International findings indicate that there is a gap in the literacy performance of school-aged males and females, which has led to a focus on how to address this issue. Research suggests that an individual's literacy outcomes can be improved by regular recreational book reading, and therefore increasing frequency of engagement in this practice is…

Collective biography draws on memory work methods developed initially by feminist sociologists (Haug et al., 1987) where people collaboratively examined the social and discursive resources through which they take themselves up as particular gendered subjects in the world. Their own memories become resources to investigate processes of…

Digital reading technologies may be intuitively appealing. They offer many possibilities, including great potential for interactivity around books, portability of whole libraries in one small reading unit, and almost instant satisfaction of demand for a particular book. Though there is limited research exploring the appeal of digital reading for…

This paper explores the key findings of a range of research on teenagers and reading, focusing on the implications for classroom practice and student engagement. There is a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of underachieving and reluctant readers and the ways in which promoting reading for pleasure and enjoyment can contribute to student…

This article is based on a qualitative study that explored the impact reading had on the lives of two female students who attained exemplary results in their final year of high school. The reading practices of these two high achieving students provided data rich information. Both students were academically successful in completing their Victorian…

The English teaching profession, spurred on by media and federal politics, has tended to construct aesthetic reading and political reading within a dichotomous conceptual framework (Morgan, 1997; Devine, 2004; Donnelly, 2007). The article argues that this need not be so, and that the two apparently opposed modes of reading can be performed not…

The relationship between home and school is often raised in public discussion about boys' education as an aspect of boys' overall lower achievement in school, and particularly in literacy, relative to girls. A critical review of two influential Australian and one UK government commissioned reports into boys' education sets the scene for our…

This article explores the conditions of "flow" experience from two studies into the literate lives of young men (Smith and Wilhelm 2002; 2006) that were explanatory, when present, of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy, and when absent, of a lack of motivation and engagement in various activities including literacy.…

Briefly reviews some of the literature on the reading habits and interests of high school age students, and describes the different kinds of literature they read. (RB)

Examines pertinent research findings that have appeared in the last half-century. Focus is on the role of grammar in an English syllabus, on the possibility of deliberately teaching the receptive skills of listening and reading, and on the impact of literature courses on students. References. (Author/RB)

Describes four samples of research designed to gauge the extent and effectiveness of those literary experiences which many English teachers regard as basic to instruction. (RB)

If the classroom English teacher is to be given any assistance in determining the most appropriate literary experiences for developing students' literature appreciation, it is imperative that research create a clearer understanding of the factors involved in developing discrimination in literature. (RL)

Reports the following information from a survey of secondary school students: the amount of leisure reading undertaken by students; the type of literature read; the effect of personal-, school-, and home-related variables on the variation in amount of time spent on leisure reading; students' sources of literature; and students' attitudes toward…

Reports on the findings of a pilot study investigating the reading choices and habits of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Sets out to understand more fully what, when, where, why and how adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 years are reading, and the implications of this information for teachers and classroom reading pedagogy.…