Examines the construct of reader preference along the lines of gender and social class. Argues that children's expressions of preference are often enactments of what they believe it means to be categorically male or female, whereas their ways of relating to different genres of text, and how they choose to read, often enact the material logic of…

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, audiobooks began to gain a place in libraries and became part of library collections and services. The growing interest in including them in school and public libraries was concurrent with widespread use of audiocassettes at home and in business. Children and adults enjoy listening to audiobooks as much as…

With 104 advanced second language (L2) readers, this investigation seeks to construct a multicomponent model of interest and L2 reading. Sources of interest (SI) refer to variables that induce feelings of interest in a text. Perceived interest (PI) refers to the feeling of interest itself (Schraw, Bruning, & Svoboda, 1995). A factor analysis…

Reading literacy and reading interest was examined in four primary schools in Papua New Guinea: in an international, suburban, settlement and village school. In this paper we present a summary of findings located within a local context and examine the implications as viewed through two lenses. From an 'educational for equality' perspective, the…

We examined the reading interest and behavior of students in one rural (n = 664) and one inner-city (n = 510) middle school. Responses to the questionnaire indicated that in general, middle school students are not interested in reading and spend very little time engaged in various reading activities. Further analysis of the data showed differences…

Library media specialist should be prepared to select books appropriate for each student's needs. In this article, the author suggests that when making selections for Spanish-Speaking ESL students, look for the following characteristics: (1) Choose books with simple, limited text and pictures on each page, (2) Select bilingual books with text in…

A study examined how topic interest and brief metacognitive strategy instruction affected learning from reading. Subjects were 81 third graders (33 females, 48 males) randomly assigned to 4 groups. All the students attended 1 of 10 third-grade classes in an elementary school located in a middle- and lower-socioeconomic status area in central…

Noting that many kids' and teens' magazines are not available at newsstands or bookstores, this book describes and provides ordering information for more than 200 such magazines. The magazines described cover almost every conceivable interest of children and teens in the United States and in many other countries. After a foreword by Jim Trelease…

Stemming from the 1992 Integrated Reading Performance Record (IRPR), a study investigated the reading habits and practices and the classroom activities related to reading of a subgroup of students participating in the 1992 reading assessment conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Subjects, 1,136 fourth graders, were…

A study investigated the reading interests of sixth-grade students in a rural Virginia county. Twenty-three children (10 girls and 13 boys) participated. The instrument used was a four-page-long reading interest survey, which contained "yes/no," rating, and open-ended questions. Results of the survey indicated that this group of students…

Discusses the disadvantages of using a single or very limited number of titles as class readers when English is being taught as a foreign language. The author suggests having a wide variety of single copy books available at the same cost, to satisfy many interests and thus encourage use. (MSE)

This monograph was developed to provide elementary classroom teachers with suggestions for diagnosing several aspects of children's reading abilities and attitudes. The techniques described adhere to diagnostic guidelines set forth in the first part of the monograph and should be useful in regular classroom situations. The remainder of the…

To investigate the effects on students' reading attitudes and interests of sustained silent reading as opposed to reading aloud, a study divided 50 urban third graders into two groups, with 25 in each group. One group of students engaged in an 8-week period of sustained silent reading which was teacher directed before and after the reading…

This pilot study assessed the educational interests and needs of a group of older, low-literate adults with the eventual goal of developing computer-assisted literacy programs specifically designed for older adults. Subjects, 10 women and 1 man aged 60 to over 80 years who were members of a center for older adults and who were already working with…

This book is a collection of commentaries by Nebraskans about books that have been memorable for them from childhood through adulthood. The book is a record of life-long learning dedicated to Nebraska's youngest readers in the Year of the Young Reader, 1989--a common ground for intergenerational dialogue made possible by the world of books. The…