"The Brownies' Book," a periodical for Black children created and edited by W. E. B. Du Bois and published for 2 years, from 1920 to 1921, was a radical departure from traditional children's publications. It challenged the "selective tradition" in children's literature that negatively depicted Afro-Americans and Afro-American…

Because of concern about the harmful effects of placing children in low reading groups, this study tested the following "sacred cows" in reading: (1) the use of informal reading inventories for grouping children in reading instruction, (2) the homogeneous grouping practices currently utilized in most classrooms in the United States, (3)…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 11 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effect of selected short stories on reading achievement, attitude, habits, and interests of college students enrolled in compensatory reading classes; (2) journal-published…

Sex differences in school learning are examined with a focus on how the variable of gender affects the teaching, learning, development, and behavior of children. The initial entries in this collection of articles focus on reading: the reading interests of girls and boys, sex bias and stereotyping in reading tests, and the influence of gender,…

Recent research investigating the effects of sexism in elementary school textbooks on readers is reviewed to determine children's responses in terms of reading preferences, sex-role attitudes and behaviors, and comprehension abilities. The degree of sexism in textbooks was determined by the proportion of female main characters, the presentation of…

An intensive investigation analyzing and summarizing the scientific research and professional literature on reading interests of secondary school students was undertaken with the ultimate goal of assembling data which could be used to improve teaching and learning in the area of reading. Using an historical approach, considerable attention was…

Junior high school students involved in a reading/current events program developed by Visual Education Consultants got higher scores on a current affairs test, reported increases in reading newspapers, listened to more news on radio and television, and read more about national and world news. (RL)

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 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the relationship of self-monitoring and the study orientation of adult students; (2) the efficacy of the reading miscue inventory in evaluating the reading…

Focusing on problems, programs, and projects in college and adult reading, the papers in this volume were drawn from the eleventh annual meeting of the National Reading Conference held in 1961. The 29 papers are grouped into three sections, the first of which contains studies and theoretical papers that deal with reading speed and comprehension.…

Developed by the International Reading Association Library Resources and Reading Committee, this book is designed to help parents, teachers, and librarians provide children with books and reading experiences that will make reading a lifetime habit. Part One, "The Right Book for Each Child: Book Selection and Library Use," contains the following…

The eight studies on reading reported in this publication focus on research in the areas of greatest concern to the general English teacher. The findings and conclusions of systematic empirical investigations as well as descriptive analyses, status studies, and surveys are presented on (1) preparation for teaching reading; (2) variations in…

The current changing preferences of teen-agers, changes which result from social forces, are presented. An attempt is also made to orient adults to a better understanding of the concerns of young people. The point is made that these concerns can, with skillful guidance, lead the young to a lifetime habit of reading and finding out for themselves…

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…

A study determined the relationship, if any, between students' learning styles and the types of books they choose to read independently, as well as the amount of time they spend reading independently. Study participants were 72 seventh-grade students attending a middle school in Cobb County, Georgia, who had scored 70 or above in any of the four…