Abstract
This study evaluated four commercial reading programs at the second, fourth, and sixth grade levels with respect to main idea instructional practices (e.g., objectives, strategy instruction) and readability of text. In addition, text type (i.e., fictional, non fictional) and text length (i.e., short, intermediate, or long) of main idea tasks were rated. Finally, the type of main idea tasks (i.e., given, choose, identify, and construct) and main idea statements (i.e., explicit, implicit), as well as placement (i.e., beginning, middle, or end) of explicit main idea statements in the text were evaluated. Results varied across individual programs and grade levels. Implications of study findings for practitioners meeting the diverse needs of students with learning problems are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 53-73 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Reading and Writing Quarterly |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2001 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Address correspondence to Asha -Iitendra, College of Education, Lehigh University, 315A Iacocca Hall, 111 Research Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015-4794. E-mail: [email protected] The completion of this article was supported by a Lehigh University faculty research grant awarded to the first author. We express our appreciation to Barbara Wilson, Kara McGoey, and Mary Sahnento for their initial efforts to pilot the evaluation of reading textbooks and for their enthusiasm and helpful comments in making this study possible.