Considers the relationship between hobbies and hobby-related reading to evaluate a common instructional assumption about using hobbies as a basis for recommending reading. Supports: (1) the potential for recommending authentic, non-traditional hobby-related reading materials in home and instructional settings; and (2) the potential for tapping the…

Explores how eighth-grade students choose books for recreational reading. Identifies and analyzes strategies used during a book selection process and information valued during the experiences. Describes how accurately and thoughtfully many students can predict whether they would like to read a particular book or not. Demonstrates the complexities…

Examines whether "social reading" can facilitate literary engagement. Indicates that social readers made a greater attempt to convey meaning than did nonsocial readers, but were less engaged with the text as literary discourse. (SKC)

Uses a "fictitious-annotated-titles" survey to determine reading preferences of fourth-grade girls and boys. Finds that both boys and girls prefer fiction over non-fiction; girls preferred fiction more strongly than boys; and boys preferred male main characters more strongly than the girls, and girls preferred female main characters more…

Examines the reading habits of students in Adult Basic Education and High School Equivalency programs as a whole and by variables of race, gender, age, and reading level. Finds that, as a group, they were by no means nonreaders, though their time spent reading is less than the general population. (RS)

The processes of change in children's reading motivation have not been widely studied. We investigated whether situated interest for a specific book may lead to longer-term intrinsic motivation for general reading. Two schools with 120 grade 3 students filled out reading logs identifying their reasons for reading their favorite books twice. In…

Explores the participation in reading-writing workshops of students who consider reading to be an important part of their lives. Finds students who are engaged readers of fiction bring a set of expectations that differ from their teachers' and from students who do not read regularly for pleasure. (NH)

Examines four components of motivation (relevancy, expectancy, satisfaction, and interest) and discusses these components in the context of reading motivation. Offers strategies to engage students' interest and highlights several areas to consider when planning interest-promoting activities. (MG)

Explores adolescent use of the media for leisure and, in particular, adolescent leisure reading of books. Surveys adolescents to measure the popularity of leisure reading compared to other leisure options, with a view toward contrasting female and male leisure reading pursuits. Finds that reading is popular with adolescents and that females favor…

Surveys reading attitudes, habits, and perceptions about reading of 84 adults in a wide variety of occupations. Finds more positive attitudes toward reading, more time spent reading, and higher ratings of own reading ability among adults with more education and adults employed in higher status occupations. Finds no educational or occupational…

Studies the effects of tutorial instruction, utilizing students' interests and trade books, on the attitudes of poor readers. Suggests that the attitudes of poor readers may be positively influenced through such instruction in an integrated language arts approach. (HB)

Concludes that teachers' perceptions of reading enthusiasm do not always match those of young students, and many times may be based simply on reading achievement. Suggests that reading attitude and achievement may be two separate entities in the early stages of learning to read and that they should perhaps be treated as such by reading educators.…

Describes Colonel Francis Parker's efforts to humanize beginning reading, discussing how they offer guidelines for present day lesson planning. Reveals that his aims were to connect reading with children's interests and backgrounds, with content area studies, and with modes of expression such as speaking, drawing, oral reading, and writing. (SKC)