Elementary students' literacy skills are decreasing nationwide ("The Nation's Report Card," 2019). This is concerning because as literacy skills slip, the literacy demands for American workers are steadily increasing (OECD, 2013). Unfortunately, adding to the situation is the fact that students' attitudes towards reading are worsening…

The number of children and young people in England who speak languages other than English at home has grown in the past decade, increasing from 14.6% in 2011 to 19.3% in 2021. This has understandably sparked an interest in research around reading for multilingual pupils or those with English as an additional language (EAL). Given the apparent lack…

Since joining The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Indonesia has been actively shaping its education policy following the recommendations derived from the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). In response to the consistently low PISA reading scores, in 2015 the Indonesian Ministry of…

Do pupils who use Accelerated Reader (AR) think differently about reading, do they enjoy reading more and do they do it more often than pupils who do not use AR? We explore this question using two sources of data. The first utilises data from our 2014 annual literacy survey in which more than 32,000 children and young people aged 8 to 18…

Certainly a primary goal of literacy education is the creation of avid, enthusiastic, and highly motivated readers. However, in this article revisiting the Peter Effect (Applegate & Applegate, 2004), researchers surveyed more than 1,000 college sophomores and found strikingly low levels of enthusiasm for reading. Only 46.6% of surveyed…

This report presents the 5th Edition of Scholastic's biannual study of children's and parents' attitudes and behaviors about reading. The latest research touches on reading aloud to children of all ages, the impact of reading independently for fun at school and at home, the importance of frequent reading, and the books children want most to read.…

This report presents second year information about the degree to which children and young people in Middlesbrough enjoy reading and writing, how often then engage in reading and writing, what types of materials they read and write and how they feel about reading and writing. It also outlines information about their confidence in their own…

This report presents the 4th Edition of Scholastic's biannual study of children's and parents' attitudes and behaviors about reading. Much has changed since the first "Kids & Family Reading Report" was issued in 2006, but literacy remains the critical skill needed for school success. Today's children are growing up in a world full of…

Reports on a study in which elementary level students evaluated rewards commonly used to encourage recreational reading. Finds that the most popular rewards allow students more flexibility and independence. (MM)

Reviews briefly the development of reading instruction from a skills emphasis to an interactive concept of reading. Notes that regardless of the method used, children's feelings toward reading have been ignored. Suggests several ways to make learning to read enjoyable for students. (MM)

Studies eight students (grades five-nine) to discover whether students with less than average interest in reading would spend a greater amount of time engaged in interactive fiction. Finds that students spend more time with interactive fiction, if they are successful at the quest. Discusses implications for English and reading instruction. (MM)

Discusses factors related to reading motivation. Offers suggestions to enhance students' motivation to read for enjoyment and information. (SR)

Presents a set of questions that are offered as suggestions to help students think and define themselves as readers. Notes that to encourage thoughtful, well developed responses, the questions should be spread out over a number of days or weeks. (RS)

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." This is a well-known adage with which many are familiar. Children learn it from an early age as they begin to walk, ride their bike, or tie their shoes. Adults repeatedly encourage children by saying, "You can do it! Give it a try! Just try harder!" However, when trying harder…

Presents three brief articles containing suggestions from teachers on teaching reading: a summer reading program that successfully kept beginning readers reading over the summer; an inquiry project in which third graders saw the power of being literate and the profusion of literacy activities in the nonschool world; and engaging students in active…