This study explored girls’ and boys’ (aged 10–11) attitudes towards reading and writing. Girls enjoyed reading significantly more than boys. Boys liked mostly comics and humorous books; adventure books were girls’ favourites. Poetry did not appeal to pupils. Many boys did not enjoy typical school texts. Most pupils, especially boys, did not like to read aloud. Even many fluent and motivated readers felt embarrassed when doing it. Pupils’ attitudes towards writing were more negative than those regarding reading. Boys were significantly more reluctant writers than girls. To interest boys the writing task should have a meaningful purpose or a communicative function. The results suggest that pupils’ interest should be a key factor in the selection of reading material; otherwise, many students will avoid reading and may develop a lifelong aversion to it.

Girls and Boys Like to Read and Write Different Texts

When most children read narrative texts they actively utilise cognitive resources to comprehend by constructing appropriate mental models of story events. However, many children with poor comprehension experience difficulties due to an inability to appropriately direct attention and to effectively use the resources of working memory. As a result, their ability to construct integrated mental models of story content may be impaired. However, their reading comprehension performance can be improved when they are taught inferential reading comprehension strategies involving both verbal and visual processes to facilitate more elaborated mental modeling of narrative texts. This article discusses how such strategies can be implemented and consolidated using a metacognitive focus within a flexible multiple-strategy framework.

Developing Reading Comprehension: Combining Visual and Verbal Cognitive Processes

By analyzing the prior knowledge of African American students, this study explored the relationship between cultural orientation of literature and reading comprehension to determine its’ effect on low, mid, and high level readers. Over one hundred 8th grade students from four different public schools read short stories from three different cultural orientations. Their reading comprehension performance was analyzed to determine the role that culturally bound prior knowledge plays in the comprehension process for low, medium, and high performing students. To measure the effects of cultural orientation of texts, prior achievement, and prior knowledge on the students’ reading comprehension performance, the study utilized the Rasch model and ANOVA. The data revealed a high level of culturally-bound prior knowledge supports students’ reading comprehension. Cultural support was especially important to readers at the mid range achievement level. Untapped Cultural Support • 1 Untapped Cultural Support: The Influence of Culturally Bound Prior Knowledge on Comprehension Performance Ruanda Garth-McCullough, Ph.D. Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois Abstract By analyzing the prior knowledge of African American students, this study explored the relationship between cultural orientation of literature and reading comprehension to determine its’ effect on low, mid, and high level readers. Over one hundred 8th grade students from four different public schools read short stories from three different cultural orientations. Their reading comprehension performance was analyzed to determine the role that culturallybound prior knowledge plays in the comprehension process for low, medium, and high performing students. To measure the effects of cultural orientation of texts, prior achievement, and prior knowledge on the students’ reading comprehension performance, the study utilized the Rasch model and ANOVA. The data revealed a high level of culturally-bound prior knowledge supports students’ reading comprehension. Cultural support was especially important to readers at the mid range achievement level.By analyzing the prior knowledge of African American students, this study explored the relationship between cultural orientation of literature and reading comprehension to determine its’ effect on low, mid, and high level readers. Over one hundred 8th grade students from four different public schools read short stories from three different cultural orientations. Their reading comprehension performance was analyzed to determine the role that culturallybound prior knowledge plays in the comprehension process for low, medium, and high performing students. To measure the effects of cultural orientation of texts, prior achievement, and prior knowledge on the students’ reading comprehension performance, the study utilized the Rasch model and ANOVA. The data revealed a high level of culturally-bound prior knowledge supports students’ reading comprehension. Cultural support was especially important to readers at the mid range achievement level. The average African American or Latino student achieves at the same level as the average white student in the lowest quartile (Weiss, 2003). Underperformance of African American students has been debated and analyzed from many perspectives, and the issues remain unsettled. Arguments centered on African Americans’ achievement often blame students, their families, communities, and socioeconomic factors for this assumed lack of ability, interest, and motivation. Studies frequently cite underperformance as the problem when in fact it is only one of many symptoms (Burns, Keyes, & Kusimo, 2005; Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 2006). 2 • Reading Horizons • V49.1 • 2008 In order to lower obstacles to achievement, educators must better identify the learning process variables in the classroom that either interfere with or promote students’ performance. Social and linguistic experiences are particularly fruitful processes because they influence students’ access to and comprehension of curricula (Cazden, John, & Hymes, 1972; Gee, 1989, 2004; McCollin & O’Shea, 2005; Wertsch, 1991). Investigating within-group variability in literacy achievement, often masked in performance averages across ethnic groups, could bring us closer to practical information on the social experiences and linguistic background that affect achievement (Gay, 2000). Effective use of the shared experiences that students within the same ethnic groups bring to the classroom can be used as a basis for efficient adaptations to curriculum and instructional strategies in ways that can enhance performance. By analyzing the prior knowledge of an economically and academically diverse group of African American students, this study explores the relation between cultural orientation of literature and student reading comprehension among low, mid, and high level readers. In literacy instruction, the content of the texts often conveys cultural orientation through language, values, practices, beliefs, and styles that are specific to a cultural group or subgroup. The present study explores this relationship between the cultural schema embedded in literary narratives and reading comprehension performance. In particular, the study analyzes aspects of reading comprehension to determine how culture affects literacy acquisition during adolescence. Although prior research investigated national or international crosscultural samples (Steffensen, Joeg-Dev, & Andersen, 1979), this study focuses on within-group differences in an African American sample. This approach provides an opportunity to highlight distinctions between students at various achievement levels. Ultimately, the findings further our understanding of what role social and cultural factors play in cognitive processes. This research extends the work conducted in the 1970s and 1980s by the Center for the Study of Reading at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on prior knowledge, schema, and reading comprehension. It does so first by including multicultural literature and using authentic texts with a racial subgroup (Freebody & Anderson, 1981; Hall & Guthrie, 1979; Johnston & Pearson, 1982; Linn, Levine, & Hastings, 1980; Pearson & Raphael, 1989; Pearson, Roehler, Dole, & Duffy, 1999; Reynolds, Taylor, Steffensen, Shirey, & Anderson, 1981). This study also extends the Center’s work by using a classroom setting and typical texts as opposed to the more “bizarre” or “ambiguous” texts used in the laboratory studies (Carver, 1992; McVee, Dunsmore, & Gavelek, 2005; Sadoski, Paivio, & Goetz, 1991). Viewing schemas as tools that are embodied in sociocultural context in ways that mediate students’ understanding and learning, this investigation of culturally bound prior Untapped Cultural Support • 3 knowledge is defined as prior knowledge that is derived from social practices of a particular community group, recognizing the connection between cognitive science and situated practices (McVee et al., 2005; Wertsch, 1991; Wertsch & Bivens, 1992). In line with the more recent call made by McVee et al., (2005) to revisit schema theory, this research places social and cultural features in the foreground in the discussion of schema. Like the work of others (Alvarez, 1990; Anderson, 1994; Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Bransford, 1994; Norris & Phillips, 1987; Reynolds et al., 1981; Rumelhart, 1975; Tierney & Pearson, 1986), this research also views schema as a powerful tool that teacher and teacher educators use to understand students’ reading comprehension. It extends earlier investigations that demonstrated the connection between prior knowledge and reading comprehension by identifying a sociocultural aspect in the relationship among a group of African American students in large urban public schools (Foertsch, 1989; Johnston, 1984; Johnston & Pearson, 1982; Maria & MacGinitie, 1981). The quantitative data provide the opportunity to explore whether the established relationship between prior knowledge and reading comprehension transfers to students’ knowledge of the cultural information in the text. Similar to Anderson’s (1994) study of black and white teenagers’ perceptions of “sounding,” this study also explores the students knowledge of the communitybased practices embedded in the texts. In an era dominated by the No Child Left Behind act, mid-performing students risk getting lost in the shuffle since high stakes testing frequently forces schools to focus resources on lower performing students. However, as this article suggests, given the improved performance of students when they interact with text based in a familiar cultural context, multicultural texts can be an effective tool in boosting literacy achievement for all students, including lower-income midperformers. Such an approach may capitalize on the opportunities to enhance talent amongst students that are in jeopardy of being under-nurtured in the current educational climate.

/pdf/untapped-cultural-support-the-influence-of-culturally-bound-1wdrjmspx5.pdf

Untapped Cultural Support: The Influence of Culturally Bound Prior Knowledge on Comprehension Performance

Students' attitudes to reading and the texts they choose to read impact on literacy achievement and willingness to engage with literacy-related activities in the primary years of schooling. This study was conducted in an urban Catholic school in Queensland in Years 1 to 7. Students' developing attitudes to reading and the perceptions of these attitudes held by their teachers were examined. An adapted version of the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990) and Teacher Checklist (Young, 2003) was utilized. Results from the study indicate older students' attitudes towards recreational reading (in primary school) are not significantly different to younger students' attitudes. Female students however, show more positive attitudes to recreational reading than male students. Older students' attitudes towards academic reading are more negative overall and female students showed significantly more positive attitudes than their male peers. Students' choice of texts varied across the year levels with the most preferred reading materials being chapter books, children's magazines and comics. Teachers' perceptions of students' enjoyment of reading in class correlated significantly with students' own perceived level of reading achievement. Teachers perceive that as students' level of reading enjoyment increases, their level of academic reading achievement also increases. Five recommendations are made from the findings of this study. First, recreational reading engagement needs to be publicly promoted and positively celebrated within the school community. It was found that for students to be motivated and see the value of engaging in reading they must be immersed in a school classroom environment that offers a range of recreational activities and opportunities. Second, a structured approach to literacy sessions (literacy block) needs to be established and implemented with students across all primary year levels.;This enables students to be scaffolded in their literacy learning and so develop positive attitudes towards themselves as academic readers. Third, it is recommended that guided reading occur as a key instructional approach to the teaching of reading across all primary year levels. This may serve to increase students' motivation and interest in reading a range of text types and may provide a source of information for the teacher in relation to students' engagement with reading. Fourth, a range of text types need to be purchased and made available for students to read independently and for teachers to use in class shared reading activities across all primary year levels. Students should be exposed to various text types throughout their primary years of schooling. Finally, the teaching of reading needs to be 'data-driven' rather than based on teachers' perceptions of students' reading needs. Periodic assessments of students' reading achievement should occur to provide these data for teachers. The recommendations from this study align with priorities and recommendations included in current Commonwealth and State documents. Directions for future research also are suggested especially for qualitative data collection. This methodology, if included, would glean more in-depth data concerning students' attitudes to reading and the perceptions held by their teachers. Investigating students' attitude towards and use of digital literacies also would provide a greater understanding of primary-age students' attitudes towards reading in the 21st century.

Attitudes to reading: An investigation across the primary years

This paper describes the use of low stakes Rasch analysis to examine the ﬁ ndings of a 2004 survey focused on secondary teachers’ attitudes and understanding of students with learning difﬁ culties. The responses of 280 secondary teachers from across Queensland have been interpreted in complementary ways. Two sets of quantitative data were subjected to analysis using the Rasch model for rating scale data (Andrich, 1988; Bond & Fox, 2001). Attitudinal data was collected by Likert scale responses while data obtained from statements about student characteristics was analysed for understanding. These results were linked to demographic indicators and to qualitative data of selected teacher groups. This exploratory study revealed a uniformity of teacher attitude and understanding regardless of demographic indicator. This has signiﬁ cant implications for teacher educators, pedagogy, school organisation and culture as well as for the large numbers of students with learning difﬁ culties enrolled in secondary schools.Correspondence: Julie Watson, PO Box 294, Tully Qld 4854. Email: educationaction@bigpond.com.ISSN 1324-8928©2007 Learning Difﬁ culties AustraliaPublished by Learning Difﬁ culties Australia

Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities

What Motivates Students To Read? Four Literacy Personalities.

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What Motivates Students To Read? Four Literacy Personalities.