The relationship between reading comprehension strategies and reading attitudes

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between levels of reading comprehension strategy use, reading attitudes, and the amount of reading per year among elementary school students. The study was conducted with 1316 students (649 girls and 667 boys) attending the fourth and fifth grades of 15 elementary schools in Denizli, Turkey. Stratified Sampling Method was employed to obtain data using Reading Attitude Scale (RAS) and Reading Comprehension Strategies Scale (RCSS). The analyses indicate that reading attitude is a significant predictor of the level of reading comprehension strategies used by students (R² = 0.44). The findings show that there is a negative and low-level relationship (r = ?0.054) between daily time spent reading and the level of strategy used, and a positive and low-level relationship (r = 0.01) between the level of strategy used and the number of books that a child reads per year.     

英语专业学生兴趣阅读频率和态度调查研究

运用定量和定性研究的方法调查了英语专业学生兴趣阅读的习惯和态度。151名在校大学生接受了问卷调查。结果表明：英语专业学生总体课外兴趣阅读的频率较高,他们对待兴趣阅读的态度也是积极肯定的。多元回归分析进一步表明,调查对象过去接触过的英丈课外书与其阅读频率和态度均显著相关,其母语阅读频率与英语兴趣阅读频率之间的相关也达到了显著水平。此研究结果对二语阅读教学和实践有着重要启示。     

A factor analysis of reading attitudes along with measures of reading achievement and scholastic aptitude

The construct validity of the Survey of Reading Attitudes was investigated through a principal-factor analysis of the 88 items comprising the scale, along with measures of scholastic aptitude and reading skills (vocabulary and comprehension). The sample included 600 students selected so that 200 (100 boys and 100 girls) were obtained from each of the three intermediate grades. The Survey was administered orally to class-size groups, but copies of the booklet were also available to students. The factor structure showed a reading achievement factor along with the following eight dimensions of reading attitude: (1) expressed reading difficulty, (2) reading as direct reinforcement, (3) reading as enjoyment, (4) alternative learning modes, (5) silent vs. oral reading, (6) reading anxiety, (7) reading group, and (8) comics.     

Long-term prediction of achievement and attitudes in mathematics and reading

The purpose of the longitudinal study was to investigate the prediction of children's academic achievement on the basis of cognitive tasks given prior to kindergarten, and academic attitudes on the basis of teachers' and mothers' ratings of the children's general cognitive abilities and actual achievement. Subjects were tested initially before entering kindergarten; from 105 to 154 of the 255 kindergarten children were followed through grades 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10. A subset of cognitive tasks maintained a high relation to high school achievement scores, especially in reading. Tenth-grade self-concept of ability, expectancy for success, value of success, and perception of task difficulty showed effects of sex and academic content area, with boys generally being more favorable toward math and girls more favorable toward reading. Children's attitudes were related both to mothers' earlier ratings of their children's cognitive abilities and actual achievement scores; this was especially the case for girls. There was a negative relation between mothers' ratings and girls' attitudes toward mathematics. Sex differences in all measures throughout the 11-year period are reviewed.     

Reading attitudes and reading interests of urban intermediate grade students

The Survey of Reading Attitudes and the Bundy Reading Preference Survey were administered to 130 fourth- and fifth-grade students enrolled in an urban school with a student body that is representative of the student population of the city. The total score of the Bundy Reading Preference Survey resulted in a significant moderate correlation with the Reading as Enjoyment Dimension of the Survey of Reading Attitudes. This correlation contributes to the construct validity of both measures.     

Evaluating the effects of repeated reading and continuous reading using a standardized dosage of words read

Repeated reading (RR) is a common fluency intervention, but recent studies comparing RR to continuous reading (CR; i.e., wide reading) found no significant differences in effects. This prompts the question of whether the mechanism that improves skills is repeatedly reading portions of connected text, or simply reading connected text. The current study examined the differential effectiveness of RR and CR for increasing oral reading fluency rate (ORF) and comprehension of 40 students in second and third grades, randomly assigned to receive the RR or CR intervention. Students in both conditions received a standardized amount of practice (dosage) in the form of number of words read during each intervention session. All but two participants increased their ORF and there were no significant differences between groups on posttest ORF or broad comprehension. Moreover, students with the highest pretest scores made slightly more growth regardless of condition. Students in the RR group demonstrated significantly higher comprehension of practiced passages and students in the CR condition reported significantly higher levels of intervention acceptability. Implications for reading fluency intervention research and practice are discussed.     

A meta‐analysis of the relationship between student attitudes towards reading and achievement in reading

A meta‐analysis of the relationship between attitudes in reading and achievement in reading was conducted to provide a statistical summary to the observed variability in the magnitude of previously reported effect sizes. A total of 32 studies, with a total sample size of 224,615 were used, and included a total of 118 effect sizes. A multi‐level approach was used in meta‐analysis to determine if variance in the magnitude of effect sizes could be partitioned to study (level 1) and moderator (level 2) levels by using a mixed model approach. Results from the meta‐analysis indicated that the mean strength of the relationship between reading attitudes and achievement is moderate (Z_r=.32), while stronger for students in elementary school (Z_r=.44) when compared with middle school students (Z_r=.24). Findings related to selected moderator variables are discussed, with suggestions for future research.     

Latent profiles of attitudes toward print and digital reading among adolescents

Reading and Writing - A growing body of research has highlighted the important role attitudes play for adolescent readers, but few have examined differences in attitudes across purposes and...     

Effects of varying text difficulty levels on second language (L2) reading attitudes and reading comprehension

This study investigated the effects of varying text difficulty on L2 reading attitudes and reading comprehension. To provide the optimal challenge for L2 reading, comprehensible input hypothesis postulates that choosing text slightly harder than the learner's current level will enhance reading comprehension. Fifty‐four freshmen from one university in central Taiwan were randomly divided into two groups. Students in the ‘i − 1’ group were given level 3 and level 4 Oxford Graded Readers while students in the ‘i + 1’ group were provided with level 5 and level 6. Quantitative data were obtained via the English Placement Exam and the Reading Attitudes Survey. Results from the pretest and posttest of the Reading Attitudes Survey suggest that the i − 1 group has gained significantly in reading attitudes, whereas no difference in reading attitude was identified with the i + 1 group. Results also indicate that varied difficulty levels of reading text did not significantly affect participants' reading comprehension.     

Age-related changes in reading attitudes of young children: a cross-cultural study

The Preschool Reading Attitudes Scale (PRAS) was administered to 2201 young children, from three to five years of age, in early childhood programs from several regions of the United States. The scale is categorized into four areas related to children's reading environment. School Reading Activities, Non-school Reading Activities, Library Reading Activities and General Reading Activities. A validation sample revealed highly significant differences at all age levels between students receiving positive and negative teacher ratings of reading attitudes. The basic design involved three factors, age, sex, and ethnicity, and an analysis of variance was applied to total scores and subscores. The results showed significant outcomes for age and ethnicity, in addition to an age X ethnicity interaction. The results suggest that there are significant attitudinal differences between three-year-olds as opposed to four- and five-year-olds as well as age dependent differences among the ethnic groups.     

Email dialogue journaling: attitudes and impact on L2 reading performance

With the rapid development of technologies, online learning, especially email dialogue journaling, has been playing an increasingly important role in foreign language learning and teaching in recent years. While many studies have examined the effect of email learning on student learning performance, few have looked into students’ attitudes towards email application and its impact on their learning outcomes. Positive user attitudes (high self‐efficacy) have been considered critical factors that contribute to the subsequent and successful academic performance. By integrating email for the reading learning process, this study developed an electronic‐based peer collaborative environment to explore students’ attitudes towards email application in reading classes. Specifically, the relationship between students’ self‐efficacy and their reading performance was examined. The results demonstrate that most students maintain positive attitudes towards the potential outcomes of email application on reading achievement. Furthermore, the feature of electronic discussion has a greater direct effect on the reading enhancement. Implications of certain designs of email tasks for an enhanced second language reading development are presented.     

Normative data for eight dimensions of reading attitudes: Canadian public school students

The Survey of Reading Attitudes was administered to 613 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students enrolled in the schools that serve the metropolitan area of a small city in Ontario, Canada. Means, standard deviations, coefficient of alpha reliability estimates, and standard errors of measurement were computed for the eight dimensions of reading attitude included in the Survey. The reliability estimates for the respective dimensions are as follows: Expressed Reading Difficulty, α = .88, Reading as Direct Reinforcement, α = .83, Reading as Enjoyment, α = .89, Alternative Learning Modes, α = .72, Reading Group, α = .81, Reading Anxiety, α = .82, Silent vs. Oral Reading, α = .83, and Comics, α = .79.     

Gender differences in reading ability and attitudes: examining where these differences lie

The aim of this study was to investigate gender differences in the relationship between reading ability, frequency of reading and attitudes and beliefs relating to reading and school. Two hundred and thirty‐two 10‐year‐old children (117 male) completed a reading comprehension test and a questionnaire exploring the following areas: frequency of reading, attitude to reading, attitude to school, competency beliefs and perceived academic support (from peers and teacher). Overall, girls had better reading comprehension, read more frequently and had a more positive attitude to reading and school. However, smaller gender differences were found in reading ability than in attitudes and frequency of reading. Indeed, effect sizes for gender differences in reading were found to be small in this and other studies. Reading ability correlated with both boys' and girls' reading frequency and competency beliefs; however, only boys' reading ability was associated with their attitude to reading and school. Notably, gender differences were found predominantly in the relationship between factors, rather than solely in the factors themselves. Previous research has neglected to study these relationships, and has focused instead on the gender differences found in individual factors. Conclusions are made regarding the applicability of these findings to the school situation.     

Secondary science teachers' attitudes toward and beliefs about science reading and science textbooks

Science textbooks are dominant influences behind most secondary science instruction but little is known about teachers' approach to science reading. The purpose of this naturalistic study was to develop and validate a Science and Reading Questionnaire to assess secondary science teachers' attitudes toward science reading and their beliefs or informed opinions about science reading. A survey of 428 British Columbia secondary science teachers was conducted and 215 science teachers responded. Results on a 12-item Likert attitude scale indicated that teachers place high value on reading as an important strategy to promote learning in science and that they generally accept responsibility for teaching content reading skills to science students. Results on a 13-item Likert belief scale indicated that science teachers generally reject the text-driven model of reading, but they usually do not have well-formulated alternative models to guide their teaching practices. Teachers have intuitive beliefs about science reading that partially agree with many research findings, but their beliefs are fragmented and particularly sketchy in regard to the cognitive and metacognitive skills required by readers to learn from science texts. The findings for attitude, belief, and total scales were substantiated by further questions in the Science and Reading Questionnaire regarding classroom practice and by individual interviews and classroom observations of a 15-teacher subsample of the questionnaire respondents.     

Evaluating the role of polysemous word knowledge in reading comprehension among bilingual adolescents

This study reports on the development of an assessment to measure bilingual adolescents’ knowledge of polysemous vocabulary and explores the contribution of polysemous word knowledge to reading comprehension among those students. Spanish–English bilingual students in seventh grade (n = 107) completed a battery of standardized reading and language measures along with a researcher-designed measure of their knowledge of the academic senses of words that also have casual, everyday meanings. Item-response theory analyses and correlational analyses provided validity evidence for the assessment. Regression analyses indicated that students’ knowledge of academic senses of polysemous words predicted their reading comprehension, even after controlling for their knowledge of the casual sense of the same words, vocabulary breadth, and decoding skills. Findings suggest that comprehension of grade-level texts is uniquely predicted by the ability to recognize the meanings of familiar words when they appear in academic contexts.     

Correction to: Latent profiles of attitudes toward print and digital reading among adolescents

Reading and Writing - In the original publication, the article title was incorrectly published. The correct title has been given with this Correction.     

Teachers' attitudes toward and frequency of engagement in reading aloud in the primary classroom

Reading aloud to children is considered one of the most highly effective strategies for fostering a range of literacy skills, both at home and within contemporary classrooms. However, little is known about teachers' attitudes toward reading aloud, their self‐reported frequency of engagement in the practice and what may pose as contemporary barriers to the practice. The 2016 Western Australian Study in Reading Aloud (WASRA) collected data from over 100 teachers at 14 Australian schools. The WASRA reveals tensions in translating reading aloud practices into daily practice due to reported lack of time and high curriculum demands. The findings suggest that primary school teachers typically enjoy reading aloud to children, though fewer enjoyed reading themselves. Recommendations are provided to address time and curriculum demands purported as being inhibitors of daily reading practices. These recommendations go some way to help mitigate against literacy inequities within our primary classrooms and in so doing encourage provision of daily reading opportunities for teachers and reading aloud practices.