Using the Pizza Hut "Book It" Program which encouraged students to read a certain number of books per month, a study examined the effect of this program on standardized test scores. Subjects, 98 fifth grade students, were placed in high, middle, or low reading groups according to teacher assessment. Half of the students from each group…

This study's purpose was to determine if the amount of time spent reading independently at home and at school correlated with oral reading fluency and comprehension. Fifteen heterogeneously grouped second graders logged the amount of minutes they read independently over a 12-week period. The students were pre- and post-tested using the Woodcock…

Describes a research finding about the impact of free voluntary reading in schools (i.e., time set aside for young people to read what they want to read) on reading comprehension, vocabulary development, spelling, written style, oral/aural language, and control of grammar. (KRN)

Describes a literature-based reading program designed around independent reading and writing periods (IRWP) in which children could choose to participate alone or with others in several different literacy tasks. Finds that the physical design of the literacy centers, the modeled behavior by the teachers, and the time for IRWP resulted in increased…

Due in part to conflicting opinions and research results, the practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) in schools has been questioned. After a frustrating experience with SSR, the author of this article began a data-driven decision-making process to gain new insights on how to structure silent reading in a classroom, including a comparison…

A study tested the hypothesis that students who were required to read a book of their choice for 15 minutes per night would have a more positive attitude toward reading than similar students who did not have that assignment. The Estes Attitude Scale for reading was given to two classes (high group and low group) of sixth graders in central…

An elementary school reading-interest project was designed to overcome summer learning loss and to foster an interest in independent reading. The major strategy, "The Reading Interest Passport," consisted of nine independent reading contracts leading to "badges." This approach was selected after consideration of cost, coordination with ongoing…

Compares second grade and fifth grade students' recreational reading levels (when students self-select library books for recreation reading) in relation to independent, instructional, and frustration levels as determined with an informal reading inventory. Concludes that recreational reading levels should not be viewed as synonymous with…

Discusses a study that interviewed 12 dyslexics, including a Nobel laureate, a member of the United States Academy of Sciences, and other professionals in fields requiring reading. Finds that all of them developed basic fluency three to four years later than peers, but still acquired Stage 5 skills through avid reading about a topic of passionate…

This practicum was designed to provide a setting where negative attitudes toward reading in eight eighth-grade literature students (in a small private school in a large southeastern city) would be modified. The practicum aimed to provide students with regular opportunities for successful experiences in reading, and to promote the enjoyment of…

This study assessed the effectiveness of two motivational techniques for promoting interest in reading by using two criteria: the number of books withdrawn from the classroom library and the scores obtained on the Primary Pupil Reading Attitude Inventory (PPRAI). Thirty second-grade classes were randomly assigned to one of three experimental…

Discusses research that supports proposition that the more children read the greater their vocabulary growth and cognitive skills. Offers several suggestions for how principals can promote more independent reading during and after school. (Contains 2 tables and 14 references.) (PKP)

Finds that two proficient middle-school readers (in initial encounters with self-selected, unknown words) employed multiple strategies to gain knowledge of new words, including making use of distant and local context, drawing on different types of content connections, doing word-level analysis, and using syntactically appropriate synonyms. They…

A study surveyed independent reading habits and identified causal factors related to the decline in independent reading from middle school to college. Subjects, 100 students enrolled in a developmental reading course at a state-supported university in Kentucky, completed a 19-item survey instrument. A second survey was developed due to the results…