Uses hierarchical regression logic to isolate the relationship between wide reading and reading-related language development in 122 fourth graders. Finds that higher levels of wide reading were associated with stronger listening comprehension ability. Finds indirect evidence to suggest that wide readers may be increasing their listening…

Compares readability levels of the recreational reading books selected by fourth graders. Finds that the students chose books from their school libraries and read (or chose not to read) books on all their reading levels. Concludes that students read books related to their interests, regardless of the book's readability or the student's reading…

Looks at growth in listening comprehension of 146 children from third grade to fifth grade and their fifth-grade estimate of accumulated wide reading as measured by an instrument using a checklist-with-foils logic, the Title Recognition Test. Indicates that individual differences in growth of listening comprehension from third grade to fifth grade…

Stemming from the 1992 Integrated Reading Performance Record (IRPR), a study investigated the reading habits and practices and the classroom activities related to reading of a subgroup of students participating in the 1992 reading assessment conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Subjects, 1,136 fourth graders, were…

Examines the effect of sustained silent reading (SSR) on reading attitudes of boys and girls. Finds that boys have a substantially poorer attitude toward reading than girls and that SSR has no demonstrable effect on either sex. (RS)

The 1994 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) Reading Assessment was administered to a national sample of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. National reading proficiency results were reported for students at each grade and within various subgroups of the population. State-level results were reported for individual states or…

This concise report presents excerpts from the two full reports of the 1992 Integrated Reading Performance Record (IRPR), which examined the reading habits and oral reading of a subgroup of fourth graders who participated in the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) study. The report presents major findings of the two full…

A study examined how regular listening to oral reading by teachers affected fourth and sixth grade students' reading comprehension, attitudes towards reading, and time spent doing independent reading. Subjects, 221 students from six diverse school systems in Connecticut, were read to for 20 minutes, three times per week, for 12 weeks. Pre- and…

Describes a study of mothers' observations of fourth-grade boys' reading habits. The results indicated that the boys' reading did not really decrease as they grew older, but rather, that their interests were expanding into what is considered a "male literacy," which begins to include less and less sharing of reading experiences with their mothers.…

A study investigated the relationships between reading interests, habits, and attitudes of third, fourth, and fifth grade students and the variables of teacher/parental influences, ethnic background, gender, and grade levels of the students. Subjects, a random sample of 101 Black, 92 White, 2 Chinese and 1 Arab low-to-middle socioeconomic-level…

This study was designed to consider whether, by introducing fourth grade children to books by two promotional techniques, teachers can influence: (1) the amount of personal reading done by children, (2) which books these children select for personal reading, and (3) the attitude of the children toward the books they select. In each of reading, and…

To investigate the higher level comprehension strategies used by children reading basal reader stories, a study compared the results of an earlier investigation of 50 fourth grade level readers' comprehension strategies with findings gained from 30 subjects using a sixth grade basal reader. Subjects were asked to read aloud from a basal and stop…

A study focused on the background factors that are most closely related to reading instruction and reading performance, including instructional approaches, reading experiences, home influences, and demographic characteristics. Data for these assessments were collected in the spring of 1988 and 1990 from a nationally representative sample of…

To examine the relationship between reading performance and television viewing, the state of Connecticut's third assessment of educational progress in reading included questions relating to the reading materials available in students' homes, their television viewing habits, and their attitudes toward reading. Approximately 8,000 students in grades…

Uses response journals to explore the ways fourth-grade students respond to literature. Finds factors necessary to mesh text and a reader's personal experiences: a classroom atmosphere that encourages risk-taking; daily opportunities to read and respond; a wide variety of choices in reading materials; modeling of good reading strategies; and…