The articles in this special issue take an important step in beginning to test the PET framework. Together, these articles illustrate the importance of considering individual differences in attitudes and prior knowledge as well as differences in task demands when investigating the role of emotions in shaping cognitive processing while reading…

Background: Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been shown to be an effective strategy for promoting learning motivation. However, a lack of attention has been paid to investigating the effects of individual differences on elementary students' reading motivation and in-gaming achievements in DGBL. Objectives: This study developed an educational…

The study examined the effects of cultural familiarity with a text on Chinese students' reading comprehension performance and reading time. In the first phase of the study, participants were required to read a culturally familiar text, write down the time they spent reading the passage, and immediately complete a cloze test without referring back…

A program is described that set out to improve/enlarge the reading background of entering students by asking them to read 5-10 specific books before coming to college, featuring one book each year as the "common text," and providing a number of special seminars and activities based on that text. (MLW)

Two studies examine the nature of Japanese elementary school and junior high school students' preconceptions about media, the effects of teachers on these preconceptions, and the effect of such preconceptions on learning from instruction in multimedia situations. In the first study, 109 fifth graders reported their preconceptions toward watching…