Studies the effects of tutorial instruction, utilizing students' interests and trade books, on the attitudes of poor readers. Suggests that the attitudes of poor readers may be positively influenced through such instruction in an integrated language arts approach. (HB)

Studies the views of parents and teachers on how they might effectively support independent readers. Examines children's views on parental involvement. Finds that the survey heightened interest in reading and literature among children and their parents. (MG)

Discusses the role of readers' advisors in public libraries based on readers' responses to open-ended, qualitative interviews on reading for pleasure. Topics discussed include how books help people, how readers choose books, what they like and dislike about fiction collections in libraries, and how libraries and librarians can be more helpful to…

Observes that poststructuralist and earlier sociological accounts of children's literature neglect the relationship between their fantasies and preferred literature. Uses Freudian arguments to study British comics aimed at boys and girls. Suggests a need for descriptive accounts and theoretical work to better understand the hold of…

Investigates reading preferences of an ethnically and economically diverse group of sixth-grade students from three middle schools. Shows that light materials (scary series books, comics, and magazines) top the list for every sub-group of students. Finds very limited availability of preferred materials in school; and shows that most students…

Within the context of the national debate about boys' achievement in secondary schools, this article examines young people's conceptions of the success of the "Full On" magazine designed to encourage boys to read more and to challenge the negative aspects of a "lad" culture. The article begins with an analysis of the magazine, its editorial policy…

A study examined gender attitudes toward reading in students enrolled in the six sections of the Developmental Reading program at Kean College of New Jersey in the spring of 1996. The Mazurkiewicz Masculine-Feminine Attitude Survey (1960) was used with a forced choice of "mostly masculine" or "mostly feminine." Surveys of 26…

A study examined the association of reading instruction with the amount and breadth of students' reading activities, taking account of social, cognitive, and home factors in the educative process. A secondary analysis of a large national data base for students aged 9, 13, and 17 was conducted. Using answers from student questionnaires, conceptual…

Concerned with the validity of the audience data reported by two major syndicated magazine readership services--Mediamark Research Inc. (MRI) and Simmons Market Research Bureau (SMRB)--a study examined the differences in MRI and SMRB calculations of reader turnover rates, which form the basis for estimating audience accumulation. Results indicated…

A study was conducted to draw attention to how sixth graders use their leisure time and to suggest some implications for reading and literacy instruction. Subjects were 723 sixth-grade students in six middle schools in Northern California. The sixth-graders completed the California Media and Library Educators Association Literature/Reading Survey…

Following up research by Radway and others on readers of romance novels, a study, employing a reader-response approach, was conducted with 18 female adolescent readers of romances to discover if they perceived and enjoyed the novels in ways appreciably different from other readers. The subjects filled out questionnaires about their romance novel…

A study was conducted to determine whether the expressed reading interests of third grade students corresponded with the topics in their basal readers. Students indicated on an interest survey the kinds of stories they liked to read. Two fourth grade basal readers were analyzed--"Time to Wonder" by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and "Clearing Paths"…

In order to determine whether lessons addressed to the expressed personal interest of functionally illiterate adult students would improve their reading skills, 40 such students attending an urban adult education center were divided into two reading classes. All were tested on a silent reading subtest of the Adult Basic Learning Examination and…

A study was conducted to determine the stability of the effect of sex-typed reading material on the reading interests and comprehension of fifth grade boys and girls. It involved a direct replication of a 1967 study so that a comparison of data from the 312 subjects of that study could be made with the data from 374 subjects of 1979. Reading…

This paper reports the results of a survey of 60 librarians and teachers in Texas as to what they felt were the most often read adolescent and adult novels, and what adolescent and adult novels they would most recommend. Following a description of the methodology for the study, the paper presents some of the subjects' comments about the…