A Study of the Recreational Book Reading Habits of Selected Fifth-Grade Children
Stahlschmidt, Agnes Dorothy
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/66061
Description
Title
A Study of the Recreational Book Reading Habits of Selected Fifth-Grade Children
Author(s)
Stahlschmidt, Agnes Dorothy
Issue Date
1981
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Educat.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Elementary
Language
eng
Abstract
Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to identify and select pupils from a fifth-grade sample who were frequent book readers and pupils who were infrequent book readers and to determine if any differences exist between these two groups in terms of sex, attitude toward reading, and reading achievement. A selected number of these pupils were interviewed to determine their expressed motivations for reading or for not reading books for recreation.
Methodology. Data were obtained for 147 pupils, 74 boys and 73 girls, from ten fifth-grade classrooms. A simple stratified sampling plan was used to select the schools from which the fifth-grade classrooms were chosen. Data were obtained through the use of various instruments that were administered to parents, teachers, and selected fifth-grade pupils. Three instruments were used in the first phase of the study to determine if any differences existed among sex, attitude toward reading, and reading achievement for frequent book readers and for infrequent book readers: (1) the reading comprehension subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, administered by the school district in September, 1980; (2) the elementary form of the Estes Reading Attitude Scale; and (3) a three-part instrument for assessing amount of recreational book reading.
The second phase of this study involved personal interviews with selected pupils about their expressed motivations for reading books or for not reading books for recreation. Twelve pupils, 6 boys and 6 girls, were selected on the basis of their scores from the comprehension subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, the three-part instrument for assessing amount of book reading, and the elementary form of the Estes Reading Attitude Scale.
Analysis of data obtained from the first phase of the study was performed using the chi-square test of independence to describe the relationships among the variables. Data obtained from the personal interviews were analyzed qualitatively.
Conclusions. Based on the data obtained from the instruments administered in this study, the following conclusions were advanced. Items one through seven are based on instruments administered to 147 pupils, 74 boys and 73 girls. Items eight and nine are based on information obtained from personal interviews with 12 pupils, 6 boys and 6 girls, who were identified as frequent book readers and infrequent book readers. (1) Differences between amount of book reading done by boys and by girls were more pronounced among those pupils identified as infrequent and moderate book readers than among those pupils identified as frequent book readers. (2) A significant and strong relationship was found between reading achievement and amount of book reading. (3) A significant and strong relationship was found between attitude toward reading and amount of book reading. (4) No significant relationship was found between sex and reading achievement for this sample population. (5) Differences between attitude toward reading for boys and for girls were more pronounced among pupils having a low or medium attitude toward reading than among those pupils having a high attitude toward reading. (6) A significant but low relationship was found between reading achievement and attitude toward reading. (7) The relationships among the variables of sex, reading achievement, attitude toward reading, and amount of book reading found to be significant were amount of book reading and attitude toward reading; amount of book reading and reading achievement; and attitude toward reading and sex. (8) Frequent book readers expressed both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for reading books for recreation; infrequent book readers expressed only intrinsic motivations for not reading books for recreation. (9) Psychological access to books seemed to be a more important barrier to recreational book reading than physical barriers.
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