Introduces reading research from Great Britain, Sweden, and Australia. Discusses three conclusions from this literature particularly relevant to college reading specialists. (SR)

Reviews research on students' attitudes toward reading. Argues that, given more free reading time and more choice about what to read, students are more likely to form the habit of lifelong reading. (SR)

To the traditional arguments for teaching children to read can be added the contemporary idea that literacy is a tool, the necessary skill for full participation in society, and the ticket to social mobility and success. New reasons for reading books have emerged from recent gains in the understanding of the comprehension process and the nature of…

Research has consistently shown that vocabulary knowledge, including both word recognition skills and understanding of word meaning, is highly predictive of achievement in other aspects of reading--oral and silent reading and comprehension. The importance of instruction in word recognition and decoding has been recently demonstrated by the rise in…

A review of the literature was conducted to summarize how characteristics of individual readers help to determine the nature and quality of their comprehension of specific texts and to discuss how this knowledge might be used by teachers to promote effective reading in their classes. Three dimensions of readers were identified as being causally…

There are many critical problems that are influencing the status of literature and the teaching of literature in the United States today, according to this paper. Some of the problems cited are the poor quality of recent best selling books; the smaller number of people who read books compared to the number of people who read magazines and…

For the most part, research into the reading activities of elderly readers has focused on three areas--amount of time spent reading, reading preferences, and psychological benefits of reading--and has yielded inconsistent results. The data from reading time research both supports and refutes the claim that reading is less prevalent among older…

A review of research about newspaper readership and circulation suggests that the key to understanding circulation patterns is to test in unison the solid predictors of readership (home ownership, population, income, media competition, and shared circulation) along with some of the more subtle correlates (such as social activity). Although these…

The history of television adaptations of children's books is traced from television's first attempts at network children's programing to local production, network specials, independent stations' production efforts, reading shows, efforts in Canada and Great Britain, and Weston Woods film company productions. Guidelines for programing success are…

Reports evidence that some students have reading problems because of instructional emphasis on reading as "exact word reproduction," or of student tendencies to focus too keenly on word-attack skills. (RL)

It is proposed that both home and classroom reading activities influence writing skill acquisition. Relevant research in first- and second-language learning is reviewed and use of reading and independent reading to enhance writing skill acquisition is discussed. Extensive use of these activities in the French immersion classroom is recommended.…

Reviews research in which children's processing of individual words is examined in prose context. When taken together, the data suggest that the reader's dependence on contextual constraint for individual word identification decreases with age. (HOD)

Offering a synthesis of research and thought on the notion of newsreading as a form of play, this paper focuses on newsreading as a symbolic action of incorporating cultural attitudes by reading a newspaper. Sections of the paper discuss the following topics: (1) play, culture, and communication--defining play in its cultural and communicative…

Research and descriptive studies of the active reader (one who starts reading early in life with a broad range of interests and continues this behavior) are of particular interest, because they identify salient characteristics and acquired traits of people who like to read. For example, the mature reader has been characterized as being able to…

Distinguishes between interest in reading and attitude toward reading. Discusses the development of reading interests and attitudes. Notes problems with teacher perception of students' attitudes and interests. Discusses the influence of teacher attitude toward reading and teachers' reactions to students. Presents suggestions for assessing student…