What Johnny Likes to Read Is Hard to Find in School

Abstract

S Research about the importance of interest in learning suggests that students who have access to materials of interest are more likely to read and thus to improve their reading achievement and attitudes. This study examined the reading preferences and access to reading materials of sixth‐grade students from three middle schools in a large ethnically and economically diverse southwestern U.S. school district. Preference surveys and open‐ended questions about favorite materials and authors showed that the most preferred materials among students were scary books and stories, comics and cartoons, magazines about popular culture, and books and magazines about sports. Other popular materials were drawing books, books and magazines about cars and trucks, series books, funny books, and books about animals. Comparisons by gender, income, reading attitude, and achievement found more similarities than differences. Students' school access to reading materials was examined through a student questionnaire and through interviews with their teacher and librarians. The majority of students obtained reading materials from purchased sources (stores or their homes) rather than schools and libraries. Classrooms ranked a distant last for book sources among even low‐income students. Interviews with teachers and librarians along with classroom visits showed that the availability of the most popular materials was limited across schools and classrooms. La investigación acerca del interés durante el aprendizaje sugiere que los estudiantes que tienen acceso a materiales de interés leen más y por lo tanto, mejoran su desempeño y actitudes hacia la lectura. Este estudio examinó las preferencias y el acceso a materiales de lectura de estudiantes de 6° grado provenientes de 3 escuelas medias de un gran distrito del sudoeste de los Estados Unidos con población étnica y económicamente diversa. Encuestas sobre preferencias y preguntas abiertas acerca de los materiales y autores favoritos mostraron que los materiales preferidos entre los estudiantes eran libros e historias de miedo, historietas, revistas acerca de la cultura popular y libros y revistas de deportes. Otros materiales preferidos eran los libros para dibujar, libros y revistas sobre autos y camiones, libros en serie, libros cómicos y libros de animales. En las comparaciones por género, ingresos, actitud hacia la lectura y desempeño se hallaron más similitudes que diferencias. El acceso de los estudiantes a los materiales de lectura en la escuela se examinó por medio de un cuestionario a los estudiantes y entrevistas con los docentes y bibliotecarios. La mayoría de los estudiantes obtenían los materiales de lectura en tiendas y en el hogar y no en escuelas y bibliotecas. El aula se ubicó última en el rango de las fuentes para obtener libros, aún entre los estudiantes de bajos recursos. Las entrevistas con los docentes y bibliotecarios, conjuntamente con visitas a las aulas mostraron que los materiales preferidos eran poco accesibles en las escuelas. Nachforschungen über die Bed...

Une approche d’enseignement des stratégies de compréhension de lecture de textes courants auprès de jeunes lecteurs à risque d’échouer

“…Ils abordaient des thèmes scientifiques ou sociaux qui soutenaient l'intérêt des élèves (par exemple une forêt sous-marine de 52 000 ans, l'invention de la gomme à mâcher, les courses extrêmes, une imprimante à pizza, etc.). Entre 10 et 14 ans, les élèves apprécient les textes qui décrivent des expériences étonnantes (Guthrie & Davis, 2003), qui proviennent de magazines ou de sites web s'adressant aux jeunes et traitant de thèmes actuels (Worthy, Moorman & Turner, 1999). De tels textes suscitent l'engagement affectif et cognitif des jeunes lecteurs (McRae & Guthrie, 2009).…”

Identifying Reading Preferences of Secondary School Students

“…For example, the study conducted by Worthy (1999) addressed the reading preferences of elementary school students. It revealed that the students of grade-6 preferred to read story books, cartoons, comics, popular magazines, and sports even though these books were rarely available in school libraries.…”

Long-term Effects of Male Reading Tutors, Choice of Text and Computer-based Text on Boys’ Reading Achievement

“…During the RT"s weekly visits to the schools, the RTs read with individual boys for a period of 30 minutes. The texts used with each child were consistent across groups, and were based on research about books that hold high interest for some boys (Worthy, Moorman, & Turner, 1999). Some books were read from printed texts and others were read in pdf.…”