Provides a nine-item annotated bibliography of material from the ERIC database focusing on independent reading and its importance in elementary secondary education. (MG)

Surveys undergraduate students enrolled in a reading methods course for future elementary teachers to ascertain their attitudes toward reading and the teaching of reading. Finds that a high percentage of the future teachers have high positive attitudes toward both reading and teaching reading but do not consider reading to be their primary source…

Argues that teachers should facilitate and promote the admission of children into the "literacy club," but notes that many teacher-education students are not yet active, passionate members of the literacy club. Describes using "reading clubs" in teacher-education courses to expose preservice teachers to the passion and joy of…

Examines what percentage of coverage of text is needed for unassisted reading for pleasure, where learners are able to read without the interruption of looking up words. Looks at the effect of three densities of unknown vocabulary on two measures of reading comprehension, a multiple-choice test and a cued written recall test. (Author/VWL)

Finds that both low-ability and average-ability first-grade readers, and to a lesser extent high-ability readers, from different socioeconomic backgrounds, select books that are beyond students' reading level. Discusses influences of gender and genre on these selections. Discusses the relation of frustration-level texts to interest and motivation,…

Examined the nature of Turkish students' motivation to read. Objectives were to explore the mean level of Turkish students' reading motivation; to identify students' reading frequencies; and to understand the relation between their reading motivations and their reading frequencies. Students completed the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire and…

In this article we describe the leisure reading practices and attitudes towards reading of two cohorts of teenage boys and their parents from one educated, middle-class school community in Australia. Leisure reading refers to free choice or recreational reading across a range of genres (e.g., fiction/nonfiction) and modes (e.g., print/electronic).…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama", as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

This report contains the best national data available to provide a reliable and comprehensive overview of American reading today. While it incorporates some statistics from the National Endowment for the Arts' 2004 report, "Reading at Risk," this new study contains vastly more data from numerous sources. Although most of this information is…

The Chinese people have great regard for those who read widely, yet little is known of the extracurricular reading behaviors of Chinese students. This study drew on data from two national surveys to investigate the amount of time Taiwanese college students spend on extracurricular reading. Findings are interpreted in relation to prior research on…

This study examined the progress of Hayder, a high school student, in becoming a reader within an English language learner (ELL) reading program. The authors delve into the relationships between this young man's masculinity as a Yezidi Kurdish refugee, the reading instruction he received, his attempts to stay in school, and his successful literacy…

A practicum addressed second graders' negative attitudes and habits toward recreational reading. Students were not reading for pleasure at school or at home. A recreational reading program, which used a variety of thematic units, was implemented. Subjects were 20 second graders (mostly Hispanics) in an inner city school. Several innovative…

One of education's most important goals should be to promote the lifetime love of reading. However, the standards initiative, the debate about creating a national curriculum, and the bashing of whole language efforts are among the high visibility trends that are causing teachers and administrators to focus on phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and…

The 1994 Florida Library Youth Program is an extension of the successful and long-running Florida Summer Library Program to help librarians provide programs for school-age children, aged 6 through 12, throughout the year. The emphasis is primarily recreational. This manual for program coordinators and library users amplifies a theme called…

This document is the third volume of a series designed and written for the young reader aged 9 and above. It contains three issues and covers individuals that young people want to know about most: entertainers, athletes, writers, illustrators, cartoonists, and political leaders. The publication was created to appeal to young readers in a format…