A Critique of Reading Improvement Training

Training adults to read more effectively has become a successful business, as measured by participation in training programs. Advertising emphasis on increasing reading speed by three or four times while comprehending as much or even more has a great appeal to a large adult population. Investigation into the field of reading improvement discloses that there may well be a significant discrepancy between advertised claims of improvement and actual results attained. Reading is a complex skill not easily changed; tests used to measure change are often inadequate and misleading; and payoff in job performance is simply not known regardless of claims. More attention should be given to the kind of training required to produce significant results.