This article reviews Margaret Meek Spencer's body of work in relation to the various policies that she critiqued from the Bullock Report in 1974 to the National Literacy Strategy in 2004. She analysed increasingly conservative moves to promote a dominant, elitist version of school literacy. A Critical Realist perspective aligns with Margaret Meek…

The National Literacy Trust's Annual Literacy Survey has provided essential data on literacy behaviours, attitudes and enjoyment levels for children and young people aged 9 to 18 since 2005. With over 56,000 children and young people taking part this year alone, it is the largest study of its kind anywhere in the world. In 2019, the Trust…

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a powerful tool that motivates students of all ages and abilities to read for pleasure. A wealth of data is routinely collected about children's reading skills to monitor and help manage their independent reading. However, no information is collected on the "softer" reading outcomes, such as reading enjoyment…

To encourage the students in her French class to read books in French, a teacher implemented a project involving literary journals. Students recorded their reflections on their reading, first of a novel chosen by the teacher, then of individually chosen novels. Appropriate evaluation of the journals posed a particular dilemma. (JLR)

Surveys the reading and viewing habits of British teenagers. Discovers that, although U.S. horror fiction (R. L. Stine, Stephen King) tops the lists, a wide diversity exists among the less popular authors. Reveals marked gender differences in amount of time spent viewing videos, television, and computer games. (MJP)