Research for a Movement

Reflecting from the Philippine experience, this article explores an emerging picture that characterizes contemporary Bible reading attitudes of college students. Six new attitude factor definitions are developed following the development of the Bible Reading (BR) attitude scale for college students constructed by this author in a separate study. Through empirical procedures, the pre-tested scale produced six new attitude factor definitions that displaced the nine original pre-test attitude sub-factors. Their Bible reading attitudes are described in terms of motivation, reading preference, and acquaintance. This research provides practitioners with useful attitudinal dimensions for youth formation particularly in biblical formation and religious education.     

The Strong Vocational Interest Blank and Occupational Proficiency*

Abstract

While the original Estes Attitude Scale Toward Reading is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the attitudes of secondary students toward reading, its vocabulary and sentence structure made it too difficult to use with elementary students. The purposes of this study were: (a) to simplify the Estes Scale without changing the concepts, (b) to validate the modified instrument, and (c) to investigate the relationship between attitude and reading achievement among elementary students. A total of 697 students from urban and rural areas and from grade levels three through six were involved. Student and teacher reading criterion measures, used to validate the Estes Scale, were employed to assure validation consistency. With the attitude scale as the treatment variable, and grade level and criterion measures as the classification variables, several two-way ANOVAs were computed for each criterion measure. It was found that the main effects, grade level and criterion measure, were highly significant for each ANOVA. Correlation between attitude and achievement scores was significant but low. It was concluded that the modified instrument can be used as a screening device to differentiate students with high and low attitudes toward reading.     

“It Bothers Me,but I Will Not Bring It into the Kindergarten”: Gender Perception Conflicts of Religious Kindergarten Teachers as Reflected in Their Work

The article describes a study on the gender identity of kindergarten teachers in the Israeli State Religious Education System (Hemed). The aim was to investigate their perception of gender identity in light of Orthodox feminism and discover how this is reflected in their work, particularly in the Torah stories they tell. The study, based on a narrative research method comprising seven teachers, suggested a link between their gender perceptions and attitude toward Orthodox feminism, and their attitude toward patriarchal Bible stories. The discomfiture and internal contradictions characterizing their perceptions reflect the diverse attitudes in the religious public to this issue.     

The association between academic self‐beliefs and reading achievement among children at risk of reading failure

This paper investigates whether children's academic self‐beliefs are associated with reading achievement and whether the relationship is modified by gender and/or age. Data were collected from children at risk of reading failure, that is, emergent readers (6‐ to 8‐year‐olds) in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas reading at a level below the population mean. The authors' own measure of attitude to reading and perceived competence was used. The study found a significant positive association between attitude to reading in class and vocabulary and phonemic awareness and a significant negative association between perceived competence at reading in class and single‐word reading and spelling. Girls' attitude to reading and perceived competence were more positively associated with reading achievement, and this was most evident in the first grade. Perceived competence was inflated among those with the poorest reading and also among boys, in association with reading‐related skills found most challenging by children in this sample.     

培智学校教师对残疾儿童随班就读的态度研究

本研究对培智学校教师随班就读的态度调查结果进行了分析.结果表明,从总体上讲,教师对残疾儿童随班就读的态度是积极的,但存在一定程度的不够理解或偏见,甚至有拒绝、隔离的倾向.不同的年龄阶段存在着差异性,总体上而言,40岁以下的年龄组,更倾向于支持随班就读.不同职称的教师态度在个别分测验的结果上也存在差异.学历、性别、参加培训与否与他们的态度关系不大.     

An Experimental Study of Formal Reading Instruction at the Kindergarten Level

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of formal reading instruction on kindergartners with respect to reading achievement, attitude toward reading, and attitude toward school.

Altogether 220 children, classified on intelligence and reading readiness variables, were randomly assigned to formal reading and readiness programs for four months. Criterion data respecting to achievement and attitudes were collected by means of the California Reading Test and constructed attitude inventories.

Analyses of data reveal that in terms of reading achievement, the reading program was more effective than the readiness program, but that attitudes toward school and reading were a function of intelligence and reading readiness when attitudes were measured by a teacher-reporting scale. When measured by a pupil self-reporting scale, attitudes were a function of the type of instruction, with children in the readiness program showing more favorable attitudes.     

A Study of Individually Formulated Purposes for Reading

Abstract

The problem was to evaluate changes of adolescent delinquent boys In their behavior and attitude" toward authority figures after the boys received rending Instruction, The 37 subjects were divided Into three groups and were equated for age, I.Q., ethnic background, and reading ability. The groups were given either reading Instruction, swimming instruction, or no Instruction. A follow-up study was done on each subject 18 months after the termination of the experiment to determine court involvement. The magnitude of improvement In changes in attitude was significantly greater (.001 level of confidence) In the Reading Group than in the other two groups, ft may be concluded that leading Instruction is effective In modifying certain attitudes of adolescent delinquents toward authority figures.     

Reading levels of Spanish deaf students

THE READING LEVELS of a population of 93 Spanish deaf students were examined. All study participants had prelingual profound hearing loss; their ages ranged from 9 to 20 years. All were enrolled in compulsory education during 2002-2003 in the Canary Islands (Spain). They were evaluated with sentence and text comprehension subtests from the Evaluation of Reading Processes of Primary Education Students, whose Spanish acronym is PROLEC (Cuetos, Rodríguez, & Ruano, 1996). A questionnaire on reading attitude was also used (Espín, 1987). Study results were consistent with those of previous research: Deaf students, at the end of their primary school education (mean age 13 years), have reading levels similar to or lower than the reading levels of hearing students at the onset of primary school education (mean age 7 years). These deaf students also have an indifferent attitude toward reading.     

The effects of whole-language instruction: An update and a reappraisal

This article reports an update of a meta-analysis of the effects of whole language originally conducted by Stahl and Miller (1989). Using studies conducted since 1988, the present meta-analysis suggests that whole-language approaches still produce effects on achievement essentially similar to that of basal readers. However, relatively few studies were found that used achievement measures. Looking at these studies as a whole, there seems to be a shifting of goals from achievement to attitude toward reading. Whole-language approaches seem to be effective in improving children's attitudes toward reading. The effects of eclectic programs, which include the use of open-ended tasks and self-selection of literature as in whole-language approaches but also stress an achievement orientation and phonics instruction as in more traditional approaches, seem to be effective in improving both achievement and attitude.     

Read Two Impress and the Neurological Impress Method: Effects on elementary students’ reading fluency,comprehension, and attitude

This seven-week study examined the effects of the Neurological Impress Method and Read Two Impress on reading comprehension, fluency, and students’ attitude toward reading. The 57 first-, second-, and third-grade students were randomly assigned to three conditions and were pre- and posttested on eight reading measures. Several 3 × 2 factorial analyses of variance revealed significant interaction effects on retell, comprehension questions, and the multidimensional fluency scale as well as time effects on words read correctly per minute and word recognition accuracy. Moreover, a comparison of mean difference effect sizes favored the treatment groups on all reading fluency and comprehension measures. The interventions, however, had little effect on students’ attitude toward reading. Practical implications and future research directions are also discussed.     

特殊学校教师对随班就读的态度调查研究

本研究对特殊学校教师随班就读的态度调查结果进行了分析。结果表明 ,从总体上讲 ,教师对残疾儿童随班就读的态度是积极的 ,但存在一定程度的不够理解或偏见 ,甚至存在对残疾人拒绝、隔离的倾向。盲校教师的态度相对其他三类特殊学校的老师来说最积极 ,聋校教师的态度最消极。目前随班就读师资的培训对提高特殊学校教师对随班就读的认识有一定作用 ,但一般的特殊教育知识技能方面的培训对提高特殊学校教师对随班就读的认识作用不大。教师的性别、所教的科目、职称、年龄等因素对特殊教师的态度影响不显著     

‘Students get bogged down’: how religious Israeli elementary teachers view problems and solutions in Bible teaching

Bible teachers in contemporary society confront serious problems related to the nature of the biblical text and the socio-cultural context of their teaching. This study, based on semi-structured interviews, examines the problems that five expert religious Israeli elementary school teachers encounter in their teaching and the solutions they employ. Our findings show two major domains of pedagogic issues: unfamiliar biblical linguistics and problematic content. Teachers reported student difficulties in understanding biblical Hebrew. Problematic content includes irrelevant topics, emotionally laden material, and age inappropriate issues. Linguistic solutions relied on reading comprehension techniques and use of features specific to Bible reading such as diacritical marks. Regarding content issues, teachers were motivated by faith in the sanctity of the text to find effective solutions. These include selectivity, reinterpretation using homiletic tools, a holistic understanding and contextualising the narrative. Though teachers felt ill-prepared by their pre-service training in dealing with these challenges, they demonstrated resilience in their solution-oriented pedagogy. These findings suggest attention to mentoring and professional development, and to the creation of a community of practice to support teachers’ dealing with the ongoing challenges in their teaching.     

The Temporal-Interactive Influence of Reading Achievement and Reading Attitude

Although the relationship between attitudes toward reading and reading achievement has been well documented, the causal relationship between these constructs remains unclear.Using longitudinal covariance structure modeling, this study tested the hypothesis that 3 reading-related constructs in the primary grades (2nd-3rd grade) – reading attitude, behavior, and achievement – would predict reading achievement in the 7th grade. Results showed that primary attitude was not correlated with primary achievement yet both had causal paths to 7th-grade achievement, described as a “temporal-interaction” model. The resulting model suggests that while reading attitude and achievement may appear unrelated at the early stages of reading they become more closely linked over time, developing into important causal determinants of reading achievement by early adolescence.     

纳尼亚王国传奇与《圣经》的相关性

C.S.刘易斯所作的纳尼亚王国七部传奇是从另一个角度对基督教《圣经》的阐释.这七部传奇中体现了基督教的多种精神,纳尼亚王国传奇是儿童童话冒险版《圣经》.     

The effect of individual differences in the inner and outer states of ICT on engagement in online reading activities and PISA 2009 reading literacy: Exploring the relationship between the old and new reading literacy

With the prevalence of ICT, the concept of reading literacy has evolved to encompass both online reading and printed texts. This study clarifies the relationship between reading printed texts and online electronic texts from the perspective of individual differences in the inner and outer phases of ICT in a partial mediation model. We used the PISA 2009 data with 297,295 fifteen-year-old students (49.6% males) across 42 regions. The inner state of ICT represents students' attitude toward computers and confidence in high-level ICT tasks, whereas the outer state of ICT represents students' access to ICT facilities at home or school. The indirect results showed students' reading literacy improved with better attitude toward computers, confidence, and ICT availability at home, as long as the effect was mediated through engagement in online reading activities, even though availability of ICT at home had a direct and negative impact on PISA 2009 reading literacy.     

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF READING ATTITUDES OF ELDERLY ACTIVE AND INACTIVE READERS

This study presents an analysis of the attitudes of elderly active and inactive readers that relate to preferences in reading. It was hypothesized that no differences would be found between the readers’ attitudes toward reading. Findings indicated that there are differences between elderly active and inactive readers and that elderly active readers seem to have a more positive attitude toward reading than elderly inactive readers.     

21世纪《圣经》赏析的新视野

《圣经》是一部对西方世界影响甚深的经典著作，阅读和赏析圣经是外语学习者和工作者了解西方社会、政治、法律、习俗和语言等特点的重要手段。本文从多元化的文学批评观出发，通过对圣经神圣论、历史学、文学和女权主义批评角度对其进行剖析，指出新时代的圣经阅读和赏析应向多元化、开放性方向发展。     

The Value of Reading and the Effectiveness of Sustained Silent Reading

In this article, we explore the association between students’ value of reading and their behavior during a sustained silent reading (SSR) period, and their attitudes toward SSR and reading leisure books. 362 secondary students participated in this study and data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The results showed that more students in the high value of reading (HVR) group behaved better during SSR periods and had a more positive attitude toward SSR and leisure book reading than those in the lower value of reading (LVR) group. The value of reading was also found to be associated with the frequency of interaction with parents in reading activities, and we thus suggest that parents should be involved in the SSR program.     

Perspectives on literacy,gender and change: a case for Zambia

This study examines illiterate participants' perceptions of literacy training that was conducted after 6-12 months of training in one urban Copperbelt province and one center in rural Luapula province in Zambia. Interviews were conducted among 29 female and 11 male participants and 15 male and 3 female officials. Analysis is based on interviews, observations, and written records. The researcher identified five broad areas of change: affective, attitudinal, pedagogic, economic, and sociopolitical. This study shows that literacy in rural areas is beneficial to people personally, to gender relations, and to socioeconomic development. The findings support the arguments advanced by Rockhill (1987), Bhola (1981), Freire (1970), and Nyerere (1978) about the need to reduce the fears and insecurities associated with being illiterate and the gain from developing people and not just production. The literacy training did not enrich people culturally nor did it alleviate poverty; it concentrated on integrating people into new modes of production. Affective changes included changes in self-esteem and feeling happier. Attitudinal changes included positive learning experiences about child care among both men and women. Nutrition and sanitation improved. Couples reported a greater effort at demonstrating polite behavior and respect toward each other. Literacy increased their status among friends and was accepted in steps, such as being proud of knowing how to write their name. Some participants changed their attitudes toward family planning, and clinic attendance increased. Literacy gave some more confidence and awareness of social relations. Literacy helped read seed and fertilizer labels. Lack of reading materials was a problem. Participants reported reading the Bible and magazines and writing letters. Participants tended to participate in church or literacy groups rather than political ones.