Reading is important for students by contributing significantly to success in their studies and their career development. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in the English Department of the College of Basic Education, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), in Kuwait. Based on 410 responses of EFL college students in…

In recent decades, researchers have indicated that U.S. schools have underexposed elementary grade students to informational text. The increased exposure to this genre should be a top instructional priority. In the present study, we explored 46 third-grade students' attitudes toward and perceptions of informational text. Using three data sources…

Reports on a survey of 32 adult fiction readers and their attitudes toward the kind of reading that they enjoy. (AEA)

Discusses poststructuralist theories and describes how they can be useful in explaining the phenomenon of children's gendered literature preferences. Offers insights into the complexities of gender and its connections with reading fiction. Discusses children's reading preferences in school, the publishing industry, the school curriculum, and…

Challenging the common image of reading as a solitary activity, this article describes the social settings in which young people participated in the print culture of a late 19th-century small midwestern town. Analysis of library borrowing records shows that both adults and youth read "low" fiction, shared titles, and engaged in a common culture,…

Discusses ways fictional characters can help children develop reading habits and overcome reading frustrations. (FL)

This book draws on extensive demographic information to present a portrait of the nation's reading habits. Research offers the following observations and facts: reading of serious contemporary literature is the pastime of a distinct minority; the proportion of Americans who read serious literature is between 7 and 12% and contemporary fiction,…

Focusing on adolescent literature, this issue highlights the role of historian, writer, teacher, and reader in fact, fiction, and history. The following essays are included: "Doing the Literacy Tango" (J. L. Collier); "Biography and Books of James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier" (J. Bugniazet); "Fact, Fiction and History: The Role of…

Examined how reading attitudes of Year 6 boys in British primary schools were influenced by gender issues, peers, and peer group culture. Found that confidence and experience shown in private reading was at odds with boys' public attitudes in discussion with peers. Suggests that siblings and adults might provide more positive role models for…