A study examined whether students' reading ability affected their level of aesthetic reading response when reading level-appropriate literature. During the study, 28 fifth graders read books and wrote responses to what they read. Responses were scored on a rubric valuing aesthetic responses that demonstrated personal experiences. Students' reading…

This interpretive research explores five first graders' perceptions of reading and of being readers, asking the questions: What does reading or being a reader mean to a group of children who are at the end of first grade? What do they see as its purpose? and How do they view themselves as readers? The data are presented in the form of narratives…

Teaching about reading and writing should be flip sides of the same coin. Writing reinforces and develops skills traditionally thought of as reading skills. (PP)

Describes the use of a reading development strategy of group prediction, of encouraging children to decide and to justify what is going to happen next in a selected story, as a means to motivate students to become active readers. (HOD)

Content analysis of two reading series intended for remedial students indicates that (1) neither provides a balance of types of literature; (2) both claim to be interested in the attitudes and interests of readers, but that's not evident in text selections; and (3) both portrayed the usefulness of reading most often as a reading-related theme. (FL)

Concludes that the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) provides valid predictions of student academic aptitude and is a reliable measure of reading attitude. Finds no significant correlation between the NDRT and student self-concept. (FL)

Children's literature is surveyed, beginning with Victorian authors and concentrating on twentieth century children's books written in the United States. The argument is made that the "problem novel," now so popular in the United States, does not extend the reader's experience, and that it is driving out finer kinds of children's books. (PP)

Lists reading materials that can help students learn more about topics in which they are interested, learn to do new things, and entertain themselves. (FL)

Administered the Survey of Reading Attitudes to 68 intermediate-grade students to determine the reliability of the eight attitudinal dimensions which it measures. The test retest interval was seven days. Results showed the scores were relatively stable. Reading anxiety appeared to be a less stable dimension. (Author/JAC)

Reviews research showing that children beginning to read are often confused by the task. Suggests that this confusion is the result of factors both in the home and at school and calls for research that would identify those factors. (FL)

Studied the validity of eight dimensions of reading attitude. Showed support for the expressed reading difficulty, reading as enjoyment, silent versus oral reading, and alternative learning modes dimensions. Findings generally cross-validate the dimensions of reading attitude found in earlier studies. (Author/JAC)

Many secondary students have mastered the skills necessary for proficient reading, but they dislike reading and avoid it at every opportunity. This article briefly describes 12 classroom-tested strategies for inducing these youngsters to read. (Author/SJL)

The scores of fifth- and sixth-grade students on the "Survey of Reading Attitudes" revealed significant gender differences. (FL)

Describes the problems facing developmental reading instruction in Nigeria, their causes, and possible solutions. (AEA)

Contributors offer the following suggestions: use the language experience approach with adult beginning readers, remediate adolescent reading attitudes via parents, force students to think through self-propelled reading lessons, and establish a teacher workshop using the participants' content area textbooks. (HTH)