This study compared the reading interests and habits of American and Canadian senior high school students and examined the extent to which the English curricula in their schools coincide with those reading interests. Questionnaires were distributed to a total of 680 students in three schools (urban, suburban, and rural) in the New Britain,…

In a study designed to discover whether interest in reading materials influenced a student's comprehension, 47 seventh grade students, reading one to two grade levels below their grade placement, were assigned a self selected story of high interest and a story of low interest. The 12 short story selections were assembled on the basis of research…

This study was an investigation into the relationships between reading interests and reading comprehension as demonstrated by a group of fifth-graders who rated reading passages for interest and then were checked for comprehension of these same passages. A seven-point rating inventory, ranging from a "liked very, very much" rating to a "disliked…

Recent research indicates that boys read as well as girls if given high-interest material but read more poorly if given low-interest material. This study investigated possible factors contributing to the facilitating effect of interest of boys. Two experiments were performed to learn whether high-interest topics are associated with traditionally…

The reading strategies of twenty-four tenth grade subjects were analyzed to obtain information about the reading process. Subjects were assigned to one of eight conditions formed by the combination of two levels of three factors, a 2x2x2 modified factorial design. The three factors were: proficient and non-proficient readers, readers with high and…

A study of the current expressed reading interests of children in the first two years of school conducted in ten countries--Austria, Canada, England, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Panama, Sweden, and the United States--is reported in this paper. Over 2,000 children drew pictures about what they would best like to read or have read to…

The problem of this study was to determine types of books selected for recreational reading by children in grades four, five, and six in fifteen schools, how the children ranked the books according to preference after reading them, their stated reasons for selections, and their reasons for indicated strong preferences. A total of 2,765 children…

In this article the authors have summarized what appears to be the most important implications coming from the recent research on teaching behaviors in reading. This study indicated that: (1) trained teachers display method prescriptions while untrained teachers do not; (2) teacher personality influences teaching behavior; and (3) because teachers…

A lowered heart rate is associated with involvement in reading.

Reports findings of a survey in which approximately 800 fifth and sixth grade students chose their favorite children's "classics." (FL)

Describes the construction of a nonreading instrument (Preschool Reading Attitudes Scale) designed to assess attitudes toward reading in young children, aged three through five years. Demonstrates the scale to be valid and reliable with these age groups. (HOD)

Reviews recent literature on student motivation and links it with possible classroom practices for improving the reading and study skills of adolescents. (FL)

In the mystery genre, the one characteristic that the enduring figures of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, and Encyclopedia Brown have in common is a rational mind. The source of their strength is their ability to think and think well. A study examined some typical examples of the mystery genre in young adult literature and surveyed children and…

This paper asks how findings from emergent literacy (the study of the reading and writing behaviors that develop into conventional literacy) can combine with findings from oral language development to expand the services provided to preschoolers with language impairments. After giving an overview of major concepts and research of emergent…