This paper examines the concept of creativity through the identification of traits and characteristics found in the so-called creative personality. The works on creativity of several scholars and researchers are briefly reviewed, including those by Ellis Paul Torrance, Donald W. MacKinnon, Sarnoff A. Mednick, Paul Heist, Philip Wesley Jackson, and…

A study focusing on teacher conceptions of reading as they influence instructional practice and pupil outcomes required the development of an instrument to use in selecting teachers possessing various beliefs about reading. Teacher beliefs about reading can be viewed both in terms of standard models (such as basal text, linear skills, natural…

Describes ways that both parents and teachers can instill a love of reading in children. (FL)

This interpretive research explores five first graders' perceptions of reading and of being readers, asking the questions: What does reading or being a reader mean to a group of children who are at the end of first grade? What do they see as its purpose? and How do they view themselves as readers? The data are presented in the form of narratives…

Compares the experience of watching television with the experience of reading books, and cites examples of television programs that have introduced viewers to the world of ideas and led them to look for more information in books. Librarians are advised to include a printed bibliography of related books when they check out a video masterpiece. (MES)

A study surveyed independent reading habits and identified causal factors related to the decline in independent reading from middle school to college. Subjects, 100 students enrolled in a developmental reading course at a state-supported university in Kentucky, completed a 19-item survey instrument. A second survey was developed due to the results…

A study examined similarities and differences between adults' and children's responses to the same children's book, and the role of discussion in shaping adults' perceptions about the book and their understanding of children's responses. Subjects, 129 students in five university children's literature classes, read and responded in writing to…

A study examined the relation between individual differences in reading behavior and achievement in college students. Subjects, 197 students enrolled in four undergraduate psychology courses at a midwestern university, completed questionnaires concerning their reading strategies, attitudes toward reading, and personal background information.…

Noting that what becomes of reluctant readers should be of great concern to a nation that advocates education and has traditionally been committed to principles of the higher order, this paper identifies the characteristics of reluctant or unmotivated readers and discusses what happens to them. Following background reflection on the limits people…

Main characters were portrayed in nontraditional roles in stories presented to 4th, 7th, and 11th grade students. A total of 172 students read a set of four stories, each of which had two versions, one with a male main character and one with a female main character. Thus, the same stories were used to depict traditional and nontraditional sex…

Reading instruction is on the verge of a shift to a new paradigm that will be based on a new understanding of cognitive processes and will include five important tenets: (1) the best way to promote the emergence of reading behavior is to use interesting story books; (2) the primary cause of reading problems is too much instruction, too much…

In order to make a difference to people, librarians need a strong belief in the utility of reading and access to information; sensitivity to the hidden needs of people; and the determination to ensure that library/media/information services are available to all who need them and supported as a common good. (LLS)

This essay explores the concept of reader stance as defined by L. Rosenblatt (1978, 1994) as a useful framework from which to view the relative imbalance between the efferent and aesthetic reading of literature, particularly among schoolage adolescents. It then examines how 4 theoretical models and perspectives offer considerable explanatory…

While story grammar and cognitive science theories of stories state or imply that a story will be more interesting if the protagonist experiences difficulty in attaining his or her goal, neither theory considers that the importance of the goal may also affect how interesting the story is. The structural-affect theory, however, defines stories on…

A study investigated the effect of writing on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and attitude of college freshmen enrolled in a reading course. Thirty-eight students were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Reading instruction varied only in the use of a writing component for the experimental group. Instruments used in…