A study examined the readership habits and gratifications of southern Illinois student and non-student newspaper readers. The study involved the "Southern Illinoisan," a privately owned regional newspaper, and the "Daily Egyptian," a student-operated newspaper. Other papers included the "Chicago Tribune," the…

To discover if editors' perceptions of audience opinions had changed and to determine the accuracy of editors' predictions regarding readers' reactions to using videotex, a 1987 study repeated a 1976 survey of Associated Press managing editors, and compared the responses with the original survey results. Surveys were sent to 302 Associated Press…

A study examined how specific developmental levels of cognitive ability affect the relationship between beliefs and performance; how cognitive development levels affect reading and writing performance; and how developmental level affects the interactions between the reading and writing domains. Subjects, 150 undergraduates between the ages of 18…

A group of 106 elderly adults in the Chicago, Illinois, area participated in a study undertaken to identify the reading attitudes of older adults or their difficulties in reading. Each was administered the Survey of Elderly Reading Attitudes (SERA) consisting of 75 items designed to elicit attitudes, recognition and comprehension problems,…

The current system of elementary level reading instruction allows no place for reading for pleasure. While few deny the teacher's role in helping children master the mechanics of reading, some question whether it is equally important to help children learn the inherent pleasure of reading literature for its own sake. The current systems approach…

The value of reading ability lies in its use rather than its possession; therefore, how students feel about reading may be as important as whether or not they are able to read. Helping children develop positive attitudes toward reading, learning the reading interests of children, and helping children develop positive self-concepts through…

Speeches given at the 1986 ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Charlemae Rollins President's Program on the nature of productive analysis of children's books are presented in three articles. The need to select books that are challenging and exciting to read is discussed, and literary and extraliterary criteria for evaluating books…

In Portugal, the word "literacy" acquired public importance in October 1995, in the first national literacy assessment report. In the last few years, "reading habits" and not "literacy" became a privileged research object, and it is the amount and kind of reading that is being measured, with the results taken as…

A 4-Block Balanced Reading Program was implemented in a school system in Georgia during the 1998-99 school year in an effort to improve reading achievement of these students. This study examined the short-term effect of this program implementation on reading achievement and attitudes toward reading of students in Grades 1 through 5 (n=2,127) who…

This report describes a program for improving reading comprehension. The targeted population consists of first, second, third, and fourth grade classrooms in a middle class community located in a suburb of a large midwestern city. The problem regarding poor comprehension skills is evident from teacher observation, student performance, previous…

Argues that reading is a useful tool in successful living as well as a pleasure in itself and discusses the importance of making books accessible to children and teaching them how to select appropriate reading materials. (CHC)

Discusses young adult literature and suggests ways to encourage young adults to become involved in the reading process. People who have acted as advocates for young adult reading are described; problems that discourage young adult reading are discussed; and a list of recommended young adult titles is included. (eight references) (LRW)

Third of a 4-part longitudinal study examining the unfolding reading cognition of novice teachers, a study focused on seven teachers during their first year of teaching in elementary schools in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The teachers' reading beliefs and practices were identified using a variety of approaches including lesson plan review,…

Arguing that children are not taken seriously in the United States, this lecture states that basic education is not simply computing and decoding, but also dreaming and imagining. The lecture urges educators not only to stick to the reality of budget cutting and deficit spending but, for the children's sake, also to stick to a dream. In the…

Newspaper media provide one way to motivate students' parents to be in tune with the whys, the hows, the wherefores, and the importance of reading. For example, in the Phoenixville Area School District (Pennsylvania), the reading department writes a monthly column for parents in the local newspaper. The column's topics are based on data gathered…