A commonly held belief among educators, researchers, and students is that high-quality texts are easier to read than low-quality texts, as they contain more engaging narrative and story-like elements. Interestingly, these assumptions have typically failed to be supported by the literature on writing. Previous research suggests that higher quality…

National data were utilized to examine the influence of reading for pleasure on African American high school students' reading achievement. Overall, the study found that reading for pleasure positively impacted African American students' scores on a standardized measure of reading. Implications for teachers and parents were discussed. (Contains 2…

Presents results from 2 British studies relating preschool reading skills and reading attainment reached by age 11. Substantiates and extends earlier research that correlated early letter identification with reading ability at age seven. Also indicates no support for hypothesis that letter sounding rather than naming predicts subsequent reading…