A preliminary study investigated whether regular periods of sustained silent reading (SSR) would positively affect verified silent reading comprehension scores for eighth grade students. The hypothesis tested was that students allowed 15 minutes of recreational reading (reading self selected material for enjoyment) five times a week for three…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 11 titles deal with the following topics: secondary school principals' attitudes toward characteristics of an ideal reading program; the effects of rock music on the reading comprehension of eighth grade students; objectives for…

Four approaches to the teaching of second language (L2) reading are described (grammar-translation, comprehension questions/exercises, skills and strategies, and extensive reading) and their status in the reading classroom is examined, and important issues in L2 reading are then discussed, including word recognition, affective and sociocultural…

Focusing on the theme of what literacy is and how it grows, this book presents 25 essays and studies that explore literacy growth in young children, teens, college students, and adults. Essays and studies in the book are (1) "Kindergarten Children's Uses of Oral Language and Social Interaction in Literacy Activities during Unstructured Play" (J.K.…

A study examined critical literacy and how texts, transactions, and talk enabled girls to examine their positions as readers and negotiate their identities in relation to novel characters and one another. Participants were eight sixth-grade girls of European American, African American, and Latina backgrounds and the participant researcher, a white…

Intended to help librarians develop summer programs, this manual contains suggestions for activities and events based on the theme "Star Spangled Summer." The manual includes suggestions for promoting the program, decorating the library, getting the participants registered, and participating in projects, activities, events, games, and giveaways.…

A longitudinal study of student reading attitudes was conducted in 30 schools (20 elementary, 10 middle) using the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey instrument (ERAS). The instrument tested attitudes toward both recreational reading and academic/school reading as part of the Reading Excitement and Paperbacks Project (REAP). REAP participant…

Discusses this year's recipients of the award that honors books dealing with subjects related to U.S. ethnic minorities and race relations in a manner suitable for young readers. The books include the story of a young Navajo girl learning to weave and an account of the Tuskegee airmen. (MJP)

The effects of infusing tradebooks into the school and home environments of non-White, low socioeconomic status, urban third through fifth graders were studied. Tradebooks are books with a purpose that is not school-based. The study was conducted in an urban kindergarten through grade 5 school in the Los Angeles (California) area, where 59 percent…

Intermediate level students of English as a second language reach a critical stage in their language learning after which motivation wanes if no specific attainable goals are offered as encouragement to progress. The ability to enjoy recreational reading can provide those goals, but students must make the transition from dependence on the teacher…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The eight titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effect of medium of instruction on the listening comprehension and retention of community college speech students, (2) the relationship between reading ability and on-the-job…

THE PRINCIPAL EDUCATIONAL GOALS OF AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES BETWEEN 1833 AND 1964 WERE CIVIC ENLIGHTENMENT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, ACCOMPANIED AT VARIOUS PERIODS BY MORAL BETTERMENT, VOCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, OR CURRENTLY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE MAJORITY OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES PROVIDE NOT ONLY MATERIALS, BUT ALSO PERSONAL ASSISTANCE, STIMULATION…

This book presents 25 essays and studies that explore the interplay of a variety of factors that provide the fuel for individual and collaborative explorations into the nature of literacy. Essays and studies in the book are "Patterns of Response: Struggling Readers Respond to a Real Book during Transactional Literature Discussion" (JoAnn Rubino…

Surveys the reading and viewing habits of British teenagers. Discovers that, although U.S. horror fiction (R. L. Stine, Stephen King) tops the lists, a wide diversity exists among the less popular authors. Reveals marked gender differences in amount of time spent viewing videos, television, and computer games. (MJP)

This guide provides planning, program suggestions, and photocopiable materials for use in Louisiana's 1992 summer reading program for children and adolescents. The overall theme of the program is "Grins and Giggles at the Library," and the two dinosaurs, Grins and Giggles, appear in clip art and promotional materials that come with the…