A study was conducted to determine how often newspaper comic strips deal with the topic of reading and how often a positive attitude is revealed toward the act of reading. From January 1984 through December 1984, daily and Sunday comic strips from the "Newark Star Ledger" were reviewed. Counted or recorded were the number of times reading was the…

A study compared the amount of time spent in reading at different grade levels between 1961 and 1985, specifically examining the differences in time allocation practices for formal reading and for other reading, and the ways in which these practices compare in different geographic regions during these years. The 1961 study obtained data from 1,224…

A total of 162 elementary school children who were underachieving in reading were selected to participate in a supplementary program that used paperback books to improve reading competency. Exit scores were predicted for each student. The program focused on the following components: encouraging students to read from a wide selection of readily…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between televiewing and the reading interests of seventh grade pupils using 300 television (TV) tie-ins comprised of 18 different titles. The subjects were 253 pupils representing four seventh grade classes from low, middle, and high socioeconomic backgrounds in a suburban setting. The…

Data taken from library circulation records and from personal interviews with 374 second grade boys and 371 second grade girls were analyzed regarding: (1) Which titles were most frequently selected? (2) Which subjects were most frequently selected? (3) What was the quality of the books selected? (4) How many of the books selected were completely…

The effects of modeling procedures on the reading selections of gifted and nongifted students were examined in a group of ten gifted sixth graders, eight gifted fifth graders, and eight nongifted fifth graders. Both adult and combined peer/adult modeling procedures were investigated. Data on selections from the 150 books available in the classroom…

Schoolwide independent reading can have a positive effect on students' reading habits, and principals can be major supporters of successful reading programs. Principals can: (1) provide worthwhile staff development; (2) suggest using independent reading to promote creative reading; (3) be ambitious about promoting independent reading; yet (4) be…

In this study it was hypothesized that if a young reader repeatedly chooses a serial book for pleasure reading, then appreciation and ability to choose and recognize quality works will diminish. Four sixth-grade English classes recorded their independent reading choices for five months. Those who habitually read series books were chosen for the…

Highlights the major findings from a study of reading, particularly book reading, among adults. Discusses reading habits, sources of reading material, and attitudes toward reading, as well as demographic information. Concludes that reading does not substitute for, but rather goes along with, involvement in other leisure activities. (JMF)

Investigates the reading genre preferences of 254 male and female high school students in Pennsylvania. Draws comparisons with similar research done 10 years earlier. Finds a substantial change in reading interests. Notes the top 10 areas of interest are adventure, horror, mysteries, humor, murder, love, fantasy, crime, sports, and movies. (RS)

Explores adolescent use of the media for leisure and, in particular, adolescent leisure reading of books. Surveys adolescents to measure the popularity of leisure reading compared to other leisure options, with a view toward contrasting female and male leisure reading pursuits. Finds that reading is popular with adolescents and that females favor…

A descriptive study examined whether reading aloud to children regularly would have an effect on creating independent readers. Subjects, 269 preschool through third-grade students in Cranford, New Jersey, were given a questionnaire to be completed by the parents. Ninety-one questionnaires representing 200 children (ranging in age from 3 months to…

This thesis explores some difficulties associated with the use of the cloze procedure, particularly in relation to the interpretation of an individual's score on a cloze test. Cloze tests were administered to 112 grade-six children in four schools. The results indicated that for the children in this study the easiest words to replace were those…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of individual adult-child conferences in increasing the independent reading of elementary school children. Following an 8-week baseline period, second, fourth, and sixth graders of both high and low reading achievement were randomly assigned to no-conference, teacher-conference, or…