The effectiveness of "preferred interest" materials in adult reading classes was tested by comparing pretest and posttest scores for the silent reading subtest of the Standard Reading Inventory. The study collected data for 20 adults that received reading instruction by traditional teaching methods (large group arrangement and commercial…

Concludes that lessons emphasizing pereferred interests improve functionally illiterate adults' silent reading information recall skills and interpretation of word meanings from context. Suggests that greater attention be devoted to using preferred interest materials in adult reading instruction. (RL)

Statistics show that illiteracy in the United States is still a problem, particularly for adults over forty-five years of age. To test the effects of preferred-interest lessons on attendance in an adult reading program, a group of 20 adults received reading instruction by traditional teaching methods (large group arrangement and commercial…