Describes how teacher educator Sam Sebesta's work and life continue to focus on reading and viewing as a performing art. Discusses how his journey and his many contributions to the world of reading and literature have been notable and worthy. (SC)

Describes, in the form of a letter to a young writer, how the author celebrates the pendulous life of the poet: from arrogance to uncertainty, from misstep to breakthrough. Emphasizes the sustaining force of reading and the need to be initiated into one's own work by the work of others. (SG)

Identifies several impediments to achieving reading literacy for many in-city high school students in California, including lack of interest and motivation, inappropriate resources and absence of support, and insufficient reading experiences and background knowledge. Recommends ways to remove these barriers through the use of strategic reading and…

Adding graphic novels to a school's library collection is an effective way to foster students' love reading. Graphic novels can also help improve language and literacy development, including second language learners, the illustrations provide valuable contextual clues to the meaning of the written narrative.

A One Book program called "Building a Community of Readers" encourages reading and discussion of a book in a casual setting and not as an assignment to earn a grade. Some suggestions are provided that would help in establishing such a program and encourage a community-wide participation that includes choosing the book, choosing the committee,…

Advances in technology have caused a major shift in how students spend their time and challenged curriculum development to maintain interest and focus in the classroom. Implications are most profound in issues related to literacy due to a lack of experience and interest in reading. This article explores this issue and how it relates to teaching…

This study addresses concerns about boys' underperformance on literacy tasks compared to girls, by investigating male and females students' responses to narrative texts. Participants were 142 Grade 9 and 10 students. Achievement orientations, including goals, self-efficacy, and self-handicapping, were measured and approach and avoidance factors…

Reviews a study designed to provide information about the "market" of one information agency and assess the value of its publications in meeting the educational needs of its readership. (RB)

Concludes that the style of a story is less important than the content in determining whether the reader will stop to think about it. (RB)

Suggests ways in which teachers can make reading books to children an even more enjoyable experience for the students. (RB)

A study was conducted to determine if interest in business and financial news could be predicted from factors other than demographic variables. It was hypothesized that the type and number of personal financial investments the reader had would predict interest in business and financial news. In a telephone survey, 376 adults in a large,…

A report is given of reading material selection and preferences of leisure services personnel. A survey was conducted of the California Association of Parks and Recreation Commissioners and Board members and members of the Cal-SPRE, the education arm of the California State Society. A third sample consisted of members of the National Consortium on…

Data from three countries support validity of the technique of predicting readership of magazine articles on the basis of title ratings. (RB)

An example of the influence of television on the reading interests of teenagers may be seen in the popularity of the book "Eric," the true story of a boy's four-and-a-half-year battle with leukemia, which began just two days before he entered college. Although the television adaptation was inaccurate in many details concerning Eric's…

Surveys selected audiences of Texas Tech University's campus newspaper, the "University Daily," to determine how various audiences perceive the purposes of a campus newspaper. (RB)