ATTITUDES TOWARDS READING OF INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS AT A SMALLELEMENTARYSCHOOL IN CENTRAL B.C. By Martin Lee B.Ed., University of Victoria, 1990 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION © Martin Lee, 2002 THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA May 2002 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA UBRARY Prince George, ac Attitudes Towards Reading..... TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Literature Review 4 Methodology 8 Results 11 Conclusion 29 References 34 Appendix A 36 Appendix B 40 Appendix C 41 Appendix D 42 Appendix E 43 Appendix F 55 2 Attitudes Towards Reading..... 3 Introduction Boys' academic achievement is a topic that is more frequently being discussed in the media of late. Having taught for nearly twenty-five years at the intermediate grades, it is a topic that I deal with every day. A growing concern for me over the years has been the negative attitudes towards reading displayed by what seems to be far more boys than girls. These attitudes seemed to be more prevalent in weaker readers but were also appearing in more able readers. Further, rarely did I hear girls expressing negative comments about reading. However, a complaint I heard often from students ofboth genders was that they didn't like what they were assigned to read. I wondered if these attitudes were getting in the way of reading achievement. For years, the education community in this and other jurisdictions has been busy concerning itself with many important issues such as girls' achievement in math and science, Native education and multiculturalism. While attempting to address these issues, the underachievement of boys' as it relates to reading seems to have been neglected. It is not that the problems have not been known; rather, nothing of an institutional nature has been attempted to address the issue in the district in which this school is located. As reviewed in a study by Gambell and Hunter (2000), the 1994 Council of Ministers ofEducation literacy study showed that girls consistently outperformed boys in literacy at ages 13 and 16. The School Achievement Indicators Programme (SAIP) categorized student achievement into five levels (Gambell & Hunter, 2000). At 13, the percentage of Attitudes Towards Reading..... 4 girls in the top two levels was 54.9% compared to 33.7% for the boys. At age 16, the girls outperformed the boys 79.4% to 62.1%. This is not merely a problem for Canadian boys, but has been reported in many countries around the globe. In Queensland, Australia, results of a 1993 assessment of secondary students found that 50.9% of the girls scored in the top two levels of achievement compared to 32.4% of the boys. There were twice as many boys than girls in the bottom two categories (Alloway and Gilbert, 1997). The results of the British Columbia Foundation Skills Assessment 2000 for the school under study indicates that the girls are outperforming the boys in reading (Ministry of Education, 2001). In grade four, 33% ofboys were not meeting expectations compared to 20% of the girls. In grade seven, 20% ofthe boys were not meeting expectations, whereas 100% of the girls were meeting the expectations. The grade seven results for boys were consistent with the provincial percentages, but the grade four results were lower for the boys by 10%. The problem, then, is that boys in this particular school are not performing as well as the girls in reading. The purpose of the study is to see if attitudes towards reading are causing a difference in reading achievement. Literature Review White (1989), found a positive relationship between attitudes and actual achievement in reading. This study found that the correlation of attitudes towards achievement in reading was significantly higher for girls than boys and that positive attitudes for boys dropped off in grades seven and eight. The attitudes of poorer readers also tended to drop as they got older. However, the study also found that there was no difference in the Attitudes Towards Reading..... 5 performance between boys and girls on the reading comprehension subtest of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills for this particular group of students used in the study. Gorman ( 1987, as cited in Davies & Brember, 1993) reported from a number of surveys in elementary and secondary schools that there was a positive association between performance and attitudes towards reading. In their study of reading attitudes in various contexts using three grade levels, Davies and Brember (1993) found that there were several significant differences between the genders in the youngest grades, with girls having better attitudes. The differences became fewer as the grade level increased. McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) noted that much of the research in the area of attitude as it relates to ability had been contradictory. They set out to conduct a national survey in the United States using a stratified sample of over 18000 children. This study found that: (a) children started with a positive attitude in grade one but that this turns to indifference by grade six; (b) increasingly negative attitudes are closely linked to ability; and (c) that as a group, girls have a more positive attitude to both recreational and academic reading, but that gender differences appeared to not be related to ability. Cloer and Pearman (1992), found in a study of attitudes about academic and recreational reading that boys' scores dropped significantly in Grades 4 to 6. They found that there were no significant differences between girls ' and boys ' attitudes in Grades 1 to 3. What are the causes of the differing attitudes between the genders? Gambell and Hunter (2000), in an analysis of the 1994 School Achievement Indicators Programme put forward five models that possibly explain the differences: classroom interaction, assessment bias, division of family labour, identification with genre and character- Attitudes Towards Reading ..... 6 personification. While each of these models was of interest, only two were chosen to investigate. Given the time constraints and the nature of this project, examining the models of assessment bias, classroom interaction and character-personification would not have been feasible. Therefore, I chose to look at the division of family labour and genre models. In the division offamily labour model, children are theorized to reproduce the gender roles they learn at home. Society has traditionally assigned to women the task of teaching literacy. Boys are seen as rejecting this as a feminine activity that is incongruent with their desire to be masculine. Solsken (1993, as cited in Gambell & Hunter, 2000) found in an ethnographic study of 13 children followed from kindergarten to the end of grade two that children perceived reading as a feminine activity and that this perception grew over the elementary years. In a study by McKenna (1997) on gender differences in reading attitudes, the majority of students saw reading as more closely associated with girls. The study involved children from kindergarten to grade eight. Those associating reading as being more of an activity for girls increased with age, with a noticeable jump at the grade five level. The second model of interest is that of identification with genre. Simpson (1996, as cited in Gambell & Hunter, 2000) found in a study of children aged 10-12 years that girls read narrative fiction almost exclusively, whereas boys read a wider range of material. The girls, however, read twice as many titles as the boys. Simpson also found that the girls discussed the characters and their situations while the boys were more likely to focus on the action and the plot. Gambell and Hunter assert that narrative fiction is predominant in elementary classrooms. Simpson states that female teachers perpetuate Attitudes Towards Reading..... 7 this type of reading and that boys' choices of reading material are not taken seriously by teachers. Ciccone (1981) found in a study of grade six students, that the vast majority of both genders preferred to choose their own reading material and that over 80% of the students in the study rated reading as pleasurable. There were differences and similarities in preference for material between the genders. The study found that boys liked material on sports and cartoons/comics. Girls chose fiction and cartoons/comics as their preferences. Higginbotham (1999), found in a study of middle school student preferences that boys had strong preferences for stories about sports and fiction. Girls showed a strong preference for such genres as romance, animal stories, friendship, historical fiction and adventure. In another study of sixth graders, Worthy, Moorman and Turner (1999) found similarities and differences between the genders for material preferences. The top five preferences for the boys were horror, comics, sports, car/truck and magazines. Girls' top five preferences were horror, magazines, comics, humor and series. From my own observations and reading of literature, there came to mind three things I wanted to investigate in my school. Specifically, three questions were addressed. First, do girls' and boys' attitudes towards reading differ for this particular group of students? Secondly, do attitudes towards reading decline over the grades for boys? The third question seeks to know if there are any differences between the boys and girls in preference for reading materials. Attitudes Towards Reading.. . .. 8 Methodology Sampling Procedure The sample population for this study were the intermediate grades of my former elementary school, from which I am on leave. I am returning to teach there and am very interested in developing a reading program that recognizes the needs of the large population of boys within the school. Thus, this was a sample of convenience. The intermediate population consists of 72 students in grades four to seven. Of these, 62 chose to participate in the study. Of the 62 students taking part, one was a special needs student who had assistance in reading the questions from his teacher. Those not taking part were given the choice to remain in the classroom or got to the library/computer lab. Instrument This project required two stages. The first stage involved a preliminary survey (see Appendix A) which was conducted in January, 2002. A survey was developed as none could be found that asked the specific questions that were to be asked of the target population. I looked at the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) developed by McKenna and Kear (1990) and used it as the basis for developing similar questions. There were many questions in the survey that were not relevant to what I wanted to know. I also wanted my survey to include a section where students had the opportunity to indicate preferences for reading materials and reading assignments. Further, I wanted a section where students could give written opinions on likes and dislikes of reading at Attitudes Towards Reading..... 9 school, suggestions for improving reading at school, and any other comments they cared to make. In consultation with the Chair of the Education Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, I continually reworked the survey until it met his approval. Questions were developed that could be categorized based on two of the models put forward by Gambell and Hunter (2000) and findings from studies conducted on attitudes. In the division oflabor model, it is suggested that children reproduce gender roles they learn from home and society. It is also suggested that these roles reinforce that reading is a feminine activity. Therefore, questions such as, In your opinion, who are better readers ?, and Who in your family reads the most? are examples of questions asked that attempt determine if these models influence attitude. For a complete list of questions, see the survey in Appendix A. Several studies have shown that there are differences in attitudes between the genders. White (1989) and McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) are just two of those studies that have found differences. Several questions and statements were developed asking students how they felt about reading, their own ability, and whether reading was important or not. Two examples are, !feel that reading is important, and How do y ou feel about reading? . The second model put forward by Gambell and Hunter (2000) is that of identification ofwith genre. They, and others, such as Ciccone (1981), Worthy, Moorman and Turner (1999) have found that students want to make their own choices of material. They also point out that there are preferences dictated by gender. Several questions were developed asking students to indicate their preferences for particular genres and also for particular assignments associated with academic reading. Students were also asked how they felt about the particular books and assignments given to them by their teachers. An example Attitudes Towards Reading..... 10 of this would be question 14 that lists out fourteen different types of reading materials and allows children to select those they enjoy reading. A similar question was developed for reading assignments. Several questions were developed that allowed children to respond in writing to things that may not have been asked in the survey but might be relevant. Children were given the opportunity to list things they liked and disliked about reading at school. They were also given the opportunity to suggest changes they would like to see in reading as it happens in school. They were also given one question where they could make any comments they wished. The written questions were added as it is recognized that no survey could adequately cover all possible causes of attitudes. Procedure After receiving permission from the superintendent and parents (see Appendices B and D), the pilot survey was administered to two students from each of grades 4, 5, and 7. The pilot survey was administered by the school principal. Students, after taking the survey were asked if there were any questions that were not clear and if there were any questions they would like to see asked. No responses were received from the students. None had difficulty with any of the questions. The second stage of the project took place in February, 2002. After receiving approval from parents, (see Appendix B) the principal arranged to survey those students responding to the request. Each teacher was briefed on the survey. Each teacher understood that children could withdraw at any time, that children could ask any Attitudes Towards Reading ... .. . 11 questions and have help in responding if they so needed. Teachers then conducted the survey when it was most convenient for they and their students to do so. The surveys were colour coded for each grade. Respondents otherwise remained anonymous. Time taken to administer the survey was approximately thirty minutes. This varied for each grade. Results of the survey will be made available to the superintendent and upon request, parents of the school. Copies of the final results will be available from the school office. Results For data analysis, a chi-square was performed on all questions discussed in this section with the exception of questions requiring a written answer. Where significant differences were found, they have been reported. Bar graphs have been used to present visually many of the results. A descriptive was analysis performed with each question as well. Are There Differences in Attitudes Towards Reading Between the Genders ? The first question this study was interested in was whether there were differences in attitudes towards reading between the genders (see Appendix E). Question 3 of the survey asked students to answer how they felt about reading. As shown in Figure 1, girls were more positive, with 100% (23) answering they either liked to read or loved to read. Boys responded in these two categories with 77.8% approval. Those boys who either disliked or hated reading totaled 22.2% (8). Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 12 Figure 1 Reading Attitudes ., c:Gl "0 :::1 iii ....0 Gl Cl .!!! r::: 80 % 70 % 60 % 50 % • Bo y s 40 % oGirls 30% Gl 20 % Gl 10 % :: fl. 0% Love EnjoA Don't Enjoy ttitudes Hate The data supports findings such as White's ( 1989) that girls tend to have a more favorable view of reading than boys. In White' s study, she found that girls also outperformed the boys academically in reading. Provincial assessment results mentioned in the introduction also show that for this particular school, the girls did outperform the boys. To determine if the difference between the genders were significant, a chi-square analysis was performed on the data. No significant difference was found. However, the data does not support the findings in the large study done by McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995). They found that attitudes started off as positive and became indifferent by the late intermediate grades. While girls as a group had an overall more positive attitude, the boys also had a high percentage of positive responses. The data from question 5 also tends to support the findings of White (1989). The question asked students to rate their ability as a reader (see Figure 2). Again, a difference exits between the genders. Girls believing they were good or excellent readers totaled Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 13 100% (24), whereas boys totaled 83.4% (30) in these two categories. Boys who felt they were not very good or were poor readers totaled 16.6% (6). It may be that the boys who answered negatively in question 3 see themselves as being not very good readers or poor readers. White (1989) found that the attitudes ofpoorer readers dropped off as they got older. But again, positive responses for the boys were still high in terms of percentage. However, a chi-square analysis of the data found no significant difference. Figure 2 _e_a_d_in_g_A_b_il_it-'y _ __ 60 % -.------P_e_rc_e_iv_e_d_R 1/) 'EQ) 40% en 30% "0 :I 0 .... Q) ..c E :I z •Boys oGirls 20% 10% 0% Excellent Good Not Good Poor Perception of Ability Even though there are large percentages ofboys who do not like reading and who feel they are not good at it, they tend to believe that reading is important (see Figure 3). Question 6 asked students if they felt reading was important. Boys responded 91.8% (34) that they agreed or strongly agreed. Only 8.1% (3) boys disagreed or strongly disagreed. Girls also had a high percentage agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement, totaling 95 .7% (22). Only 4.3 % (1) responded negatively for girls. It would Attitudes Towards Reading.. .. . 14 appear that the boys, as a group, have a more negative attitude towards reading, though no statistical significance was found. However, they are actually reading less than the girls for this particular group of students. Question 4 asked students to indicate the number of books they had read in the previous month. In the first three categories, zero, one or two books read, boys totaled 65 .7% (25) whereas the girls totaled 45 .8% (11). In the s~cond three categories, three, four, five or more books read, boys only totaled 34.3% (13) compared to the girls at 54.2% (13). Figure 3 Reading is lm portant 60% .. "' E "0 ::J ~ .... 0 50 % 40 % . 30% ::J 10 % ~ ..0 E z •Bo y s oG ir ls 20 % 0% S tr o ngly A g ree Ag re e Disagr ee S t r o ngly Dis ag r e e Attitude · Not only do boys as a group read fewer books, they also spend less time reading. Question 10 asked students to indicate the amount of time spent at home reading during a week. Boys responding that they read for one hour or less totaled 45.7% (16). Girls in this category totaled 16.7% (4). In the category of one to two hours, the survey found boys at 17.1 % (6) compared to girls at 41.6% (10). The gaps in the percentages narrowed for the last two categories. Boys reading for two to three hours totaled 20% (7) compared Attitudes Towards Reading.... . 15 to girls at 16.7% (4). The last category of more than three hours sees the boys at 17.1% (6) and the girls at 25% (6). Even though only 22.2% ofboys said they disliked or hated reading, the results from question 10 show that reading at home is not a high priority for boys. Over 60% spend less than two hours per week reading at home. Fully 45% of the boys spend an hour or less in this activity. Again, perhaps these particular boys see reading as a feminine activity. Further study would be required to see if this is the case. Perhaps the reading done at home may be based on work from school. However, a statistical analysis found no significant differences. Question 16 asked the students who read more, boys or girls. Girls were seen as reading the most by both genders. This supports the model of division of family labour (Gambell & Hunter, 2000) that boys may see reading as a feminine activity. It also supports the findings from McKenna (1997) that both genders see reading as a feminine activity. Boys chose girls as reading more at 30.6% (11). Girls ' responses in this same category were 37.5% (9). Boys chose boys 8.3% (3) and girls did not choose boys at all. A large number of the respondents chose the category that said there was no difference between boys and girls. Boys chose this category 50% (18) and girls 45 .8% (11). Students were asked to give a written response to this answer as well, asking why they chose as they did. Those responding to the category of no differences between boys and girls tended to give as their reason the belief that they felt it depended on the individual student. There was a recognition of different reading abilities and a belief that both genders were competent. Attitudes Towards Reading.. ... 16 Those that responded that girls read more had more varied answers. Boys responding mentioned such things as boys fooling around more, having other interests like sports and that girls enjoy reading more than boys. Girls responding also mentioned that their gender liked to learn more, enjoyed reading more than boys and that boys tended to fool around. While question 16 looked at who was perceived to read more, question 8 asked who were better readers (see Figure 4). Again, there were large percentages in the category that stated there were no differences. Boys chose this category 57.9% (22) compared to girls at 33 .3% (8). However, girls chose their own gender as being better readers 45 .8% (11). Boys chose girls as being the better readers 15.8% (6) and their own genders 13.2% (5). No girls chose boys as being the better readers. Clearly, girls have a more positive image, as a group, of themselves as being readers. A chi-square analysis of the data found a significant difference: [x 2(3 , N = 62) =10.37, p < 0.05]. This data supports the division Figure 4 Vllho Are better ~ d s 70% - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ill Cl) ~ 40% •Boys "E Cl) 30% f: ~ 20% 0 Girls 10% 0% Girls Boys Sarre Choices Cbn't Know Attitudes Towards Reading ..... 17 of family labour model (Gambell & Hunter, 2000). The boys may like reading and see it as important, but they still view it as a feminine activity at which girls would perform well. Is this view influenced by what happens outside of school? Gambell and Hunter (2000) suggested in their division of labor model that children are influenced in their gender roles by learning in the home and that traditionally teaching literacy is seen as a female role, both at home and school. They suggest that boys try to distance themselves from anything feminine. Question 9 looked at who read the most in the homes. Several categories were given to choose from representing both male and female members of the household. Over 70% ofboys and girls indicated in question 7 that they had brothers and sisters. Boys chose male members of the household as reading the most 52.9% (18) and female members of the household 26.4% (9). Girls chose their own gender as reading the most 72.2% (13) and males ofthe household 22.2% (4). While there was no statistical significance in the data, it would appear that it does not support the model put forward by Gambell and Hunter (2000), as the boys in this group clearly reported males as reading the most in their homes. Question 13 asked students if their best friends liked to read. Boys either agreed or strongly agreed with this 67.7% (22) compared to girls at 85.7% (18). This question needed to be developed further to determine the gender of students' best friends and whether this influences their own attitudes towards reading. The last questions on the survey gave students the chance to write specific answers. Question 17 asked the students to list three things they liked about reading at school. Attitudes Towards Reading. .... 18 Responses were looked at to try and determine if there were similarities, or themes, running throughout the responses. The category that received the most favorable mention from boys was the types and selection ofbooks available. Boys mentioned liking books and the selection available 43.2% (16). Learning new things and becoming better at reading was mentioned by 21.6% (8) of the boys. The third area boys mentioned most was that they enjoyed reading or found it fun, at 16.2% (6). The most common thing mentioned by girls as something they liked was that it was quiet. 45.4% (10) ofthe girls mentioned this. Girls, like the boys, also had selection of books, at 36.3% (8), as something they liked. The only other theme that came up more than once was learning with 13 .6% (3) mentioning they liked to learn. Question 18 asked students to list three things they disliked about reading at school. The most common complaint from the boys was the noise level, 39.4% (13). Boys mentioned disliking the books or the reading assignments 24.2% (8). Of the boys, 12.1% (4) responded that they found reading boring. Girls also complained the most about noise, 55% (11). The other common complaint was related to the books and assignments, 25 % (5). The number of complaints about books assigned or selection available supports numerous studies (Ciccone, 1981 , Higginbotham, 1999, Worthy, Moorman & Turner, 1999) that show boys and girls have preferences for certain materials and like to have a choice in their selections. Question 19 asked students what they would change about reading at school. The most . common area of change for the boys was in the selection of books. This was mentioned Attitudes Towards Reading.... . 19 by 20% (6) of the boys. Types of assignments, or having to do assignments, and the noise level were mentioned equally, by 13.3% (4) ofthe boys. Once again, the most common topic mentioned by the girls was the noise level, 38% (8). The other category most frequently mentioned was the selection of books, 14.2% (3). Question 20 provided students an opportunity to add comments. This option was used by only five girls and five boys. The level of noise was mentioned twice as was the l}eed for more books. Do Attitudes Towards reading Decline Over the Grades for Boys? The second question this study looked at was whether there were differences in attitudes towards reading across the grades for boys. When asked how they felt about reading in question 3 (see Figure 5),Grade 4 boys responded 66.6% (4) that they enjoyed or loved to read, Grade 5 boys 63.3% (7), Grade 6 boys 82.5% (7), and Grade 7 boys 90.8% (10). The only two grades where boys responded that they hated reading, were Grade 4 at 33.3% (2) and Grade 5 at 18.1% (2). This data contradicts studies by White (1989) and McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) that attitudes drop off or become indifferent in the later grades. For this particular group, the overall positive attitudes were highest in the two senior grades. In question 5 (see Figure 6), boys also rated themselves fairly highly as readers, particularly at the grade six and seven level. Grade 4 boys responded 83.3% (5) that they were either good or excellent readers. Grade 5 boys responded to these two categories only 63.5% (7) ofthe total. Grade 6 reported in at 87.5% (7) and Grade 7 at 100% (11). Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 20 The only grade where boys responded that they were poor readers, was Grade 5 at 9% (1 ). Figure 5 How Do You Feel About Reading/ Cll 01 (11 E Cll (.) .... Cll a.. 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 111 Love • Enjoy 0 Cbn't Ehjoy I!!!J I-'ate Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Attitude Figure 6 Reading Ability 80 % 70 % 60 % Cll 01 50% E 40% (11 Cll ....(.)Cll a.. Ill Excellent •Good oNot Good 30% 111 Poor 20% 10% 0% Grade 4 . Grade 5 Grade 6 Attitudes Grade 7 Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 21 Grade 4 boys responded to being not very good 16.6% (1), Grade 5 at 27.2% (3) and Grade 7 responded with 12.5% (1). It seems that for this particular group ofboys, the image of themselves as able readers improves over the grades. The one group that seems to go against this is the Grade 5 group. This may be due to the particular makeup of that grade. This study did not try to find out what, if any, problems students had in reading. Nor did it try to find out what, if any, discipline issues may get in the way of attitudes and learning. This data, while no significant differences were found, does not support research that shows a drop off in attitudes in the higher grades. A large percentage of boys saw themselves as being competent readers. This refutes the findings of White (1989). The results for this group ofboys shows an increase in their own belief in their competency across the grades from early to late intermediate. Interestingly enough, when students responded to question 6, which asked if reading was important, three of the four grades agreed or strongly agreed with high percentages, including the grade fives. Grade 4 boys responded to these two categories 66.6% (4) of the total, Grade 5, 91.6% (11), Grade 6, 100% (9), and Grade 7 100% (11). Only one boy, from Grade 5, responded that he strongly disagreed that reading was important. Grade 4 boys responded, 33.3% (2) that they disagreed that reading was important. Question 8 asked which gender were better readers. Grade 4 boys responded that girls were the better readers 16.7% (1) of the time, Grade 5, 16.7% (2), Grade 6 22.2% (2), and Grade 7 9% (1). Grade 4 boys chose their own gender 50% (3) ofthe time, Grade 5 8.3% (1), and Grade 7, 9% (1). Those stating there was no .difference in Grade 4 totaled 33.3% (2), Grade 5, 58.3% (7), Grade 6, 66.7% (6), and Grade 7 53.6% (7). This seems to indicate that boys largely believe that there is no difference in ability between the ; ' Attitudes Towards Reading..... 22 genders, as a large number already indicated that they felt their own ability was good or excellent in question 5. Question 4 asked students to indicate the number of books read in the last 30 days. There were six categories. There was a definite decrease in the amount read across the grades, though no statistical significance was found. In the categories of zero, one or two books read, Grade 4 totaled 33 .2% (2), Grade 5, 66.5% (8), Grade 6, 77.7% (7), and Grade 7, 82.5 % (8). The totals for the other three categories, 3, 4, 5 or more books read were, Grade 4, 66.6% (4), Grade 5, 33.2% (4), Grade 6, 22.2% (2), and Grade 7, 27% (3). What causes this drop in percentages at the higher end is not known. This survey could not determine if it related to attitudes or if there were other factors at play such as involvement in other activities as students got older. Figure 7 Hours Read at Home 60 % 50 % II) Ql C) c ru Ql 0 a; 0.. liJ1 or Less 40 % 30 % •1 to 2 o2 to 3 20 % ~ 3 or More 10 % 0% Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Hours Reading Grade 7 Attitudes Towards Reading.. .. . 23 There was a significant drop across the grades in the amount of time spent reading at home during a week as responded to in question 10 (see Figure 7). A chi-square analysis revealed: x2(9 , N = 35) = 17.19, p < 0.05. Those reporting to only read one hour or one to two hours in Grade 4 were 40% (2), Grade 5, 63.5 % (7), Grade 6, 100% (9), and Grade 7, 70% (7). On the other end of the category scale, those reporting they read two to three hours or more than three hours in Grade 4 were 60% (3), Grade 5, 36.3 % (4), and Grade 7, 30% (3). The reason for the drop off in the amount of reading at home is not clear. It may be that the older boys do see reading as a feminine pastime (Gambell& Hunter, 2000). Yet, as reported in other questions, the older boys do see themselves as being capable readers and reported good attitudes towards reading. Other influences may be at play, such as involvement in other activities. Question 16 asked which gender reads more. Those responding that girls read more were Grade 4 at 16.7% (1), Grade 5, 16.7% (2), Grade 6, 44.4% (4), and Grade 7, 36.3% (4). Only the Grade 4 and Grade 5 said that boys read more. Grade 4 chose this category 33.3% (2) and Grade 5, 8.3% (1 ). The category chosen the most was that there was no difference. Here, the Grade 4 totaled 33 .3% (2), Grade 5, 66.7% (8), Grade 6, 55.5% (5) and Grade 7, 45.4% (5). Of the 33 written responses to this question, 17 mentioned that students were the same, regardless of gender. A person' s ability or interest was more important than their gender. Why the differences in the responses between the two lower grades and the two higher grades? Again, the survey can not determine this. Perhaps traditional gender roles are more strongly in place as the boys reach puberty and early adolescence. While they tend to believe that their ability is the same as girls, they do not see themselves as reading more than girls at an older age. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - ------Attitudes Towards Reading.. . .. 24 Question 9 (see Figure 8), asked students who reads the most at home. Grade 4 chose male categories 73.2% (5), Grade 5, 40% (4), Grade 6 22, 2% (2), and Grade 7, 63.5% (7). For the female categories, the Grade 4 totaled 16.6% (10), Grade 5, 40% (4), Grade 6, 44.4% (4), and Grade 7, 18.1 % (2). The rest ofthe choices were in the "I don 't know" category. The perception is that from the Grade 4 and Grade 7 boys ' points of view, males read more in their homes. The results, analysed by chi-square are statistically significan: [ x2(15 , N = 36) = 25.37, p < 0.05]. This data refutes the division of family labour model put forward by Gambell and Hunter (2000). However, this study did not try and determine the makeup ofthe homes and therefore has no knowledge of the number of single parent households. Figure 8 Who Reads Most at Home? 60 % 50 % Cl 40 % 'EQ) 30 % Q) (IS ... 0 Q) fl. 111Grade 4 •Grade5 oGrade6 111Grade? 20 % 10% 0% Choices Attitudes Towards Reading..... 25 Question 17 asked the students to list three things they liked about school. The most common responses related to the selection of books and the noise level. No grade four boys mentioned selection ofbooks as something they liked. Grade 5 boys mentioned this 33.3% (4) times, Grade 6, 62.5% (5), and Grade 7, 36.3% (4). The other common response was how quiet the rooms were. Grade 4 boys only mentioned this 16.7% (1), Grade 5 boys, not at all, Grade 6, 12.5% (1), and Grade 7, 36.3% (4). Question 18 asked students to list three things they did not like about reading at school. Three responses came up the most; noise level, assignments, and being bored. No Grade 4 boys mentioned noise level. Grade 5 boys mentioned this 18.1% (2), Grade 6 37.5% (3), and Grade 7, 80% (8). Every grade had a complaint about assignments. Grade 4 mentioned this 25% (1), Grade 5, 18.1% (2), Grade 6, 50% (4), and Grade 7 10% (1 ). Only two of the grades mentioned reading as being boring; 50% (2) of Grade 4 boys mentioned this and 20% (2) of Grade 7 boys. The only complaint that increased by grade, was noise level. It cannot be determined why unless we knew the structure of each particular classroom. Do teachers tolerate more noise from the older children or are older children simply more aware of noise levels? Question 19 asked students what they would change about reading at school. Three responses that came up most were selection of books, noise level and assignments. Selection ofbooks was mentioned 33.3% (1) by the Grade 4 boys, 27.2% (3) by Grade 5, 14.2% (1) by Grade 6, and 11.1% (1) by Grade 7 boys. Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 26 Grade four boys did not mention noise level. Grade 5 boys responded 9% (1 ), Grade 6, 14.2% (1), and Grade 7, 33.3% (3). Only Grade 6 and Grade 7 boys mentioned types of assignments as something they would change. Grade 6 boys mentioned this 14.2% (1) of the time and Grade 7, 22.2% (2). Question 20 allowed s ~ n s to make any other comments they wished. Five boys responded. Two boys from Grade 5 and one each from the other grades. Three of the five comments mentioned the need for more books. The only grade not mentioning this was the boy from Grade 6 who was concerned about noise level. Are There Differences in Preferences for Reading Material Between the Genders? The third question this study looked at was whether there were any differences in the preferences of reading materials between the genders (see Appendix E). Fourteen types of reading materials and genres were presented in the survey in question 14 (see Table 1). Respondents were asked to choose the types they liked to read. There were five types of materials where more than 50% ofthe boys responded favorably. These were science fiction 52.6% (20), horror 57.8% (22), humor 60.5% (23), comics 52.6% (20), and fantasy 60.5% (23). In only one of these categories did the girls respond as favorably, horror 58.3% (14). In each of the other categories that were chosen by over 50% of the boys, girls chose the category by substantially less percentages. Girls choices in these categories were science fiction 12.5% (3), humor 45.8% (11), comics 25 % (6), and fantasy 45.8% (11). Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 27 Girls chose only two categories resulting in totals over 50%. These were mystery 62.5% (15) and horror 58.3% (14). Only 42.1% (16) ofthe boys chose the mystery category. Boys' least favorite categories were romance 5.2% (2), poetry 7.8% (3), and plays 18.4% (7). The corresponding percentages for girls in these categories were romance 20.8% (5), poetry 20.8% (5), and plays 20.8% (5). Table 1. Reading Preferences of Boys and Girls Geme Boys Girls Mystery Science Fiction Poetry Horror Humor Comics Nonfiction Sports Outdoor Adventure Plays Magazines Newspaper Romance Fantasy 42.1% (16) 52.6% (20) 7. 8% (3) 57 .8% (22) 60.5% (23) 52.6% (20) 44.7% (17) 47.3 % (18) 44.7% (17) 18.4% (7) 31.5% (12) 28.9% (11) 5.2% (2) 60.5% (23) 62 .5% (15) 12.5% (3) 20.8% (5) 58 .3% (14) 45 .8% (11) (6) 25 % 16.6% (4) 8.3% (2) 37.5% (9) 20.8% (5) 41.6% (10) 12.5% (3) 20.8% (5) 45.8% (11) Girls' least favorite categories were sports 8.3% (2) science fiction 12.5% (3), and newspapers 12.5% (3). The corresponding percentages for boys in these categories were sports 47.3% (18), science fiction 52.6% (20), and newspapers 28.9% (11). Categories where boys scored between 40% and 50% were mystery 42.1% (16), nonfiction 44.7% (17), sports 47.3% (18), and outdoor adventure 44.7% (17). Attitudes Towards Reading..... 28 Categories where girls scored between 40% and 50% were humor 45.8% (11), magazines 41.6% (10) and fantasy 45.8% (11). There are differences in the types of materials and gemes enjoyed by the different genders for this particular group of children. This supports findings from other studies (Ciccone, 1981, Higginbotham, 1999, Worthy, Moorman & Turner, 1999)) that there are differences in preferences for reading materials. There are, of course, children of both genders that like the same materials. But in a time of decreasing budgets, it might be wise to focus on determining, through surveys such as this, a few key areas that children of both genders seem to like, and spend the dollars there. This applies not only to the school library, but to the purchase of reading materials for the classroom. Table 2. Assignment Preferences of the Genders. Activity Boys Girls None Answering questions Chapter summaries Book reports Reading to class Acting out scenes Listening to teacher read Listening to classmate read Special projects 42.1 % (16) 31.5% (12) 13.1 % (5) 28.9% (11) 28.9% (11) 44.7% (17) 57.8% (22) 39.4% (15) 42.1 % (16) 25% (6) 33 .3% (8) 16.6% (4) 29.1 % (7) 25% (6) 7.8% (3) 54.1% (13) 45 .8% (11) 41.6% (10) Question 15 (see Table 2) was added to the survey to see ifthere were preferences in the types of assigmnents that the genders preferred. The most popular category chosen by both boys and girls was that of listening to the teacher read. Both genders, in percentage terms, were close in the amount of times they chose each category. The two exceptions Attitudes Towards Reading ... .. 29 were the acting out scenes and none categories. Boys chose the former category 44.7% (17) and girls 7.8% (3). Those boys saying they did not like any assignments was 42.1% (16) and girls 25% (6). Conclusion This survey attempted to answer three questions ; 1) Are there differences in attitudes towards reading between the genders?; 2) Are there differences in attitudes towards reading across the grades for boys?; 3) Are there differences in preferences for reading materials between the genders? Between the genders, this survey found many differences. Girls not only liked reading more than boys, they actually read more books and spent more time reading in leisure time. Boys responded more negatively towards reading assignments than girls. When asked what changes they would make, boys more often mentioned types ofbooks and assignments whereas girls mentioned noise level. However, the only area of significant difference was in the perception of who were better readers. Girls saw themselves as being better readers. Boys tended to say there was no difference in reading abilities between the genders. This may indeed support the assumptions of the division of family labour model (Gambell & Hunter, 2000) that states that boys are socialized in the home, society and school to see reading as a feminine activity. It does support the findings of McKenna (1997) that both genders see reading as more of a feminine activity. The results do support previous findings by White (1989) and McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) that girls have more positive attitudes towards reading. However, there is not a significant difference between the genders for this particular group of children. Attitudes Towards Reading.... . 30 There were differences of note across the grades for boys. Those boys who said they liked or loved reading increased over the grades, which goes against research that shows attitudes dropping off at higher grades (White, 1989, McKenna, Kear & Ellsworth, 1995). This was also true when rating their ability. However, there was a decrease in approval of types of books and assignments given by the teacher as the grade level increased. There was also a significant decrease in the amount read and the time spent reading at home over the grades. This may be an indication that as boys get older and more set in their masculinity, they increasingly see reading as a feminine activity (Gambell & Hunter,2000). While there were some similarities in the preferences for types of reading materials, there were clear areas of difference. One similarity of interest was that the older students from both genders chose fewer categories. This, as has already been mentioned, may be due to students narrowing their focus as they become better readers. The top five choices for boys were; fantasy, humor, horror, science-fiction and comics. For girls, the top five choices were; mystery, horror, fantasy, humor and magazmes. These results do support other studies that show there are differences in preferences towards reading materials (Ciccone, 1981, Higginbotham, 1999, Worthy, Moorman & Turner, 1999). Some support for the identification with genre model (Gambell & Hunter, 2000) could be found in this survey. Girls did indeed report reading more books than boys. There was also some support for the contention that boys like nonfiction more than girls who tend to choose narrative materials. Attitudes Towards Reading.. .. . 31 This is an important area of concern. As noted earlier, boys in this group grew more negative towards assigned materials as the grade increased. While they still saw themselves as being good or excellent readers, they were less likely to enjoy the materials provided. In a time of scarce resources and declining budgets, further surveying in this area may help target what money is available to provide a wider selection of materials. Clearly, there are differences between the genders in not only attitude, but as evidenced by assessments, in achievement. One country that is attempting some initiatives to address the problem of underachievement by boys is Great Britain. The National Foundation for Educational Reasearch (NFER) released a report in 1999, entitled, Boys ' Achievement, Progress, Motivation and Participation: Issues Raised by the Recent Literature (MacDonald, Saunders & Benefield, 1999). The report reviewed much of the current literature in this area with a view to suggesting strategies that might work in improving boys ' achievement and in which the school had some control over. From their work in the field, MacDonald et al. (1999) found two areas that were deemed of importance to improve boys' achievement in reading, and consequently, other subject areas. The authors contend that the views of the pupils must be taken into account in the organization of the entire school. This exercise, they contend, must have real meaning for the students if it is to empower them to take ownership. This is important as students become more committed to anything they believe they have some control over. While no specific recommendations were made, it was noted that even if student views on what might help them learn better were not actually helpful, the mere fact that they are Attitudes Towards Reading..... 32 considered helps to improve self-esteem and responsibility which are important factors in raising achievement (MacDonald et al. , 1999). Some of the suggested teaching strategies to help improve boys' achievement harken back to days gone by when there was no such approach as whole language and students were expected to sit quietly and be receivers of knowledge. MacDonald et al. (1999) noted such strategies as highly structured lessons along with firm guidelines and discipline as being among those that will increase boys' academic standing. Single sex classrooms are even being tried in Britain with a realization that boys' and girls' learning styles differ. Similar attempts in the United States to enroll an all boys class for at risk underachievers was met with civil rights action (Hoff Sommers, 2000). In one example, the National Organization of Women and the American Civil Liberties Union threatened lawsuits when in Detroit, public schools proposed a plan for same sex classes in order to help underachieving boys (Hoff Sommers, 2000). Even though these classes would be offered to both boys and girls, there was great opposition to this suggestion. It was seen as segregation in a sense. Some opponents, the National Women's law centre, even went as far as saying that same sex classes were all right for girls, but not boys (Hoff Sommers, 2000). The results of this study show that while girls do have a more positive attitude towards reading, it is not of significant difference. It cannot be assumed that attitude is causing the difference in achievement scores with this group of children. This survey cannot be used to generalize over a larger population. It only reflects the attitudes of this particular group off children in this particular school. Further surveys Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 33 with other schools would need to be undertaken to see if there were any discernible trends. This survey was an attempt to gather some initial data so that I, and others on staff, can start looking at how we deliver reading programs to both genders in our school. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 34 References Alloway, N., & Gilbert, P. (1997). Boys and literacy: Lessons from Australia. Gender & Education, 9, 49-60. Ciccone, F. (1981). Reading Attitudes and Interests of Sixth Grade Pupils. 12, 14, 2001, http://lib .unbc.ca/databases/eric/readingattitudes. Cloer, T. , & Paerman, B. (1992). The Relationship to Attitudes about Academic and Recreational Reading. 10, 17, 2001, http://lib.unbc.ca/databases/eric/readingattitudes. Davis, J. & Brember, I. (1993). Comics or Stories? Differences in the Reading Attitudes and Habits of Girls and Boys in Years 2, 4, and 6. Gender and Education, 5(3), 305-20. Gambell, T. , & Hunter, D. (2000). Surveying gender differences in Canadian school Literacy. Journal ofCurriculum Studies, 32,_689-719. Higginbotham, S. (1999). Reading Interests of Middle School Students and Reading Pref erences by Gender of Middle School Students in a Southern State. 11 (20), 2001 , http://lib.unbc.ca/databases/eric/readingattitudes. Hoff Sommers, C. (2000). The war against boys: How misguided feminism is harming our y oung men. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster. McKenna, E. (1997). Gender Differences in Reading Attitudes. 11(23), 2001, http://lib.unbc.ca/databases/eric/readingattitudes. McKenna, M., & Kear, D. (1990). Measuring Attitude Toward Reading: A New Tool For Teachers. The Reading Teacher, May 1990, 626-639. McKenna, M., Kear, D., & Ellsworth, R. (1995). Childrens' Attitudes Toward Reading. Attitudes Towards Reading.. .. . 35 A National Survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30(4), 934-56. Ministry of Education. (2000). British Columbia foundation skills assessment 2000: School results report. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Education. MacDonald, A., Saunders, L., & Benefield, P. (1999). Boys' achievement, progress, motivation and participation: Issues raised by the literature. Slough, Berkshire: National Foundation for Educational research. White, N. (1989). Developmental Relationships Between Students' Attitudes Toward Reading and Reading Achievement in Grades 1 Through 8. 8(22), 2001, http ://lib.unbc.ca/databases/eric/readingattitudes. Worthy, J., Moorman, M., Turner, M. (1999). What Johnny Likes to Read is Hard to Find in School. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1), 12-26. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 36 Appendix A READING SURVEY Section I: Circle one answer for each of the following questions. 1.) I am a.) male. b.) female. 2.) How old are you? 3.) How do you feel about reading? a.) b.) c.) d.) 4.) How many books have you read in the last 30 days? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) 5.) 0. 1. 2. -. .). 4. 5 or more. I would rate my reading ability as being a.) b.) c.) d.) 6.) I love to read. I enjoy reading. I do not enjoy reading. I hate reading . excellent. good. not very good. poor. I feel that reading is important. a.) b.) c.) d.) strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. ·Attitudes Towards Reading..... 37 7.) Do you have any a) b) 8.) 1 hour or less. 1 to 2 hours . 2 to 3 hours. more than 3 hours. strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. I like the assignments my teacher gives me in reading. a.) b.) c.) d.) 13.) me. my father/stepfather. my mother/stepmother. my brother. my sister. I do not know. I like the books my teacher asks me to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) 12.) girls. boys. there is no difference between boys and girls. I do not know. About how much time do you spend reading at home in one week? a.) b.) c.) d.) 11.) no no Who in your family reads the most? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f) 10.) yes__ yes__ In your opinion, who are better readers? a.) b.) c.) d.) 9.) brothers sisters strongly agree. agree. disagree . strongly disagree. My best friend likes to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 38 Section II: Check as many answers as apply to you. 14.) 15.) When I am reading, I like to read the following types of material. mystery sports science fiction outdoor adventure poetry plays horror magazmes humor newspaper corrucs romance nonfiction fantasy I like to do the following activities as part of reading assignments. I do not like to do any assignments when I read. answering questions writing chapter summaries writing book reports reading to the class acting out parts of the stories listening to the teacher read to the class listening to other classmates read to the class doing special projects other. If you chose this option, please list them. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Section III: 16.) Use your own words to answer the following questions. If you need more space write on the back of the page. Who reads more, boys or girls? a.) b.) c.) d.) girls. boys. there is no difference between boys and girls. I do not know. Why do you think this is the c a s e ? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Attitudes Towards Reading..... 39 17.) List three things that you like about reading at school. 18.) List three things that you dislike about reading at school. 19.) If you could change anything about reading at school, what would it be? 20.) Do you have any other comments to make about reading at school? Attitudes Towards Reading ..... 40 Appendix B Dear Parents, I am seeking your permission to include your son/daughter in a survey I am conducting as part of my Master's Degree Project. The survey involves gathering data on students' beliefs and attitudes about reading, as well as preferences in reading materials. All students and their individual results will remain anonymous. This project has the approval ofthe Ethics Committee at the University ofNorthern British Columbia and the superintendent of schools for the XXXXX district. This survey being conducted is a pilot survey to ensure that the questions are valid and easy to understand. The finished survey will be administered to all intermediate students willing to participate in the fall. The survey will take approximately twenty minutes to complete and will be administered during school hours. Students may withdraw at any time and the results do not have any affects on grades. All completed surveys will remain under lock for the duration ofthe study. The purpose of the research is to identify differences in attitudes towards reading and preferences for reading material between boys and girls, and to determine if these differences widen across the intermediate grades. It is hoped that results of the research will encourage teachers to look at all aspects of their reading programs with a view to addressing any issues related to age and gender. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school. If you have any concerns regarding this project please contact the Vice President of Research at UNBC. Sincerely, Mr. Lee If your son/daughter is allowed to participate, please fill out, sign and return the bottom portion of this letter to school. I give permission for my son/daughter ______________ to take part in the survey. _________________ (parent/guardian signature) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ( student signature ) Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 41 Appendix C Dear Parents, I am seeking your permission to include your son/daughter in a survey I am conducting as part of my Master's Degree Project. This project has the approval ofthe Ethics Committee at the University ofNorthern British Columbia and the superintendent of schools for the XXXXX district. . The survey involves gathering data from the intermediate grades on students' beliefs and attitudes about reading, as well as preferences in reading materials. The survey will take approximately twenty minutes to complete and will be administered during school hours. Students may withdraw at any time and the results will not affect their grades. All students and their individual results will remain anonymous. Group results will be available upon request from the school office. All completed surveys will remain under lock for the duration of the study. The purpose of the research is to identify differences in attitudes towards reading and preferences for reading material between boys and girls, and to determine if these differences widen across the intermediate grades. It is hoped that results of the research will encourage teachers to look at all aspects of their reading programs with a view to addressing any issues related to age and gender. Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school. If you have any concerns regarding this project please contact the Vice President ofResearch at UNBC. Sincerely, Mr. Lee If your son/daughter is allowed to participate, please fill out, sign and return the bottom portion of this letter to school. I give permission for my son/daughter _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to take part in the survey. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (parent/guardian signature) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (student signature) Attitudes Towards Reading. .. .. 42 Appendix D Dear Mr. XXXXX, I am writing you to ask for permission to conduct a survey with students as part of my Master' s project. The project has the approval ofUNBC's Ethics Committee. The survey (copy attached) is designed to elicit information on the beliefs, attitudes and preferences for reading materials of intermediate students. I hope to determine if there are any differences between the genders and across the grade levels. The first stage is to conduct a pilot of the survey with a few students at XXXXX School in January after gaining parental permission. After any necessary revisions, the survey will be administered to all intermediate students at XXXXX willing to participate. The survey should take approximately twenty minutes to complete and will be administered during school hours . I will be providing you with a copy of the results when completed. Should you have any concerns or questions, I would be happy to try and answer them. Sincerely, Martin Lee Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 43 Appendix E READING SURVEY Results by Gender Section I: Circle one answer for each of the following questions. 1.) B I am 38 a.) male. c.) female. 2.) How old are you? 3.) How do you feel about reading? a.) b. ) c.) d.) 4 .) 30.4% (7) 69.6% (16) 0. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 or more . 7.9% (3) 34.2% (13) 23.6% (9) 7.9% (3) 13.2% (5) 13. 2% (5) 4.2% 8.3 % 33.3% 16.7% 12.5% 25% 30.6% (11) 52.8% (19) 13 .9% (5) 2.7% (1) 45.8 % (11) 54.2% (13) 37.8% (14) 54% (20) 5.4% (2) 2.7% (1) 52.2% (12) 43.5 % (10) (1) (2) (8) (4) (3) (6) excellent. good. not very good. poor. I feel that reading is important. a.) b.) c.) d.) 7.) 22 .2% (8) 55.6% (20) 11.1 % (4) 11.1 % (4) I would rate my reading ability as being a.) b.) c.) d.) 6.) I love to read. I enjoy reading. I do not enjoy reading . I hate reading. 24 How many books have you read in the last 30 days? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) 5.) G strongly agree . agree. disagree. strongly disagree. 4.3 % (1) 75% 75 % (18) (18) Do you have any a) b) brothers sisters yes _ _ yes _ _ no no y y 71 % (27) 71 % (27) y y Attitudes Towards Reading..... 44 8.) In your opinion, who are better readers? a.) b.) c.) d.) 9.) 33.3% (8) 20.8% (5) me. my father/stepfather. my mother/stepmother. my brother. my sister. I do not know. 23 .5% (8) 26.5% (9) 17.6% (6) 2.9% (1) 8.8% (3) 20.6% (7) 33.3% (6) 5.6% (1) 33.3% (6) 16.6% (3) 5.6% (1) 5.6% (1) 1 hour or less. 1 to 2 hours. 2 to 3 hours. more than 3 hours . 45 .7% (16) 17.1 % (6) 20% (7) 17.1% (6) 16.7% (4) 41.6% (10) 16.7% (4) 25 % (6) strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. 16.2% (6) 54% (20) 18.9% (7) 10.8% (4) 18.2% (4) 50% ( 11) 27.3% (6) 4.5% (1) 19.4% (7) 44.4% (16) 19.4% (7) 16.7% (6) 20.8% (5) 54.2% (13) 12.5% (3) 12.5% (3) 20.6% (7) 44.1% (15) 14.7% (5) 20.6% (7) 23.8% (5) 61.9% (13) 9.5% (2) 4.8% (1) I like the assignments my teacher gives me in reading. a.) b.) c.) d.) 13.) 45 .8% (11) I like the books my teacher asks me to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) 12.) 15.8% (6) 13.2% (5) 57.9% (22) 13 .1% (5) About how much time do you spend reading at home in one week? a.) b.) c.) d.) 11.) G Who in your family reads the most? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) 10.) girls. boys. there is no difference between boys and girls. I do not know. B strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. My best friend likes to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) strongly agree. agree. disagree . strongly disagree. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 45 Section II: Check as many answers as apply to you. 14.) 15.) When I am reading, I like to read the following types of material. mystery 42.1% (16) B G 62.5% (15) science fiction 52.6% (20) 12.5% (3) poetry 7.8% (3) 20.8% (5) horror 57.8% (22) 58 .3% (14) humor 60.5 % (23) 45 .8% (11) comics 52.6% (20) 25 % nonfiction 44.7% (17) 16.6% (4) sports 47.3% (18) 8.3% (2) outdoor adventure 44.7% (17) 37.5% (9) plays 18.4% (7) 20.8% (5) magazines 31.5% (12) 41.6% (10) newspaper 28.9% ( 11) 12.5% (3) romance 5.2% (2) 20.8% (5) fantasy 60.5% (23) 45 .8%(11) (6) I like to do the following activities as part of reading assignments. I do not like to do any assignments when I read. 42.1% ( 16) 25 % answering questions 31.5% (12) 33.3% (8) writing chapter summaries 13.1 % (5) 16.6% (4) writing book reports 28.9% (11) 29.1% (7) reading to the class 28 .9% (11) 25 % acting out parts of the stories 44.7% (17) 7.8% (3) listening to the teacher read to the class 57.8% (22) 54.1% (13) listening to other classmates read to the class 39.4% (15) 45 .8% (11) doing special projects 42.1% (16) 41.6% (10) other. If you chose this option, please list them. Boys' Responses: - doing special projects, acting - doing all sorts of reading assignments - I like to draw posters and color them. - Make a board game based on your novel. - I like to read in my head. - Listen to music. (6) (6) Attitudes Towards Reading..... 46 - I like to stay home. - I like to read the Magic School Bus books and on the TV. Girls' Responses: - I like to make a poster story out of it. - I also like to read at home. Section III: 16.) Use your own words to answer the following questions. If you need more space write on the back of the page. B F 30.6% (11) 8.3 % (3) 50% (18) 11.1 % (4) 37.5% (9) Who reads more, boys or girls? a.) b.) c.) d.) girls. boys. there is no difference between boys and girls. I do not know. 45.8% (11) 16.7% (4) Why do you think this is the case? Boys' Responses: Because boys have better interest of books. I like boys more . When my sister was age she could read lots of Christopher Pike books and I can 't read four chapters. Because nobody is better than nobody. I think that there is no different between girls or boys because boys and girls are both people so I don't think there any different. It doesn' t matter if you are boy or girl it only matters how well you read. I don ' t know because I don't know everyone in the world that reads. They always read magazines like Cosmo girl and stuff like that. It's because people all read the same. Girls enjoy reading, boys don't really like reading. I think girls read lots. Because some boys read a lot more than girls or vise versa, it depends who you are referring to. Well the only difference between boys and girls are the sex organs reading ability depends only on the person. Because guys are more into sports or some just don ' t like reading. Because they both read the same amount. Because boys fool around girls don ' t. Attitudes Towards Reading ... .. 47 I think the case is half-and-half don 't like reading. Boys are lazy don't like to do nothing girls are not lazy they do lots of stuff. I'm not sure what you mean. I think that there is no difference between boys and girls because everybody has their own reading level. They don't fool around like us boys. It is the same because it depends on the person if they like reading . Everybody are the same. Girls read the most because they read more. Because they maybe just as fast and good. Because they read as good as any other person. Because boys and girls are both good readers. Because they both have to read the same assignments in the same class. Because some girls like to read and some boys like to read. I don' t know because it's hard to choose. Because most girls don' t like to read. Because boys and girls are just as smart. Girls' Responses: Everyone has different speeds of reading and they agree with spending their time reading . Because both boys and girls are different and some boys like to read and don' t and some girls do and don't like to read. Because boys and girls both read but I don' t think that there is any difference. Because most boys don 't like to read. I don 't pay attention to who reads and who doesn' t. Because girls seem to enjoy reading more and they look at it as something fun, some boys look at it as work. You need imagination to want to read and boys and girls have to read to get imagination. I think girls read more because they are more patient. Because they read more than boys. Girls because they read more. Because boys always go outside and girls stay in more. Because they read magazines and stuff like that. Because girls actually care to learn and boys just fool around all the time then girls get better practice. Girls like to pretend. I don't think there should be any better reader boys and girls. Attitudes Towards Reading.. ... 48 Because boys like to talk more than to read. Because some girls in the class like to read a lot and same with some boys. Others think it's OK. Boys might read a little less. I don't know. That is one thing you can figure out. I think boys and girls read the same. I think boys and girls are the same at reading . I think that there are no differences because some boys practice reading more or the girls might practice reading more than boys. 17.) List three things that you like about reading at school. Boys' Responses: Fantasy and outdoors and sports Other people listen I don ' t feel alone. It's more fun. You can tell your friends. Nothing. Shell Silverstein, nonfiction and Roal Dahl. I like reading mystery books. I like reading with others. I like when people read to me. You get to read with your classmates. You have lots of time to read. There are all kinds of books. Listening, nothing, not much. When the teacher reads . Learning. _ __ No comment. I can read every kind of book. I get to answer all kinds of questions. I get to enjoy a book. I like horror, sports and that's pretty much .. oh ..and Harry Potter. Nobody's loud. Sounding out the words and the teacher read for the class. It' s fun . I like one story. It's sometimes easy. Comics, mystery, nonfiction. Lots of books to choose from. Better than other things. No brothers to bug you. I like reading the books. Learning new words. And just reading. (having a challenge) Wide selection of books. Lots of time given to select a book. Books Quiet. Kind of fun. We do activities. It's fun. Learn to read faster. Lots of books. Help. Assignments. Selection. I don ' t like reading at home. It's much better to read at school. Attitudes Towards Reading .. ... 49 It's better than work. It's very quiet. You get better at reading. People sometimes be quiet. Time is provided to read, it's easy to read, the listening is good. There are lots of books to read. It is fun to read at school. If you need help the teacher will help you. I like having films of the books in my head. It is fun reading with other people. It helps me learn about other people. It is enjoying. When the teacher reads to us. At library there 's movie critics. Looking at pictures. It is. quiet. It is fun. It is cool. None. Keeps you busy. I enjoy it. I like the books. I cannot think of one. Girls' Responses: Reading. I like reading at school because it's quiet, and if you need help you would get help. Sometimes it is quiet in the school. You learn more by reading. I don ' t know. It's peace and quiet sometimes. I have more time to read. It's better than anything else. Newsletters that come home. Some books from the library. Science books. I like to read at school because it can be quiet. I like reading at school is sometimes I get to pick my book and I can sometimes go to a quiet place and read and the teacher sometimes reads to us. Your friends are there with you. I have more time to read. Your teacher's there to help you. I like reading at school sometimes because when it's reading time everybody is quiet. And sometimes the school fmds really old neat books for us 'to read. It's quiet. You don ' t have too much work. It takes up time of other stuff like Science. I like it because everyone is should be quiet. My friends are there. Teacher can help .you. We do small assignments. We read chapter books. Because they're funny. Because they're easier to read. Because all of them have happy endings. I don't like to read. Different books. Long books. It makes time go by faster. It's more interesting than schoolwork. It gets your brain motivated. Attitudes Towards Reading. .... 50 It's kind of like being the book. It' s very interesting. It's better than math. It gives me something fun to do. It's quiet. You can read whenever you want. It is nice. I like to learn about more things that happened in Egypt. I like to read novels. Peaceful. Relaxing. Better than working. You have more of a selection at school. Find what you want. Have time to read. (guaranteed time to read) 18.) List three things that you dislike about reading at school. Boys' Responses: It's boring. I don ' t like it. It's not fun. I hate reading. It is boring. Reading assignments. The books here. I don't dislike anything . It is not quiet. I would make the reading period shorter. It is a bad reading environment. The books suck and it is noisy. Sometimes it is too noisy. Sometimes people try and talk to me while I read. Sometimes there are annoying sounds. I don't like reading. Too much light in the room. You don't get to talk. Makes me sleepy. Gets me bored. Stupid. Noise. Interruptions. Too much noise sometimes. People bug you sometimes. Sometimes boring. Lots of noise sometimes. Tiring. It's not that quiet. Lots of distractions. We usually have to work for the book. Too noisy. Too many interruptions. Not much time given to read. I don' t like doing work. I just want to read. The noise . People complaining. Work that goes with it. Lots of noise . Distractions. Notes, newspaper, science books. Cause I'm not good. I'm slow when I read out loud. Looking at the tiny words. Reading out loud. I don' t like when I get forced into reading. I like to fmd a book that I like to read and read it in a quiet place and I like big books that are long. All the noise when reading. No comment. It' s hard to not talk to your friends during reading . Some books are too long . Attitudes Towards Reading.... . 51 Sometimes it's too noisy. You're too busy to read. Your friends bug you too much so you don' t have enough time. I dislike reading to little kids. I do not like reading stupid books at school. Nothing at all. They might laugh at you. Nothing. Don' t know . Reading mysteries. Nothing at all. Girls Responses: Sometimes the noise. Can' t fmish the end of the chapter sometimes. Have a time limit on reading. Sometimes it' s noisy. Sometimes you don ' t feel like it. Some classmates make it hard to concentrate. It is noisy. People bug and it is boring sometimes. It is very bright. It is kind of noisy. I would rather read at home. It isn' t quiet. It is distracting. Nothing. There is nothing I dislike about it. Not long enough. I like to read one kind of book. I hate the long chapter books. I hate what the teachers pick. People don' t be quiet. Hard to concentrate. Work if summaries. Takes up time of P .E., fun stuff. No couches. I like to read alone and I find the books at school so easy it's too boring for me to concentrate. No peace and quiet. Others talking. Some novels that got assigned. The books that I don't like at the library. Sometimes it's noisy. Someone might talk too. That I can't read in the library. I do not read a lot. Noise, summaries and don't get to read without talking to people. Sometimes noisy in school. Sometimes hard to hear teacher when she speaks soft. The places I sit and where I read. Sometimes the kids may bug you. It could be too long. Noisy. Reading makes me tired cause I sleep before I go to bed. Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 52 19.) If you could change anything about reading at school, what would it be? Boys' Responses: More fantasy stories. I'd want more reading hours. A reading corner. Delete personal planning. I would change the time that we have to read. I don't know what we can change in this school. I would make the library bigger. To read more at school. Have more mysteries at my level. More quiet because it is too noisy a lot. We would be alone so we don't talk. No comment. To try and quiet down the noise level so it is more peaceful to work. I would give them a book and if they didn' t like it I'll let them choose one of the other ones. I would not have to answer questions. No more work. You should get to choose a book. The assignments. Why should we have to do work for reading? Why can ' t we just read to improve our abilities. We would not have to work for the book. Nothing really. I would make it quieter. More interesting. Not as long of time to read. We can all talk to friends. That if people wouldn ' t be quiet they would have to go to the office right away. The environment. Harder books to read. I would not like to change anything except the seating arrangement. The books at school aren ' t interesting. No more reading and stay playing outside. Nothing at all. Girls' Responses: To go in little rooms and read by yourself. Attitudes Towards Reading.. .. . 53 If I was a teacher I would give the kids tickets per book every 5 books a kid reads. I would give them a bag of chips. I would change the noise so it would be quiet. No interruptions. No noise. Some people can read in different rooms. To do more reading. Being in a different room. Like the library. Maybe that we get some new books for doing chapter book work. I would like a room in the school so kids at lunch can read. Nothing. Being in a different room than other people. I think we should tell or write down what we want. For example, I like horror or mystery, so I would want to read Christopher Pike. We should get couches to read on. Read in separate room where it's quieter. More comfortable. I need more funny books. I need more books. I need more time to read. There is nothing I would change. That we could do more reading and lots of assignments . The quietness. That we could make a reading room about the size of the classroom. I would like to read in a place where it is quiet. If I could change anything, it would be for it to be a little more quieter. I would change the time period of reading and make it longer. 20.) Do you have any other comments to make about reading at school? Boys' Responses: That it' s fun. I would get more books to read. The noise level is OK but when it gets to a really exciting part, then the noise level goes up, which is very hard to concentrate. No except we should be able to do the same geme more than once. There ' s got to be more books. This school needs more books to read with. Girls' Responses: It is fun and exciting. No except that you feel like you're in a totally different world and you tune everything else out. Yes. I want smaller chapters and not as thick please. Small is better for me. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 54 No, only that it is bright. It is noisy and sometimes I like to talk to my friends . Attitudes Towards Reading..... 55 Appendix F READING SURVEY Boys' Responses by Grade Section 1: Circle one answer for each of the following questions. 1.) lam a.) male. d.) female. 2.) How old are you? 3.) How do you feel about reading? a.) b.) c.) d.) 4.) G7 6 12 9 11 33.3% (2) 33 .3% (2) 27% (3) 36.3%( 4) 18.1%(2) 18.1% (2) 25% (2) 62.5% (5) 12.5% (1) 33.3% (2) 9% (1) 81.8% (9) 9% (1) 0. 1. 2. .., 16.6% (1) 16.6% (1) 4. 5 or more. 50% (3) 16.6%(1) .). 16.6% (2) . 41.6% (5) 8.3% (1) 8.3% (1) 8.3% (1) 16.6% (2) 22.2% (2) 55.5% (5) 11.1 % (1) 11.1% (1) 9% (1) 45.4% (5) 18.1% (2) 9% (1) 9% (1) 9% (1) excellent. good. not very good. poor. 33.3% (2) 50% (3) 16.6% (1) 27.2% (3) 36.3% (4) 27.2% (3) 9% (1) 37.5% (3) 50% (4) 12.5% (1) 27.2% (3) 72.7% (8) 33.3% (2) 33.3% (2) 33.3% (2) 50% (6) 41.6% (5) 44.4% (4) 55.5% (5) 27.2% (3) 72.7% (8) 66.6% (4) 33.3% (2) 66.6% (8) 75% (9) 66.6% (6) 88.8% (8) 81.8% (9) 72.7% (8) I feel that reading is important. a.) b.) c.) d.) 7.) G6 I would rate my reading ability as being a.) b.) c.) d.) 6.) GS How many books have you read in the last 30 days? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) 5.) I love to read. I enjoy reading. I do not enjoy reading. I hate reading. G4 strongly agree. agree. disagree . strongly disagree. 8.3% (1) Do you have any a) b) brothers sisters yes_ _ yes _ _ Attitudes Towards Reading..... 56 8.) G4 In your opinion, who are better readers? a.) b.) c.) d.) 9.) 20% (2) 20% (2) 20% (2) 16.6% (1) 20% (2) 20% (2) 9% (1) 9% (1) 53.6% (7) 18.1% (2) 66.6% (6) 11.1 % (1) me. my father/stepfather. my mother/stepmother. my brother. my sister. I do not know. 11.1 % (1) 44.4% (4) 11.1 % (1) 9% (1) 54.5% (6) 18.1% (2) 33.3% (3) 18.1 % (2) 1 hour or less. 1 to 2 hours. 2 to 3 hours . more than 3 hours. 54.5% (6) 9% (1) 20% (1) 20% (1) 40% (2) 20% (1) 55.5% (5) 44.4% (4) 40% (4) 30% (3) 30% (3) 36.3% (4) strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. 66.6% (4) 16.6% (1) 16.6% (1) 8.3% (1) 50% (6) 16.6% (2) 25% (3) 11.1 % (1) 66.6% (6) 22.2% (2) 36.3% (4) 45.4% (5) 18.1 % (2) I like the assignments my teacher gives me in reading . a.) b.) c.) d.) 13.) 56.6% (4) 16.6% (1) 22.2% (2) I like the books my teacher asks me to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) 12.) 16.6% (2) 8.3% (1) 58 .3% (7) 16.6% (2) G7 About how much time do you spend reading at home in one week? a.) b.) c.) d.) 11.) 16.6% (1) 50% (3) 33.3% (2) G6 Who in your family reads the most? a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) 10.) girls. boys. there is no difference I do not know. GS strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. 33 .3% (2) 33.3% (2) 16.6% (1) 16.6% (1) 25% (3) 41.6%(5) 8.3%(1) 25% (3) 12.5% (1) 50% (4) 37 .5% (3) 9% (1) 54.5% (6) 9% (1) 27.2% (3) 16.6% (1) 33.3% (2) 27.2% (3) 27.2% (3) 18.1 % (2) 27.2% (3) 37.5% (3) 50% (4) 12.5% (1) 10% (1) 50% (5) 20% (2) 20% (2) My best friend likes to read. a.) b.) c.) d.) strongly agree. agree. disagree. strongly disagree. .50% (3) Attitudes Towards Reading... .. 57 Section II: Check as many answers as apply to you. 14.) 15.) When I am reading, I like to read the following types of material. G4 GS G6 G7 mystery 66.6% (4) 41.6% (5) 55.5% (5) 18.1% (2) science fiction 83.3% (5) 50% 33.3% (3) 54.5% (6) poetry 33.3% (2) 8.3% (1) horror 50% 58.3% (7) 77.7% (7) 36.3% (4) humor 66.6% (4) 50% (6) 77.7% (7) 54.5% (6) corrucs 66.6% (4) 50% (6) 55 .5% (5) 45.4% (5) nonfiction 66.6% (4) 58.3% (7) 33.3% (3) 27.2% (3) sports 83.3% (5) 50% (6) 44.4% (4) 27.2% (3) outdoor adventure 50% 58.3% (7) 55 .5% (5) 18.1% (2) plays 66.6% (4) 22.2% (2) 9% magazines 50% (3) 41.6% (5) 22.2% (2) 18.1 % (2) newspaper 83.3% (5) 8.3%(1) 22.2% (2) 27.2% (3) romance 33 .3% (2) fantasy 66.6% (4) 83.3% (10) 66.6% (6) 63.6% (7) (3) (3) (6) (1) I like to do the following activities as part of reading assignments. I do not like to do any assignments G4 33.3% (2) GS 41.6% (5) G6 44.4% (4) answering questions 56.6% (4) 41.6% (5) 33.3% (3) writing chapter summaries 16.6% (1) 8.3% (1) 33.3% (3) writing book reports 33.3% (2) 33.3% (4) 33.3% (3) 18.1 % (2) reading to the class 50% (3) 41.6%(5) 11.1%(1) 18.1% (2) acting out parts of the stories 50% (3) 58.3% (7) 55 .5% (5) 18.1% (2) 75% (9) 55.5% (5) 18.1 % (2) listening to other classmates read to the class 56.6%(4) 50% (6) 33.3% (3) 9% 56.6%(4) 75% (9) 11.1%(1) 27.2% (3) listening to the teacher read to the class doing special projects roo%(6) other. If you chose this option, please list them. Grade 4: - Listen to music. - I like to stay home. - I like to read the Magic School Bus books. Grade 5: - Doing special projects, acting. Grade 6: G7 54.5% (6) (1) Attitudes Towards Reading..... 58 - Doing all sorts of reading assignments Grade 7: - I like to read in my head. - I like to draw posters and colour them. Section III: Use your own words to answer the following questions. If you need more space write on the back of the page. G4 16.) GS G6 G7 16.6% (2) 8.3% (1) 66.6% (8) 16.6% (1) 44.4% (4) 36.3% (4) 55.5% (5) 45.4% (5) 18.1%(2) Who reads more, boys or girls? a.) b.) c.) d.) girls. boys. there is no difference I do not know. 16.6% (1) 33.3% (2) 33.3% (2) 16.6% (1) Why do you think this is the case? Grade 4: Because boys have better interest of books. I like boys more. I think that there is no different between girls and boys because boys and girls are both people so I don't think there any different. Because nobody is better than nobody. I do not know. When my sister was my age she could read lots of Christopher Pike books and I can't read four chapters. Grade 5: They don 't fool around like us boys. I don't know because it's hard to choose. Because boys and girls are both good readers. It is the same because it depends on the person if they like reading. Everybody are the same. Because they maybe just as fast and good. Because some girls like to read and some boys like to read. Because boys and girls are just as smart. Because they read as good as any other person. Because they both have to read the same assignments in the same class. Because most girls don 't like to read. Grade 6: I'm not sure what you mean. Because guys are more into sports or some just don't like reading. Attitudes Towards Reading. .... 59 Because boys fool around, girls don 't. Boys are lazy, don 't like to do nothing. Girls are not lazy, they do lots of stuff. I think the case is half-and-half don' t like reading. Because they both read the same amount. I think that there is no difference because everybody has their own reading level. Grade 7: I think girls read lots. Girls enjoy reading, boys don 't really like reading. I don' t know because I don' t know everyone in the world that reads. Because I don 't know . They always read magazines like Cosmo girl and stuff like that. Well the only difference between boys and girls are the sex organs, reading ability depends only on the person. It don 't matter if you are boy or girl, it only matter how well you read. Because some boys read a lot more than some girls or vice versa, it depends who you are referring to. It is because some people all read the same. 17.) List three things that you like about reading at sch0ol. Grade 4: When the teacher reads to us. At library there 's movie critics. Looking at pictures. It is quiet. It is fun. It is cool. It is fun reading with other people. It helps me learn about other people. It is enjoying. I like having films of the books in my head. None. Keeps you busy. I enjoy it. I like the books. Grade 5: Learning. Listening, nothing, not much work. Other people listen. She! Silverstein, nonfiction, Roal Dahl. I like read with others. I like when people read to me. Fantasy and outdoors and sports. Nothing. You get to read with your classmates. You have lots of time to read. There 's all kinds of books. When the teacher reads . I can't think of any more. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 60 I like reading mystery books. I don't feel alone. It's more fun. You can tell your friends . Grade 6: I can read every kind of book. I get to answer all kinds of questions . I get to enjoy a book. Lots of books to choose from. Better than other things. No brothers to bug you. No comment. It's fun. I like some stories. It's sometimes easy. Nobody 's loud. Sounding out words and the teacher reads for the class. Comics, mystery and nonfiction. I like reading the books. Learning new words. And just reading. (having a challenge.) I like horror, sports and that's pretty much .. oh ... and Harry Potter. Grade 7: I don't like reading at home. It's much better to read at school. Time is provided to read, it's easy to read, the listening is good. Wide selection of books, lots of time given to select a book. It 's better than work. It's very quiet. You get better at reading. No work, no thinking, quiet. People sometimes be quiet when I ask them. There are lots of books to read. It is fun to read at school. If you need help the teacher will help you. Help, assignments, selection. It 's fun, learn to read faster, lots of books. Quiet, kind of fun, we do activities. Books. 18.) List three things that you dislike about reading at school. Grade 4: It's boring. I don' t like it. It's not fun. I hate reading . It is boring. I don't dislike anything. Reading assignments. The books here. Boring books. Grade 5: Reading mysteries. Nothing at all. I do not like reading stupid books at school. Don ' t know. Some books are too long. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 61 Sometimes it is too noisy. You 're too busy to read. Your friends bug you too much so you don 't have enough time. Nothing at all. I dislike reading to little kids. Nothing . They might laugh at you. It' s hard not to talk with your friends during reading. Grade 6: I don 't like when I get forced into reading. I like to fmd a book that I like to read and read it in a quiet place and I like big books that are long. I don't like doing work. I just want to read. The noise. People complaining. Notes, newspapers, science books. Looking at the tiny words. Reading out loud. Cause I'm not good. I'm slow when I read out loud. That's all. Work that goes with it, lots of noise, distractions . No comment. All the noise when reading. Grade 7: Sometimes boring, lots of noise sometimes, tiring. Too much noise sometimes. People bug you sometimes. Noise, interruptions. It's not quiet in the room. I would make the reading period shorter. Sometimes it is too noisy. Sometimes people try and talk to me while I read. Sometimes there is annoying sounds. Makes me sleepy, gets me bored, stuff. I don ' t like reading. Too much light in the room. You don' t get to talk. Too noisy, too many interruptions, not much time given to read. It is a bad reading environment, the books suck and it is noisy. It' s not that quiet, lots of distractions, we usually have to do work for the book. 19.) If you could change anything about reading at school, what would it be? Grade 4: The books at school aren 't interesting. I would not like to change any except the sitting arrangement. No more reading and stay playing outside. Grade 5: We would be alone so we don' t talk. Attitudes Towards Reading. . ... 62 I'd want more reading hours. Delete personal planning. I don't know what we can change in this school. More fantasy stories. I would make the library bigger. Have more mysteries at my level. More quiet because it is too noisy. I would change the time that I have to read. A reading corner. To read more at school. Grade 6: To try and quiet down the noise level so it is more peaceful to work. No comment. No more work. Nothing at all. I would not have to answer questions. You should get to choose a book. I would give them a book and if they didn't like it I'll let them choose one of the other ones. Grade 7: We would not have to do work for the book. The environment. The assignments. Why should we have to do work for reading? Why can' t we just read to improve our abilities? Not as long of time to read. We can all talk to friends. More interesting. That if people wouldn't be quiet they would go to the office right away. Harder books to read. I would make it quieter. Nothing really. 20.) Do you have any other comments to make abouf reading at school? Grade 4: There's got to be more books. This school needs more books to read with. Grade 5: I would get more books to read. That it's fun. Attitudes Towards Reading..... 63 Grade 6: The noise level is OK but when it gets to a really exciting part then the noise level goes up, which is very hard to concentrate. Grade 7: No except we should be able to do the same genre more than once.