Conducted from October 1970 through August 1971, this assessment of reading was concerned with four age levels--9, 13, 17, and 26-35. A total of 98,016 people responded to a wide variety of reading exercises which were administered and scored by trained professionals. The results were then examined according to various group characteristics: sex,…

Reading to children provokes curiosity about books and arouses the desire to learn to read quickly and well. It helps them to learn what reading is all about, it enlarges their vocabulary, and it exposes them to new and exciting experiences. Reading to children also helps them to become familiar with books, their use and their handling. In…

This study assessed the effectiveness of two motivational techniques for promoting interest in reading by using two criteria: the number of books withdrawn from the classroom library and the scores obtained on the Primary Pupil Reading Attitude Inventory (PPRAI). Thirty second-grade classes were randomly assigned to one of three experimental…

This experiment attempted to provide some insight into the effect of three newspaper design complexity variables on the readership and comprehension of news stories and on judgments of the interestingness and pleasingness of the page designs using the three complexity variables: (1) horizontal and vertical headline pattern; (2) horizontal and…

Disadvantaged adults, like all adults, are concerned with their homes, their children, their finances, with themselves and with real life problems. This pamphlet, the first in a series on library services for disadvantaged adults, presents guidelines for librarians on the selection of materials for this group, materials which deal with practical,…

This collection of 40 articles and essays on English-language children's literature encompasses literary history and criticism, standards, changing tastes, the child's response to books, writers and their writing, illustration, and recent books. Most of the articles and essays were written in the 1960's, but a few important earlier contributions…

This survey of children's reading interests in New Zealand, conducted in 1969, sought to discover which books, writers, magazines, and comics children read; what determines their choices; what they look for in a book; and where they obtain their reading material. A cross section of children was surveyed at four class levels from Standard II to…

Several literary models from both contemporary and standard books that influence the adolescent are presented. The discussion is divided into three broad model categories: the question of morality, the search for self, and values and needs. The novel is the principal literary mode discussed, but other genres are also included. The exploration of…

The rationale for the development of the Primary Pupil Reading Attitude Inventory is presented. The process of developing, using, and subsequently revising the instrument is described. Findings from additional studies are then presented to provide further information about subtest and item characteristics of the instrument. Appendices contain…

To assess the informational and recreational reading needs of the inmates in Texas prison units, surveys were conducted at one male and one female correctional facility. Prison populations were identified by age, race, and educational level. Subjects for the preference study were asked questions regarding: (1) reading background; (2) book…

Previous research has indicated that children comprehend more of material of high interest than material of low interest, when each child is given a mixture of both types. In the present study of fifth-grade children, each child received either all high-interest material or all low-interest material. Interests were assessed using a picture-rating…

The New England Consortium criteria of excellence are 26 statements of conditions which describe a quality reading program and which must exist if all children are to learn to read. These statements are grouped under five goal areas, the fifth of which, fostering reading interests, is treated in this position paper. The paper supports attainment…

This study was prompted by the lack of consistency in defining the interests, both general and in the area of reading, of children in the primary grades. Analysis of more than 15 introductory texts used to teach reading indicated that interest measurement is based on certain unquestioned theoretical assumptions. Students in 27 first- through…

A study of 150 residents of a small southern Illinois city suggests that there are significant correlations between local daily newspaper content and what people in the community report reading and talking about, but that there are only nonsignificant partial correlations between the newspaper's and the residents' agendas about local news. (GW)

Surveys what was being read by children in Britain from 1910 to 1950 and what the experts advised teachers, librarians, and children to read. (GT)