Most people have struggled with reading in one situation or another, depending on their appreciation for the content, their prior experiences, and the texts. This department column shares ways for educators to help literacy learners unlock their potential with instruction anchored in their skills, knowledge, ways of learning, interests, and…

The present study investigates the role of attitudinal variables, such as children's literacy interest and parents' reading beliefs, in conjunction with home literacy activities (HLA), in predicting children's print-concept knowledge. The objective of the study is to test a theoretical model describing the relationship among these variables. This…

Survey research on students in Russia shows that the higher their level of knowledgeability, the more likely they are to have better academic progress, more involvement in student government and in public and political life, more positive use of free time, and a more informed moral position.

The purpose of this document is to present a developmental model of reading that encompasses changes across the lifespan. The need for such a lifespan orientation toward reading within our educational institutions is great. Until we adopt this lifelong perspective, we continue to run the risk of turning out undeveloped, unmotivated, and uncritical…

The present study investigates the validity of a 4-point rating scale used to measure the level of preschool children's orientation to literacy during shared book reading. Validity was explored by (a) comparing the children's level of literacy orientation as measured with the "Children's Orientation to Book Reading Rating Scale" (COB)…

A mixed method study explored a theoretical model that employed, combined, and added to the theories of self-determination, the reading engagement perspective, and the four-phase model of interest to motivate adolescent struggling readers to read for pleasure. The model adds to the existing body of research because it specifies an instructional…

Reports on a study that examined the effects of prior knowledge and topic interest on the reading comprehension of seventh- and eighth-grade students. The results suggested that both prior knowledge and topic interest were autonomous factors in reading comprehension. (HOD)

Intended for use by teachers who wish to help students select library materials for personal and classroom reading, this instrument is designed to assess student reading attitudes and knowledge. The instrument is divided into upper elementary, junior high school, and high school levels and consists of questions that assess (1) how students feel…

Results indicate that while amount of newspaper reading does not covary with knowledge of city affairs, the reasons why people read newspapers matter. If people read to learn about municipal politics, they tend to be taught. If they read for fun, they learn little. Media effects depend on motives of media users. (PD)

Writers and writing teachers should be wary of depending on readability indexes as indicators of the difficulty of written messages. The Gunning Fog Index and the Damerst Clear Index, two readability formulas, were used to determine the readability of "A Statement of Editorial Policy" and two abstracts appearing in an issue of…

One hundred eleventh and twelfth grade students were grouped according to their knowledge of and interest in baseball and were then tested for their recall of information presented with varying levels and amounts of background information and analogy. The information was presented in the following ways: (1) analogy embedded in text, (2) analogy…

Research and descriptive studies of the active reader (one who starts reading early in life with a broad range of interests and continues this behavior) are of particular interest, because they identify salient characteristics and acquired traits of people who like to read. For example, the mature reader has been characterized as being able to…

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) attempts to ensure educational equity for all K-12 students. However, for the conceptual goals of NCLB to become reality, pre-service teacher training models must be modified to include a deeper understanding of individual differences and how these play out in classroom dynamics. The "Three Literacy…