To test Bettelheim's claim that picturebook illustrations adversely affect children's imagination, this study examined effects of an adult's storytelling versus picturebook reading on the creativity of 11 preschool children. Initially, a total of 292 interviews were held with 30 children; the reduced final sample was composed of children with high…

A study investigated whether text illustrations improve the reading comprehension of second graders. Subjects, 14 second-grade students, read five stories from a basal reader. The control group read each story with accompanying illustrations, while the experimental group was exposed to only the written version of the same stories. Questions based…

A study investigated what pregnant women and mothers of infants do to develop language and promote a love of reading in their children during the early stages of life. Two surveys were used, the first completed by 15 pregnant women, and the second completed by 15 women with infant children. Results indicated that: (1) the majority of pregnant…

This study has been done to gather data as to whether there is improvement in vocabulary development, reading comprehension and reading fluency when a child is reading aloud and he or she has a reading companion as opposed to not having a reading companion. As this literature review indicates there has been a lot of research on the benefits of…

This exploratory survey analyzes the toddler story time program at the Westerville Public Library (Ohio) for a 9-month period. One hundred thirty-five children between the ages of 24 and 36 months participated in the program with a parent or care giver. Each program was limited to 15 children with their parents and consisted of a 20-30 minute…

A study was conducted to determine whether the interests of seventh grade students were reflected in the content of the basal stories used in the classroom. Subjects were 48 seventh graders enrolled in developmental reading in an upper middle-class socioeconomic region of New Jersey. On a questionnaire, students were asked to select from a list of…

A study examined retelling as a reading comprehension-enhancing technique. Subjects were 26 urban, lower socio-economic fourth graders from New Jersey (Essex County), including 10 girls and 16 boys. A control sample answered questions as a follow-up to reading basal stories; an experimental sample retold the stories as a follow-up. Comparable…

This study investigated whether the choice of literature read aloud by the teacher affected childrens' choices of books in their free reading. Subjects, 13 third grade students, freely selected library books before the study, and then were asked to make choices each week during the 11 weeks of the study in order to determine if the genre being…

To determine whether repeated reading of stories in a developmental reading program would build fluency in slow readers, a study examined five students in the "low" reading group of a self-contained third grade classroom. During a 10-week period, students read a series of 10 stories from the basal reader "Widening Circles."…

A study examined three different basal reading series (MacMillan, Harcourt-Brace, and Scott Foresman) at four different levels for the types of stories found in the readers, as well as for acts of reading portrayed in the stories. Subjects, 12 second grade students at a New Jersey elementary school, completed a teacher-constructed inventory on the…

A study investigated whether reading comprehension would improve if children were made aware of story grammar and were asked schema-related questions. Subjects were 33 fifth grade students, half scoring on or above grade level and half scoring below grade level on the reading section of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. During 11 sessions, 45…

The present study investigated early literacy development in minority middle-class families. The subjects were parents and preschool children ages 3-5 that attended a private early childhood center in Irvington, New Jersey. Each family was given one home visit and a library visit. The literacy practices of the families were observed and recorded…

Noting that reading aloud to preschool children significantly influences their reading development, this master's thesis examines the many benefits from reading aloud to preschoolers. The thesis reviews research indicating that when parents read aloud, they help their children learn vocabulary, complex sentence structure, and story structure.…

"Sort Stories: Leveled Reading Supplement to Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabet Spellers" effectiveness was tested using five English language learner (ELL) students in the fifth and sixth grade. "Sort Stories" uses the word lists and accompanying clip-art from "Words Their Way" in developmental, grade-level specific, short read…