASURED. THE CALIFORNIA ACHIEVEMENT TESTS WERE USED TO MEASURE ACHIEVEMENT IN READING AND SPELLING. ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WERE RUN. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRANSITION TIME AND TOTAL READING SCORE. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN TRANSITION TIME AND GRADE ON THE VOCABULARY SUBTEST. IN SPELLING ACHIEVEMENT, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN TRANSITION GROUPS, SEX, AND GRADE LEVEL. IN TERMS OF SPEED OF WRITING, DATA INDICATED THAT POSTPONEMENT OF TRANSITION UNTIL THE LAST HALF OF THIRD GRADE WAS BEST. IT APPEARED THAT WHEN INCREASED SPEED WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LATE TRANSITION, LEGIBILITY WAS DECREASED. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES CONCERNING LEGIBILITY WERE FOUND ACCORDING TO TRANSITION TIME WHEN LEGIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY THE WISCONSIN SCALE. THE FINDINGS SEEM TO SUPPORT RECONSIDERATION OF THE EFFECT OF INTRODUCING CURSIVE WRITING IN FIRST GRADE UPON SYMBOL PERCEPTION IN READING. A DISCUSSION AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 6-11, 1968). (BK)

AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY AND REVIEW OF THE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR TEACHING ILLITERATE ADULTS TO READ WAS CONDUCTED BY QUESTIONING PUBLISHERS ABOUT THE LITERATURE THEY PUBLISHED FOR THE ADULT BASIC LITERACY MARKET. BASED ON THE PUBLISHERS' REPLIES, THE FOLLOWING SIX ANNOTATED LISTS OF ADULT READING MATERIALS WERE COMPILED AND ARE PRESENTED--BASIC READING PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS, SUPPLEMENTARY SKILL BUILDERS, SUPPLEMENTARY EASY READING MATERIALS, U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE PUBLICATIONS, MATERIALS FOR TEACHING READING TO FOREIGN BORN ADULTS, AND A SELECTED LIST OF PUBLICATIONS USEFUL TO LITERACY INSTRUCTORS. A CHECKLIST ACCOMPANIES EACH PROGRAM TO AID IN ITS EVALUATION. PUBLISHERS' ADDRESSES ARE GIVEN. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (RH)

A SURVEY OF THE MECHANICAL AIDS AVAILABLE FOR THE TEACHING OF READING WHICH DESCRIBES THEIR OPERATION, THEIR COST, AND LIMITATIONS IS PRESENTED TO PROVIDE SCHOOL PERSONNEL WITH SOME INFORMATION ABOUT MECHANICAL AIDS IN GENERAL AND ABOUT SELECTED PROTOTYPICAL DEVICES IN PARTICULAR. EDUCATORS CAN OBTAIN FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE DEVICES FROM THE MANUFACTURER WHOSE ADDRESS IS INCLUDED WITH EACH DESCRIPTION. THE DEVICES DESCRIBED FALL INTO FOUR CATEGORIES--TACHISTOSCOPES, ACCELERATORS, PACERS, AND MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS, SUCH AS THE LANGUAGE MASTER AND THE CALIFONE REMEDIAL READING LABORATORY. SOME OF THE RESEARCH RELATED TO THESE DEVICES IS DISCUSSED. REFERENCES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE PROVIDED. (RH)