One of the areas of the social studies ripe for research is the reading area. As children progress through the grades, more and more reliance is placed on obtaining information through the reading process. But as many upper elementary and secondary school teachers report, many pupils lack the ability to use reading materials. In addition to the reading problems of pupils, this article identifies other confounding variables needing investigation, such as teacher training and behavior, textbook characteristics including readability, strategies and techniques of instruction, reviews of reading research, and diffusion of findings to the classroom teacher.
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