Uses a "fictitious-annotated-titles" survey to determine reading preferences of fourth-grade girls and boys. Finds that both boys and girls prefer fiction over non-fiction; girls preferred fiction more strongly than boys; and boys preferred male main characters more strongly than the girls, and girls preferred female main characters more…

The purpose of this project was to increase grade four students' reading motivation by helping them to develop a broader awareness of literary genres, and through participation in literature-based discussion activities. Approximately 71 students and 33 teachers participated. The following interventions were used: creating a literature rich…

To appraise the value of a creative dramatics program in a public library setting was the purpose of this study. Nine public library branches comprised the setting for the experiment. At each branch there were three units: (1) creative dramatics, (2) storytelling, and (3) library usage. Storytelling and library usage were the control group. Pre…

Microfiche copies of 112 children's trade books and two Xerox Classmate Readers were put into three fourth-grade classrooms to assess their effect on children's reading achievement, attitudes toward reading, the the use of library books. The microfiche copies of the trade books were matched title-for-title with hardbound books shelved with the…

This report describes a program for increasing reading motivation and comprehension. The targeted population consisted of two heterogeneous groups of fourth grade students who attended a public school located in a northwest suburb of a large metropolitan area. The students' lack of motivation and poor comprehension skills were documented by low…

Researchers compared fourth graders' literature preferences and examined categories of children's literature as preference indices. They investigated whether children preferred to read or view selections. Students expressed preferences on an annotated titles inventory. Content was a more powerful preference factor than traditional classifications…

Reports the findings of a study that replicated work done in the early 1970s concerning the media preferences and reading interests of intermediate grade children. Shows that the reading interests of boys remained much the same, with those of girls changing. Both groups continued to prefer television over print media. (FL)

Examines responses of fourth, sixth, and eighth grade students to realistic and fantasy novels. Finds that students responded to fantasy with more categoric evaluations and to realism with more analytic evaluation. Finds also that evaluative responses moved from mainly categoric in grade four to more analytic in the upper grades. (KEH)

The content of books chosen independently by fourth, fifth, and sixth, graders was compared with the content of four selected basal reading texts at the same three grade levels. The selections of the children and from the texts were classified into twenty-one categories, and then the percentages of the children's choices within these categories…