Reading motivation is a fundamental basis for reading behavior and performance. For learners, interest is an exceedingly important component of reading motivation. Prior research has shown that students' text-based interest varies significantly between texts. However, it is still unclear why one text elicits greater interest over another.…

This research explored ways in which educators can provide learners with differentiated instruction through student choice that provides engagement to positively interact with a student's reading identity. Throughout their learning journey, learners may have both positive and negative experiences with reading that directly affect their reading…

Engagement with reading falls around the age of 11 or 12, and there is widespread concern with levels of literacy amongst adolescents. Most research examines how digital tools facilitate preschoolers' reading or reading motivation outside school. Less research is conducted in the school context, particularly with older pupils. This article reports…

In many U.S. states, legislation seeks to define effective instruction for beginning readers, creating an urgent need to turn to scholars who are knowledgeable about ongoing reading research. This mixed-methods study considers the extent to which recognized literacy experts agreed with recommendations about instruction that were included on a…

The authors share findings from a recent study of teens who freely select to read texts typically marginalized by schools (dystopia, vampire, romance, horror, fantasy), revealing the distinct functional and psychological benefits of pleasure reading. The students who participated in the study that the authors report on were eighth graders who…

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…

The author replicated and extended a study by Flowerday, Schraw, & Stevens (2004) that examined the effects of choice, topic interest, and situational interest on reading engagement, attitude, and learning in college-age students. The study was replicated using fourth and fifth graders as subjects. The study was extended to examine the effects of…

Given the choice of reading or not reading books related to favorite TV programs, pupils showed they would read when their interests were engaged. (JH)

For the past one hundred years, the American public has been entertained by the daily and the Sunday newspaper comic strips. The comics are now recognized as a legitimate and unique pop art form that chronicles the American culture. Research concerning reading interests and preferences provide evidence that the comics have a particular attraction…

According to an analysis of the books most frequently purchased between 1965 and 1975, Americans read to ascribe some sense to their personal universe and affirm intimately who they are. (DD)

Discusses responses to surveys about reasons for reading and notes that, when asked for reasons why they read, most people say they read for knowledge or pleasure, but when answers are explored in depth people show considerable variation in their purposes for reading. (MKM)

A study conducted with primary children to determine their reading interests reported that interest in factual topics rose over fictional ones as the children progressed from grade 1 to grade 2. (JH)

This article presents a brief summary of research pertaining to the reading interests of elementary school pupils and contains a 48-item bibliography. (Author)

Presents and discusses the results of a study of the reading habits of children aged ten and eleven. (JM)