A total of 230 second through fifth grade boys and girls from five private schools in the San Francisco Bay area were asked to keep a record of the books they read for pleasure over the period of a month to determine whether there were differences between the books chosen across the grades and between sexes. The students recorded the books on a…

The case study of James, a semiliterate 16-year-old delinquent, illustrates (1) the importance of learners' language strengths, (2) the importance of learners' perceptions about the nature of assigned tasks, and (3) the need to examine reading instruction as a possible contributor to delayed literacy. When James was asked to tape record a story,…

Initiated in the fall of 1965 in an effort to raise the reading and language levels of skill-deficient students in grades two through six, the Hartford, Connecticut, Intensive Reading Instructional Team (IRIT) program has proven its effectiveness, and has been expanded through Title I funding. Each year, three groups of 45 students are selected to…

A study was conducted to examine and describe the knowledge and beliefs of elementary school teachers and students regarding the acquisition of reading comprehension skills during reading instruction and the application of those skills during social studies instruction. One teacher and 26 fourth and fifth grade students were observed daily over a…

This monograph contains a discussion of a telephone survey conducted to gain more knowledge about the job-related reading, functional reading, and leisure reading habits of a representative sample of adults from Anderson, Indiana. The discussion highlights survey results by demographic variables, reports specific analyses of survey items, and…

This practical guide for parents who care and want to help children learn to read and enjoy reading discusses ten ways in which parents and the home environment can influence reading habits and attitudes. These include: (1) encouraging the child while he or she reads, (2) reading aloud to the child and listening while he or she reads aloud, (3)…

A reading program's effectiveness can be assessed by investigating skills improvement together with attitude improvement. Frequently, teachers make questionable assumptions about student reading attitudes. To provide educators with a more accurate picture of students' expressed feelings, students' attitudes toward reading should be measured with…

A study was conducted to determine what beliefs secondary school students held about reading and to compare those beliefs with a set of elementary school teachers' beliefs identified by G. Duffy and W. Metheny. Three hundred high school students from freshman, junior, and senior social studies classes completed a revised version of the 45-item…

To support young children in bringing all of their resources to bear on constructing meaning from print, teachers must be aware of how children learn, must make use of a variety of learning materials, and must carefully prepare the contextual setting in which children move into reading. Teachers should focus on planning a classroom reading…

An instrument measuring the attitude of young children (kindergarten through grade two) toward reading was constructed, using photographs, ambiguous as to detail, with each representing a different reading situation. Subjects, 166 white middle-class children, were directed to view each picture and indicate whether they liked, disliked, or were…

Describes a teacher's development of a "book-share" reading program for nursery school children which involves students, parents, and teacher in a process of sharing books, responses to books, and concerns about reading skills. Suggests that such a program increases children's confidence about reading. (ARH)

Explains why proficient readers may find it difficult to understand written directions. Indicates direct instructional strategies for helping such readers handle procedural text independently. (NKA)

Reviews some of the current definitions of literacy and suggests that an expansion of the definitions is needed, based on information gained from interviews with adult remedial readers as they describe their reading needs. (SKC)

Suggests ways in which parents and teachers can work together to improve the reading development of children. Presents results from a survey which examined parents' knowledge and beliefs about reading, and indicated the need for more parent-teacher interaction. Recommends parents make a conscious effort to reinforce the school's reading program.…

Evaluates an individualized reading program in which elementary school teachers prepared written prescriptions for students, targeting specific deficiencies for remediation. Finds that among students, preferences for independent modes of learning are significant predictors of positive reading attitudes. (MM)