This paper examines how students' independent reading of good books--one example is "The Phantom Tollbooth"--leads to improved reading performance. The paper also touches on the important factors that are impacting independent reading: priority and time. A literature review in the paper found, among other things, that the best predictor…

This report describes a research study in which motivational strategies were used to increase student enjoyment of reading and to foster a life-long love of reading. The targeted populations consisted of primary and middle grade students in three different urban midwestern settings. The problem of motivating students to read was documented through…

The purpose of this study was to study recreational reading in third, fourth, and fifth grade urban students in a school district in Southeastern Virginia. The widely-used Accelerated Reader (AR) was the tool examined in the promotion of recreational reading. The major research questions determined if recreational reading, using Accelerated…

A survey of 571 elementary school teachers and administrators revealed that most had little knowledge of current children's literature or of ways to encourage children's recreational reading. (FL)

Analyzes the relationship between amount of time devoted to leisure reading by Irish elementary school children and a series of personal, home, and school variables. Reports that reading consumed 5.4 percent of available leisure time and that the variables considered accounted for only 22.9 percent of the variation in time in book reading. (MKM)

Examines the literary practices four children chose to engage in outside of their inner-city school located in Sheffield, England. Suggests that children use literacy in richly diverse ways for purposes they see as meaningful. Concludes that while literacy presented by these children reflected community literacy practices, children also acted with…

Describes a "read-in," a fun activity in which both teacher and student can relax and enjoy each other while practicing reading skills and refining reading strategies. Discusses what a read-in can include. (SR)

Determines elementary teachers' knowledge of: current children's literature; children's books in six literary genres; and activities to promote students' recreational reading. Replicates a 1981 study to determine the level of knowledge possessed by today's teachers concerning children's literature and methods of increasing students' reading for…

A study investigated differences between males' and females' attitude toward recreational and academic reading. The study also analyzed similarities and differences between teachers' attitudes and the attitudes of male and female pupils, as well as the relationship between teachers' and students' attitudes. Subjects (280 pupils and 18 teachers in…

Funded by the Library Services and Construction Act, the 1997 Florida Library Youth Program is an extension of the successful and long-running Florida Summer Library Program to help librarians provide year-round programs for elementary school-aged children. The goal of the program is to introduce children to the library and its services, and to…

Intended for parents to read to their infants and young children, this booklet of mostly traditional nursery rhymes has been designed and illustrated by elementary school students. Each of the 16 nursery rhymes in the booklet is accompanied by short instructive or informational remarks which reiterate the importance of parents' reading to their…

The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library's summer reading program aims to help children develop a love of reading by giving them full control over what and how much to read. A study examined the effects of the 1990 program, with special attention to low-achieving students. A quantitative analysis was undertaken of 164 first- through…

From Reader to Reader is a reading incentive project designed to encourage voluntary reading and promote informal discussions about books among elementary school children. It was developed by members of Alpha Upsilon Alpha Honor Society of the International Reading Association and receives support from the Center for the Book in the Library of…