Drawing on interviews with 15 boys attending schools in low socioeconomic communities in Australia, this paper examines the multiplicity of contextual influences on boys' everyday reading experiences. Implementing an ecological metaphor, boys' narratives about (i) their attitudes towards reading at school (microsystem); (ii) parental beliefs about…

This intervention mixed methods study used a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effects of an after-school book club on third-grade boys' reading achievement, attitudes, and preferences. During the 2015-2016 school year, seven third-grade boys from a South Texas elementary school attended an after-school book club in their school library…

African American male students are performing on a lower level than their peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the interests, attitudes, and beliefs of 5th grade African American boys regarding reading. Examining this aspect from the perspective of the student provided insight as to why African American boys' reading assessment…

Based on more than twenty years' experience working to get boys interested in reading, the author now offers his first readers' advisory volume. With an emphasis on nonfiction and the boy-friendly categories of genre fiction, the work offers a wealth of material including: (1) Suggestions for how to booktalk one-on-one as well as in large groups;…

Sixty-nine grade 2 boys participated in a study of the effects of book genre and sex of reading model on boys' (a) view of reading as feminine, (b) intrinsic motivation toward reading, (c) interest in reading, and (d) attitude to reading. Differential effects occurred in boys based on whether they liked or disliked reading and whether they viewed…

Researchers concerned with curriculum differentiation for gifted and talented students have long promoted the benefits of providing opportunities for students to explore their personal interests within the regular curriculum. Many literacy researchers have also concluded that teachers can improve students' (especially boys') attitudes toward…

In this article we describe the leisure reading practices and attitudes towards reading of two cohorts of teenage boys and their parents from one educated, middle-class school community in Australia. Leisure reading refers to free choice or recreational reading across a range of genres (e.g., fiction/nonfiction) and modes (e.g., print/electronic).…

A study examined the relationship between reading interest and achievement of male disabled readers. Subjects, 30 males aged 8 to 12 years and identified as disabled readers, were selected from a metropolitan school district in central Oklahoma. Subjects completed a reading interest questionnaire and a standardized reading test. The five subjects…

A study examined gender attitudes toward reading in students enrolled in the six sections of the Developmental Reading program at Kean College of New Jersey in the spring of 1996. The Mazurkiewicz Masculine-Feminine Attitude Survey (1960) was used with a forced choice of "mostly masculine" or "mostly feminine." Surveys of 26…

A study was conducted to discover if the stated reading attitudes and interests of sixth grade students were relevant to their self-selected reading materials. Fifty students completed questionnaires concerning their reading attitudes and interests and used log sheets to record information about their self-selected reading materials. The results…

Discusses text features that tended to engage boys, and describes their desire to use literacy to share and socialize. Finds that boys were more different than alike, and that very particular conditions in the social context were more important than preexisting interests. Offers brief descriptions of 11 books the author has found to be appealing…

A study investigated whether the reading preferences of emotionally disturbed boys were the same as the interests of boys in the general population. Subjects, 25 boys from a private residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys, were interviewed individually, completed a reading interest survey, and selected titles of books they…

Analyzes the roles played by females in Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." Concludes that the book offers flat and unflattering portrayals of female characters. (FL)

Investigating the reading habits of adults in Egypt, East Africa, a study examined 294 Egyptians (233 males and 61 females) in post-secondary education in Cairo, and in the industrial cities of Shopra El-Khema, and Impapa, El-Giza. Marital status, sex, and occupation were used to group the subjects. Subjects completed a 29-item questionnaire…