Students must be proficient readers of nonfiction texts to be successful in school and life. Since engaging students in this genre can be challenging, this article focuses on how students can respond digitally and socially to nonfiction through the use of free, secure social networks. Not only can students become more engaged in learning when…

Studies suggest that individuals with a parent who attended college or a university are more likely to attend themselves. Scholars have also argued that academic success at the highest levels requires the acquisition of a large vocabulary and fluency in multiple discourses, and that forming habits of reading various kinds of texts outside of…

The present study replicated the methods and data analysis of Crawford Camiciottoli's (2001) study on second language (L2) reading behavior of academic English-as-a-foreign-language students. Using the original study's questionnaire, we investigated 60 advanced non-academic English-as-a-second-language learners' L2 reading frequency and attitude.…

There is no shortage of studies that have reported the beneficial effects of extensive reading (ER) on various aspects of second/foreign language acquisition, including reading comprehension, reading speed, and vocabulary development. Anecdote after anecdote shows the effectiveness of ER, and no one seems to repudiate the power of reading in large…

This qualitative dominant mixed-methods study explored reading motivation among high school English learners whose first language was Spanish. Latina/o English learners (N = 87) from four southeastern, suburban high schools took part. The study utilized survey data to test for significant differences across demographic sectors and to group…

Professional reading is a core source of input in teacher professional development. This article describes 47 primary school teachers' reports of their professional reading both in their schools and during the first year of a university TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages) in-service qualification. One third of these teachers…

Research clearly demonstrates the importance of students' reading behaviors for predicting students' short- and long-term outcomes. While teachers' instruction might affect these reading behaviors (and therefore indirectly affect achievement), we know little about the association of in-school teacher practices with students' out-of-school…

Book reading enhances the intellectual world of people. It is very important to know the factors that motivate children to read books as it will help to instill book reading habit in them. As such, the present study aims to develop a "Book Reading Motivation Scale" to determine elementary and secondary school students' reading…

Extensive graded reading (EGR) was carried out with a cohort of 600 engineering students in a university in northern Japan. Pre-and post-surveys were conducted to discover changes in the general reading habits of students, their attitudes toward the assessment method and how goals changed over the course of study. The first survey was carried out…

We explore the first four articles in this Special Issue of "Studying Teacher Education" to identify challenges to the self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (S-STEP) methodology, and how this methodology supports the work of teachers and teacher educators working in urban settings. We respond to these articles by…

Teachers' skill in inferring students' reading motivation influences their ability to provide responsive literacy instruction. Yet, studies show that convergence between students' and teachers' reports of students' affective experience with reading is moderate to poor. The present study, with a sample of 140 students, and 15 middle school…

The purpose of this interpretive case study was to explore the reading perceptions and attitudes of children who exhibit high levels of motivation to read. In order to determine children who were highly motivated to read, the Motivation to Read Profile, from Gambrell, Palmer, Codling and Mazzoni (1996) was administered to 19 initial participants…

We compared students from schools with an enriched school library--that is, one with a larger and more up-to-date book collection--with students from schools with a typical school library. We tested effects of an enriched school library on reading motivation, reading frequency, and academic skills. Fourth- and fifth-grade students of 14 schools…

Conversations are the heart of responsive teaching. By talking with struggling learners, teachers can find out about their interests in order to design effective, personalized instruction; build relationships; work through complexities in teaching and learning; and celebrate successes.

This paper focuses on students' reading habits--whether traditional reading habits (print books) or modern reading habits (using a computer screen). We review the changes in students' reading habits over time, as part of other global changes, and explore whether corresponding digital pedagogies have evolved to address these changes. We examine…