Elementary Reading Attitude Survey Research Articles

Academic and recreational reading attitudes among primary students in a rural Malaysian village

Reading is crucial for development and educational outcomes, yet access to literacy resources and supportive environments is uneven, particularly in rural and low-income areas. Positive reading attitudes are linked to better reading achievement, but research on these attitudes among ESL speakers in non-Western, rural contexts remains limited. This study explores the attitudes of 4th and 5th graders towards recreational and academic reading in a rural Malaysian village, assessing students who participated in a reading program. Utilizing the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, data were gathered from 74 of the 120 participants, achieving a 62% response rate. Analysis through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed a nuanced relationship between children’s reading attitudes and their engagement with various reading contexts and activities. Findings underscore a pronounced preference for recreational over academic reading, with both types of reading attitudes significantly interrelated. This suggests the program’s environment and involvement of reading partners may significantly shape children’s reading perceptions. Moreover, the study highlights the pivotal role of the reading context, indicating a direct correlation between children’s positive perception of their reading environment and their engagement levels. While the study did not delve into the impact of socio-economic status on program effectiveness, it signals the need for further research across diverse cultural settings to fully understand the efficacy of reading programs. The research concludes that after-school reading initiatives are instrumental in enhancing children’s academic and recreational reading attitudes, providing valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and researchers focused on literacy development.

The Impact of a Canine‐Assisted Reading Program on Readers Needing Extra Practice

AbstractCanines can provide emotional support, create a nonjudgmental environment, facilitate positive social interactions, and shape student behavior. This study investigated the impact of a canine‐assisted reading program on four second‐grade students' reading fluency and attitudes toward reading. Oral reading fluency (ORF) was measured using ORF probes, and students' attitudes toward reading were measured with the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Although ORF skills did not improve significantly following the program, students' attitudes toward reading did. Implications regarding innovative strategies for reading fluency programs, including canine‐assisted methods, are discussed, with emphasis on the importance of maintaining reading enjoyment among readers needing extra practice.

Correlation of Attitudes and Perceptions in Intermediate Reading Class Students, University of Muhammadiyah Palembang

The enthusiasm toward reading happens as a result of good reading attitude is known as the attitude of reading. Students' reading attitudes are strongly related to their ability to be achieved by practice. The purpose of this study was to find out the correlations between students’ attitude and perception of reading in intermediate reading class. The participants were twenty-three students in the second semester of English study program, University of Muhammadiyah Palembang. The sample was taken by using purposive sampling of the even semester class in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education. Coefficient correlation was adopted in this study. It is also intended to see if there any significant correlation between reading habits and reading perception of intermediate reading class students. The data was acquired through the use of Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) that was established by McKenna and Kear (1990) in order to measure students’ reading attitude. An informal interview was also conducted by the researcher to acquire additional information about students' perceptions to reading. The results of this study revealed that there is moderate correlation between students' attitudes and perceptions of reading with the correlation value are 0.48. Thus, students must keep practicing and improving reading comprehension.

Reading Attitudes in Vietnam: Initial Study of the Early School Years.

Whereas cognitive and linguistic factors for learning to read have been extensively studied, less is known about affective factors including children's attitudes toward reading. Studies primarily from English-speaking and Western countries show gradual declines in reading attitudes in elementary school (McKenna et al., 1995) and a positive association between reading attitudes and achievement (Petscher, 2010). Children from Asian and African countries are underrepresented in this literature; whether these patterns can be generalized across cultures needs further investigation. This longitudinal study examined the reading attitudes of 84 children in Vietnam from grades 1 to 2 and their relations to reading performance, as measured by translated and adapted versions of the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey and Early Grade Reading Assessment, respectively. This sample from Vietnam showed a small decline in reading attitudes over time, particularly in attitudes toward academic reading. However, children on average reported feeling happy about reading in both grades. Correlations revealed different patterns of association between reading attitudes and performance based on the reading measure employed, grade level, and type of reading in question (academic versus recreational). In grade 2, reading attitudes explained unique variance in reading comprehension even after text fluency and mother's education were considered. We present a margins plot to visualize the role of reading attitudes on reading comprehension. We discuss educational implications and future directions.

Students’ Attitudes and Perception of Achievement in Reading Comprehension

This study aimed to investigate the students’ attitudes and perception of reading comprehension. Participants were fourth, fifth and sixth-grade students selected using random purposive sampling from three different classes in a public school (n=80) in Betong. This research using an explanatory mixed-method also aimed to determine whether students’ attitudes and perception significantly affect their reading comprehension. The data was gathered using Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) developed by McKenna and Kear, 1990, interview questions and the analysis on students’ performance in reading comprehension. The research findings showed no strong relationship between students’ attitudes and perception towards reading would affect their achievement in reading comprehension because students’ attitudes and perceptions are affected mainly by other factors.

Attitudes of Youth Toward Reading Before and After a Motivational Project

As part of an evaluation project assessing the impact of a specific reading motivation program in 30 schools (20 elementary, 10 middle), a longitudinal study of student reading attitudes was conducted using the nationally-tested Elementary Reading Attitude Survey instrument. The instrument tested both attitudes toward recreational reading and school reading. The results have implications for types o reading programs as well as book access and use of libraries.

Attitudes of Elementary Students towards Reading and Math Class

As part of the investigation of Art and Affectivity in Inclusive school experience: a Dominican Study researched The Attitudes towards reading and math class of elementary students from the first cycle of basic level education. We worked with 123 students of primary level form four public elementary school in the municipality of Yamasá, Dominican Republic. To achieve the purpose of the stud we applied The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) from Mckenna, M. & Kear, D. (1990) and using the technique of free drawing from Borthwick, A., (2011) to know the perception and the attitude of children towards mathematics class. The results show a positive attitude of children towards reading and a moderate disposition to math class.

E-readers and the effects on students’ reading motivation, attitude and comprehension during guided reading

AbstractThis quasi-experimental mixed methods study examined the use of e-readers during guided reading instruction and its impact on 5th grade students’ reading motivation, attitude toward reading, and reading comprehension. For 10 weeks, 19 students received guided reading instruction by means of the traditional paper/text format, while 16 students received guided reading instruction by means of e-readers using the same stories but in digital text format. The Motivation to Read Profile was used to measure student motivation, the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey was administered to measure student attitude and the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, Fourth Edition, were administered to measure student comprehension. A MANOVA showed no significant difference between the students who used e-reader digital text format and those that used paper/text format in regard to reading motivation, attitude toward reading or reading comprehension. However, the qualitative data gave several insights into why e-readers di...

Elementary Schoolers’ Attitudes toward Reading in English: How Boys Feel Relative to Girls

<p>This paper describes the results of a study that examined the attitudes of Malaysian primary school boys and girls toward reading in English as a Second Language. Using the Students’ Reading Attitude Survey, which the researchers adapted from McKenna and Kear (1990) Elementary Reading Attitude Survey, 2,666 responses were analysed using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test. The findings reveal that the students had positive attitudes toward recreational and academic reading in English as a second language, but that the girls scored significantly higher on all the dimensions of reading attitudes compared to the boys. The results provide some insights into the gender gap between boys and girls in reading literacy.</p>

Measuring the Effects of Reading Assistance Dogs on Reading Ability and Attitudes in Elementary Schoolchildren

ABSTRACTReading assistance dogs can be incorporated into reading programs to increase a child’s desire and ability to read. However, more data is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of such programs. A 5-week reading assistance dog program was implemented to assess feasibility and effectiveness. Participants included 18 children entering the 2nd grade (nine assigned to read to dogs and nine assigned to read without dogs present). Fifteen children completed the study (nine in the dog group and six in the control group; p = .058). To detect changes in reading ability and in attitudes toward reading, a Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) for reading and an Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) was given at Week 0 and Week 5. There were no significant differences over the course of the study in ERAS scores for the dog group, but the control group had significant reductions in the ERAS academic score (p =.04). There was a numerically larger but not statistically different reduction in CBM in the control group compared to the dog group (p = .16). Further studies are warranted to determine if these trends represent statistically significant effects of reading assistance dog programs.

The development of reading interest and its relation to reading ability

The development of interest in reading and its relationship to reading ability was examined longitudinally in 117 children in Grades 1–3. Interest in reading was measured by eight items from the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Less able readers had lower interest in reading, but their development was parallel to that of more able readers. Interest in reading in Grade 1 was weakly correlated with Grade 3 reading ability, but correlations were lower for interest measured in Grades 2 and 3. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated weak and inconsistent effects of reading interest on reading ability after controlling general cognitive ability, SES, phonological awareness and naming speed. It is concluded that interest in reading has only a weak relationship to reading ability in the early elementary years, and that much of that relationship overlaps with the effects of other more powerful predictors.

Influence of reading attitude on reading achievement: A test of the temporal‐interaction model

AbstractDespite widespread efforts to prevent reading problems and an abundance of research about best practices in remediating reading skills deficits, reading continues to be exceptionally difficult for many students. Researchers have become interested in investigating the degree to which affective factors such as reading attitude relates to reading performance. In the current study, 76 fourth‐grade students were administered Curriculum‐Based Measurement tasks in reading (R‐CBM) and the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS; McKenna & Kear, 1990, 1999). In the fall of the following school year (4 months later), participants completed a high‐stakes statewide reading assessment. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and a path analysis were computed to address the research questions. Results indicated that both reading ability (β = .62, p = .01) and reading attitude significantly predicted reading achievement (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress‐Plus;ISTEP+) 4 months later (β = .22, p = .01), supporting a temporal interactive effect (Kush, Watkins, & Brookhart, 2005) of prior reading attitude and skill on later reading achievement. Additional findings, implications for practice, directions for future research, and limitations of the study are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The validity of Cloze Oriented System (COS): a correlation study with an electronic comprehension test and a reading attitude survey

This study aimed to analyze the efficiency of the Cloze Oriented System (COS) considering its relation with reading attitude and its validity. The Electronic Program Comprehension (EPC) for students from K1 to K4 based on the COS parts of stories from the Brazilian Children's literature was applied in eighteen class-hours. The 40 subjects, ten in each grade, of both genders aged 7 to 11 years, were evaluated before and after the EPC with a Cloze test. They answered the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey too, in a printed protocol adapted to Portuguese, to evaluate the reading attitude of the students and the influence of the EPC in the academic and recreational reading. The results showed that the performance in reading comprehension of all the subjects was higher after taking part in the EPC, and also had significant differences in reading attitude, according to the results of the T of Wilcoxon statistic test. A correlation between comprehension performance before and after the EPC and the reading attitude was verified. There was significant difference for academic reading attitude in the post-test between proficient readers and the one's that has low skill.

Elementary reading attitude survey (ERAS) scores in academically talented students

This study investigated the reliability and structural validity of Elementary Reading Attitude Survey ([ERAS]; McKenna and Kear, 1990) scores in 575 academically talented students attending an academic summer program. Results indicated that ERAS Academic and Recreational scores had satisfactory internal consistency coefficients, and that participants’ reading attitudes were near the top of the normative distribution of ERAS scores. Exploratory factor analysis of ERAS scores supported two factors measuring academic and recreational reading attitudes, and significantly higher scores on reading attitudes were found for girls at three grade levels, with medium to large effect sizes.

THE ELEMENTARY READING ATTITUDE SURVEY: FACTOR INVARIANCE ACROSS GENDER AND RACE

The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) is purported to measure attitude toward recreational and academic reading. The present study examined the validity of this two-factor model across gender and race. Since measurement results are often group specific, factor invariance cannot be assumed, but should be tested empirically. No statistically significant difference in the factor structures for male and female respondents was found, indicating factor invariance across gender. However, there was a statistically significant difference (p < .05) in the factor structures of the African American and European American respondents. Follow-up analyses indicated that the sources of the invariance were three of the recreational reading attitude items (p < .05) and the recreational reading attitude factor variance (p < .005), with the variance being greater for African American than for European American students.

ATTITUDES TOWARD READING EXPRESSED BY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DIAGNOSED WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Attitude toward reading affects student's achievement. While conventional wisdom and comparisons with low-skilled, non-disabled students suggest that students with learning disabilities have negative attitudes toward reading, few studies exist to support these inferences. The present study uses the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990) to describe elementary students' diagnosed with learning disabilities attitudes toward academic and recreational reading and to compare their attitudes with those expressed by their non-disabled peers. The findings show that students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction in special-education, resource rooms expressed reading attitudes that equaled or exceeded those expressed by low and average non-disabled students in a nationwide study conducted by McKenna and Kear (1990). The findings also indicated that the students' diagnosed with learning disabilities attitudes remained more stable across grades 1 through 5 than those expressed by their non-disabled students in the McKenna and Kear (1990) study.

An affective comparison of whole language, literature‐based, and basal reader literacy instruction

This paper describes a multiple site study comparing whole language, literature‐based, and basal reader literacy instruction in terms of three recently developed affective measures: the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS), the Reader Self‐Perception Scale (RSPS), and the Writer Self‐Perception Scale (WSPS). The study included a total of 396 elementary‐aged children in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade from 28 different classrooms in two states. The literacy instruction in these classrooms were categorized as either whole language, literature‐based, or basal reader by using three indicators (Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile, structured teacher interviews, and classroom observations). No significant differences were found between the three literacy approaches on the scales of the RSPS; however, significant differences favoring the literature‐based approach were found on two scales of the WSPS (Specific Progress and Social Feedback) and the Academic Reading scale of the ERAS. Analyses of Variance indicated significant differences between grade levels between fourth and sixth grade students on six scales of the three affective instruments. The findings suggest that a literature‐based approach to reading and writing appears to exert superior impact on intermediate‐aged children's affective literacy orientations.

Paired reading: effects of a parent involvement programme in a disadvantaged community in South Africa

Background. The study was conducted in an educationally disadvantaged South African community where the effectiveness of a paired reading parent involvement programme, which stressed interaction around reading as a means of mediating meaning, was evaluated.Aims. The research aimed to evaluate whether reading accuracy, comprehension and attitude were promoted through involving parents and other family members as mediators in a process of paired reading. Further, it aimed to elucidate interactive ecosystemic effects across family, school and community levels.Samples. Two complete grade four classes (29 and 32 children respectively) served as comparison groups (average age: 9 years 7 months).Methods. To test the significance of the improvement in reading accuracy and comprehension (Neale Analysis of Reading Ability: Neale, 1966) and attitude (Elementary Reading Attitude Survey: McKenna &amp; Kear, 1990) for the experimental group relative to the control, one‐tailed t‐tests for independent samples on the respective pre‐test/post‐test difference scores were applied.Results. Statistically significant improvements in reading accuracy and comprehension, as well as reading attitude and involvement, were demonstrated. A broad ecosystemic analysis suggested that positive relationships between children and significant others in the family were nurtured and other children in the family were benefiting. Interactions between family and school, and school and the local community library, were also enhanced.Conclusions. The study emphasises the importance of developing mediation insights and skills in parent involvement programmes, and the place of ecosystemic analysis in understanding the social dynamics involved in such programmes.

Long-Term Stability of Children's Attitudes Toward Reading

Abstract The long-term stability of the construct of children's attitudes toward reading was examined. One hundred eighty-nine students in Grades 1-4 completed two administrations of the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) following a 3-year interval. Initially, reading attitudes were relatively positive and comparable to the standardization sample for both the recreational and academic subscales of the ERAS. Following the 3 years, however, reading attitudes dropped significantly for both recreational and academic scores. Nonsignificant grade differences were observed, but girls consistently expressed more positive attitudes toward recreational reading than did boys. Similarly, girls also demonstrated greater stability in reading attitudes than boys, based on higher correlations between first and second administrations of the ERAS. Implications for the classroom and directions for future research are provided.

Differential Effects of Whole Language and Traditional Instruction on Reading Attitudes

This article reports a three-part study comparing the effects of whole-language practice versus traditional basal instruction on children's reading attitudes. In Experiment 1, children in two whole-language elementary schools (Grades 1–5, N=485) and children in two traditional schools (Grades 1–5, N=433) responded to the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS). Although significant main effects of grade level and gender were observed, there was no main effect of instructional approach. The possibility that whole language had been too broadly defined was addressed in a second study. In Experiment 2, Bergeron's (1990) definition was used to identify a third whole-language school, meeting more specific criteria. All students in Grades 1–5 ( N=713) were compared with the original basal group. Only the recreational ERAS subscale was administered because of the inapplicability of certain items of the academic subscale to the new whole-language setting. As before, no main effect of approach was observed, nor was any interaction of approach with other factors significant. Experiment 3 involved follow-up structured observations of two first-grade teachers in the second whole-language school. The attitude means of these teachers' classes differed significantly. Although the two teachers exhibited many similarities, notable differences emerged that warrant further study in order to examine a possible causal relationship between practice and attitude. Important differences in practice within a general whole-language philosophy may affect reading attitude differentially.