School administrators should realize that independent reading is an important and integral part of the language arts program, that it takes into consideration important skills and strategies, and that it requires risk-taking in a supportive environment. Principals can provide such support by working cooperatively with teachers during every phase…

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…

To ascertain whether reading attitudes changed as boys and girls progressed through the grades, a reading attitude inventory was administered to 234 children in grades one through six. Items in the inventory were grouped into the following categories: free reading in the classroom, organized reading in the classroom, reading at the library,…

To continue the monitoring of reading attitude development begun in an earlier study of 234 children in grades one through six, a second reading attitude inventory was administered in the same school district to 216 primary students and 293 intermediate students. Of particular significance to this study was a change in the basal reading series…

This 53-item annotated bibliography reviews the research on the value of reading aloud to students, the benefits of incorporating literature into the classroom, effective behaviors of parents and teachers, and creative ways of incorporating these techniques to create better and more interested readers. This bibliography was designed to be…

Intended to be of help to teachers who deal with students having problems in reading, this annotated bibliography examines research findings on the relationship between reading achievement and self-concept in elementary students. The introductory portion states the problem and the purpose of the study, as well as its limitations and organization.…

An informal study examined the impact of a simple behavior modification procedure on the reading habits of second and fifth grade students. Behavior modification theory was pared down to two rules ("reinforce proper behavior" and "reinforce anything close to proper behavior") so that no additional burdens would be placed on…

An instrument for measuring teacher attitudes toward reading and the teaching of reading and for relating reading attitudes and achievement within teachers was constructed with 15 concepts measured on ten scales. In 1974, the instrument and a reading achievement test were administered to 317 final-year elementary school student teachers in five…

A three-school study suggests that more intensive teacher effort, more attention to contriving successful pupil reading experiences, and freer delivery of "payoffs" to pupils who are reading, offer the possibility of modifying pupil attitudes about reading. (Author/RL)

Suggests that using the game of finding answers to mystery clues can encourage children, particularly reluctant readers, to use the library. (JC)

Describes the rationale, problems, and successes of a literature-based reading program. (FL)

Presents a brief sketch of the history of American reading texts, describing the educational and cultural conditions that have prompted changes in reading methods and materials and in the textbooks themselves. (Author/NH)

Reports on the development and administration of an attitude measure that assessed prospective elementary school teachers attitudes toward language arts and teaching language arts. (HOD)

The dichotomy a teacher educator experienced as a child between reading library books and "store-bought" books at home and reading the textbooks in school turned out to fuel major debates in the teaching of reading. She always believed that she had learned to read with books--she simply endured the school readers to get through school.…

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…