Student opinion of junior college English programs is reflected in this analysis of a questionnaire completed by students who had been enrolled in freshman English classes at nine junior colleges. Comparisons are drawn between dropout and sophomore responses, and between humanities-social science-service (HSS) and science-math-technology (SMT)…

A traditional reading program and an individualized reading program were compared in terms of numbers of books read by pupils in a given period, the types of books selected by the pupils, and readability levels of books selected. It was hypothesized that individualized reading pupils would read more, and that pupils in the traditional reading…

A study investigated the effects of having a classroom book collection on the reading comprehension, reading attitudes, and reading habits (quantity and type of books read) of 54 students of English as a second language in two middle school classes in southern California, grades 5 and 6. Approximately half of each class had access to a collection…

Nine separate articles addressing various aspects of library services to gifted youth include a philosophy statement and discussion of school media centers, reading guidance, leisure reading habits, computer use, critical television viewing, resources and referrals, programs involving community agency cooperation, and selected resources for…

A survey of 2,071 first-year students in university distance-education programs found the two most common learning strategies were repetitive reading of course materials and summarization of facts. Wide variation in strategies was found, apparently determined by both learner characteristics and nature and design of instructional materials,…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving the recreational reading habits of elementary students through the use of cross-age tutoring in critical reading strategies. The targeted population consisted of a kindergarten and a fourth-grade class in the growing upper-middle-class community of Geneva, Illinois, located…

To gather information on the relationship of parent behavior during reading situations to preschool children's cognitive ability, a study of 12 female and 9 male preschool children and their parents was undertaken. Children were administered a battery of tests that measured intelligence, creativity, perceived self-competence, and language skills.…

A survey examined the reading and writing practices, educational attitudes, and family background of 38 Mexican-American fathers with children in grades K-2 in Los Angeles County public schools. Literacy practices examined included reading and writing within and outside the home, alone, or with their children. Subjects were divided into four…

This booklet focuses on the reading literacy test scores of students in the grade levels where most 9- and 14-year-olds were to be found in 32 national systems of education. Data were collected from 9,073 schools, 10,518 teachers, and 210,059 students. The booklet describes the achievement levels of carefully selected probability samples of…

A practicum was designed to increase the amount of time parents read to their kindergarten children. Fifteen parents in a suburban area participated in a series of teacher-presented workshops to discover the value of reading aloud, learn strategies for presenting literature, and practice reading aloud to their children. All seven of the behavioral…

A study investigated how second-grade learners, identified as less proficient, continued their literacy learning in a whole language classroom. Subjects, six second-grade Chapter 1 students, were observed during independent reading time twice per week over a period of 8 months. Additional data collection procedures included participant…

Among those who share the responsibility for developing the reading habit in children are the child's family, schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, and the mass media. There are many ways to read, just as there are many kinds of reading materials, including poetry and narrative stories. Some children read only to follow the plot, others add…

Teachers must make sure that the right book gets to the right child at the right time in order to develop positive reading habits. However, once a book is selected, students should be encouraged to think about what they are reading and use the story to evaluate and enrich their personal knowledge. Two classroom programs that use the whole language…

The majority of current college freshmen see no place in their lives for reading as an opportunity for intellectual or emotional enjoyment. They read only the most utilitarian texts--appliance instructions or road signs, for example. A teacher cannot "make" students read anything, but he or she can help them find ways to like reading;…

A high quality reading readiness program should be available for each student beginning reading. Such a program should be sequential and should emphasize (1) securing the students' interest in reading, and in achieving reading skills, (2) attaching meaning to content being studied in a reading readiness program, (3) providing for each student's…