Extracurricular Reading Research Articles

Trends in domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese school children, 2004\u20132011

BackgroundDramatic increases in child overweight have occurred in China. A comprehensive look at trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese youth is needed. The study aimed to examine trends in domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviors, explore mean and distributional changes in predicted behaviors over time, and investigate how behaviors vary by residence.MethodsUsing 2004–2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey data, adjusted means for MET-hours/week from physical activity and hours/week from sedentary behaviors were determined for school children (6–18 years), stratifying by gender, age group, and residence. Physical activity domains included in-school physical activity, active leisure (out-of-school physical activity), active travel (walking or biking), and domestic activity (cooking, cleaning, and child care). For each physical activity domain, the MET-hours/week measure was determined from the total weekly time spent (hours) in domain-specific activities and corresponding MET-values using the Compendium of Energy Expenditures for Youth. Sedentary behaviors included television, computer use, homework, and other behaviors (board games, toys, extracurricular reading and writing). For each sedentary behavior, the hours/week measure was determined from total weekly time spent in specific sedentary behaviors. Residence groups included megacities (population ≥ 20million), cities/towns (300,000 ≤ population < 20million), and rural/suburban areas (population < 300,000). Repeated measure linear mixed and quantile regression models were used to predict adjusted means.ResultsLittle change in physical activity behaviors occurred over time, with the exception of statistically significant trends toward increased domestic activity among male children (p < .05). Across all gender and age groups, statistically significant trends over time toward an average increase in computer use were seen (p < .01); these increases were largely driven by those ≥50th percentile on the distribution. Children living in megacities (versus rural areas) reported higher levels of physical activity, homework, and computer use.ConclusionsIntensified, systematic intervention and policy efforts promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors among children are needed.

Reading Practices of Pre-Service Teachers in the United States

The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate the reading practices of pre-service teachers in the United States. A total of 395 (38 male and 357 female) pre-service teachers completed a self-reported survey. In addition, 45 (10 males and 35 females) of the 395 voluntarily agreed to participate in interviews and classroom observations. These 45 participants were enrolled in three reading classes in the college of education at a mid-size public university; the classes' professors allowed the researcher to conduct class observations over the course of the semester. Quantitative results indicated that 38.4% of the pre-service teachers spent 1–4 hours weekly in academic reading (AR) and 19.5% of the respondents spent 1–4 hours per week in extracurricular reading (ER). Results also revealed that 25.7% of the participants spent zero hours weekly in AR and 46.5% of the participants spent zero hours in ER. Qualitative findings indicated that participants' part-time jobs and social media use via smartphone reduced the amount of time that pre-service teachers dedicated to both academic and extracurricular reading.

Study of critical thinking status and its influence factors of medical students

Objective To understand the status and related influencing factors of critical thinking of medical students, so as to provide recommendations for the training methods of critical thinking of medical students. Methods A total of 380 medical students in third and fourth grade of a medical university were investigated by using the California Critical Thinking Tendency Questionnaire and stratified random sampling method. 356 valid questionnaires were recovered. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis, including t-test, analysis of variance and multiple linear regression analysis and other methods. Results The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.728, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 68.43%. The average score of positive critical thinking ability of medical students was 196.02, showing that they had positive thinking ability. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the degree of extracurricular reading, whether there was a part-time job, and the students' self-study time per week had positive correlation with the critical thinking of medical students (P<0.05). Conclusion The critical thinking ability of medical students needs to be improved and the factors of critical thinking need to be further studied, and the research and practice of cultivating medical students' critical thinking ability must be deepened. Key words: Medical student; Critical thinking; Influencing factors; Multiple linear regression

Intertekst – paratekst – przekład. Lektura nadobowiązkowa Borisa Akunina i jej polskie tłumaczenie

Artykuł omawia szczególny sposób dialogowania z tradycją – przy pomocy tytułów rozdziałów. Zjawisko to rozpatrywane jest na materiale powieści Borisa Akunina Внеклассное чтение (Lektura nadobowiązkowa). Autorka bada uwarunkowania tego dialogu w sytuacji przekładu, sięgając do polskiego tłumaczenia Ewy Rojewskiej-Olejarczuk.

From The Editors

From The Editors

Intergenerational continuity in attitudes toward reading and reading behavior

Students' reading preferences develop in social contexts, and parents shape such environments. Assuming a process of transmission across generations, we analyzed the role of mothers' attitudes toward reading and reading behavior. A sample of 380 ninth-grade students completed a questionnaire to assess their attitudes toward reading (with respect to utility and enjoyment) and to collect details about their extracurricular reading behavior. Mothers were interviewed and asked to provide comparable information about their own reading behavior and attitudes. Results showed substantial positive relations between mothers' and students' attitudes toward reading and reading behavior, although the effects were small in magnitude. Taken together, even when children reach adolescence, socialization effects from parents can be found in the domain of reading.

The Effects of Reading Engagement on Literacy Achievement for Elementary Students

Since reading achievement is a determining factor for academic success, children who struggle with reading often continue to struggle throughout their school careers. The purpose of this study was to compare the reading gain scores of fourth and fifth grade students at an elementary school in northeast Alabama to the quantity of their extracurricular reading activities, controlling for gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). Over a 20-week period, the researcher utilized a daily reading log as the instrument to determine the amount of students’ outside-of-school reading time engagement. The results of a factorial ANOVA indicated that the amount of out-of-school reading times did not significantly increase their gain scores on the STAR reading benchmark tests. This was true for gender, socioeconomic status, and race. The results have implications for utilization of out-of-school reading requirements.

Social Justice as Topic and Tool: An Attempt to Transform an LIS Curriculum and Culture

AbstractTraining culturally competent and socially responsible library and information science (LIS) professionals requires a blended approach that extends across curricula, professional practice, and research. Social justice can support these goals by serving as a topic of inquiry in LIS curricula as well as by providing a scholarly framework for understanding how power and privilege shape LIS institutions and professional practice. This article applies social justice as a topic and tool for transforming LIS curricula and culture by exploring the implementation of social justice–themed courses and an extracurricular reading group in one LIS department. Exploring curricular and extracurricular cases in a shared institutional setting contextualizes key challenges and conversations that can inform similar initiatives in other institutions. Transforming LIS culture to prioritize social justice values, epistemologies, and frameworks requires multivalent strategies, community buy-in, and shared responsibility ...

Some Benefits of Extracurricular Reading in Foreign Language Teaching

Some Benefits of Extracurricular Reading in Foreign Language Teaching

A Study on the Relation between Junior High School Students' Extracurricular Reading Attitude and Learning-Associated Well-Being

A Study on the Relation between Junior High School Students' Extracurricular Reading Attitude and Learning-Associated Well-Being

The Principled Communicative Approach: Seven Criteria for Success

First of all, it needs to be said that the book under review is an activities book, and should therefore be judged as such, that is to say, on the originality, plausibility, and generalizability of its activities. On the whole, it scores well, and teachers will welcome the clear, no-nonsense presentation and the variety of activity types, even if some of these seem overfamiliar, while others verge on the implausible. At the familiar end of the scale, for instance, is 4.2 ‘What has been done?’ where learners use the passive voice to describe what has changed in a sequence of two pictures. Or 3.5 ‘Is there anybody who …?’, which is basically a variant of that iconic communicative activity, ‘Find someone who …’. At the implausible end, there is 5.5 ‘Rating chunks’, where learners are asked to rate multi-word items not only according to their utility but according to their perceived colour, size, strength, and beauty. On the other hand, many of the activities are original, most would be generalizable to a range of contexts, and some are just plain fun. I really liked 6.9 ‘I hear you’, for example, which practises the skill of active listening, and 6.4 ‘Log in’, where learners are shown how to keep a record of their extra-curricular reading.

Prevalence of and factors associated with myopia in primary school students in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, China.

To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for myopia in primary school children in Chaoyang District, Beijing. This cross-sectional prevalence survey was conducted in September to October 2011 in 4 schools randomly chosen from among the 126 primary schools in Chaoyang District. Students were assessed with autorefractometry under cycloplegia and checked with retinoscopy for accuracy. Questionnaires were completed by the students' parents. Myopia was present in 36.7 ± 0.7% of 4249 students aged 5-14 years old. The prevalence of myopia in girls (38.6 ± 1.1%) was significantly higher than in boys (35.0 ± 1.0 %) (p = 0.015) and increased with age (p < 0.001), with the highest prevalence observed in children aged ≥11 years (67.5 ± 1.8%). After adjustment, having a myopic parent (aOR 3.10; 95% CI 2.49-3.86), incorrect reading posture (aOR 2.09; 95% CI 1.75-2.50), reading a book at a distance of <20 cm (aOR 1.60; 95% CI 1.16-2.21), studying at home for >3 h daily (aOR 1.50; 95% CI 1.12-2.01), studying for >1 h continuously (aOR 1.21; 95% CI 1.02-1.45), and reading extracurricular books that utilize a font larger than that used in textbooks (aOR 0.74; 95% CI 0.59-0.94) were all significantly associated with myopia. The prevalence of myopia among primary school children in Beijing increased with age, and was significantly higher in girls ≥10 years old. Myopia was significantly associated with parental myopia, reading posture, distance between the eyes and the book being read, font size used in extracurricular reading material, time spent studying at home, and the duration of continuous study time.

GÖSTERGEBİLİM AÇISINDAN TÜRKÇE DERS KİTAPLARI

Data gathered from a single field is not enough to write a textbook. Multiple fields such as linguistics, textlinguistics and semiotics need to be adopted in the process of writing a textbook. The aim with this study, which employs semiotic method, is to set an example for teachers to study texts in Turkish classes. By reflecting the textbooks through semiotics, providing a guide for future textbooks is aimed. This study was formed using qualitative research and survey model. For the research the texts from 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade Turkish textbooks (2012 editions), which were recommended by Ministry of National Education and Board of Education and Discipline, were analyzed. The population of the research was composed of 78 texts that include 24 texts from 5th grade Turkish textbook and 18 texts from each of 6th, 7th and 8th grade Turkish textbooks. Extracurricular reading texts and listening texts were excluded. Field of study consisted of 19 texts that were chosen as examples of different text types in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade Turkish textbooks. The data was collected by document analysis and the collected data was analyzed by qualitative content analysis method. Studying secondary school textbooks in terms of semiotics has revealed that semiotic method helps the reader with comprehension, objectively evaluation and interpretation of written texts.

Reading Habits of College Students in the United States

This study employed a convergent mixed-method research design to investigate reading habits of American college students. A total of 1,265 (466 male and 799 female) college students voluntarily participated in the study by completing a self-reported survey. Twelve students participated in semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. Descriptive analysis indicated that the hours students spent weekly (M) on academic reading (AR), extracurricular reading (ER), and the Internet (INT), were 7.72 hours, 4.24 hours, and 8.95 hours, respectively. A multiple linear regression and a zero-order correlation statistical analysis indicated the INT and socializing with others (SO) were significant factors college students devoted to conventional academic and extracurricular reading.

A Literacy Exercise: An Extracurricular Reading Program as an Intervention to Enrich Student Reading Habits in Qatar

This paper evaluates an extracurricular reading activity in Qatari schools. The paper presents a two-month extracurricular reading program designed for fourth grade students. The methodology used triangulation of the data to analyze, in detail, the students’ primary perceptions towards reading, teacher self-efficacy, teacher instructional behavior and home literacy measures. The program was implemented in four randomly selected schools. The reading program was announced to each school, and students in the four schools were asked whether they wished to enroll contingent upon receiving parental consent. There were 248 students in the treatment group (students enrolled in the English and Arabic reading program), and 176 students were recruited for the control group (not enrolled in the reading program). The main design was a randomized subjects pretest-posttest control group design and analytical split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) design. The findings of this study suggested that students in the reading program demonstrated greater interest in reading than those who did not enroll in the reading program, even when factoring out the effects of parents and home environments. The extracurricular program was significant to the extent that it has improved students’ reading habits. An increase in breadth and depth of such programs shall increase language literacy and numeracy in schools and can improve the school culture towards a more student-teacher interactions and engaging activities.

Students' extracurricular reading behavior and the development of vocabulary and reading comprehension

This study investigated the role of extracurricular reading behavior in the development of reading literacy. Whereas previous research has focused mostly on bivariate relations between one or several measures of these two variables, the present study analyzed the role of several reading activities together. Furthermore, it assessed distinct patterns of extracurricular reading behavior composed of traditional print media and new forms of reading on the Internet. Participants were 1226 secondary school students from the Bamberg BiKS longitudinal study. Results confirmed the importance of traditional book reading for the development of reading comprehension and vocabulary. In contrast, online activities such as e-mail or chatting related negatively to reading achievement. Furthermore, students could be classified to five distinct latent classes in terms of their extracurricular reading behavior. The role of reading traditional print media for students' literacy development as well as possible reasons why it cannot be compensated adequately by online reading activities are discussed critically.

Effect of a school-based peer education intervention on physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Chinese adolescents: a pilot study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect on physical activity and sedentary behaviour of a pilot school-based peer education programme in urban Beijing, China.Design4 junior high schools were matched by school size and...

“The Children’s Book: Formation of Extracurricular Reading for Children and Teenagers Range”: The IV All-Russian Theoretical and Practical Conference

The article is about the IV All-Russian Theoretical and Practical Conference “The Children’s Book: Formation of Extracurricular Reading for Children and Teenagers Range”, which took place on February, 17, 2011 in the Nizhny Tagil State Social Pedagogical Academy.

Samostalno izvannastavno čitanje učenika trećih razreda osnovne škole

U ovome radu autori istražuju izvannastavno čitanje učenika trećih razreda osnovne škole. Namjera je istražiti utječe li samo mjesto stanovanja na samostalni izbor književnih djela i autora. Istraživanje se provodi u različitim krajevima Hrvatske, i to u seoskim ili gradskim sredinama. Ispitivanje je provedeno anketom koja se sastoji od 10 pitanja zatvorenoga tipa, čije rezultate istraživanja autori predočuju grafikonima i 5 pitanja otvorenoga tipa koji su po načelu najveće zastupljenosti brojčano prikazani. Na osnovi grafikonima predočenih rezultata autori zaključuju da učenici u velikom postotku čitaju i pišu lektiru, da su u nekim sredinama više zainteresirani za poeziju, a u drugim za detektivske priče. Međutim, kako svi vole bajke i basne te knjige smiješnoga sadržaja, autori se zalažu za veću zastupljenost takvih naslova u školskim knjižnicama. Iz predočenih podataka nije se mogla uočiti povezanost mjesta stanovanja ispitanika i mjesta radnje glavnih junaka ili porijeklo autora kao odlučujućeg za samostalni izbor književnih djela, već je važnije koliko se učenici mogu poistovjetiti s likovima.

On the Practice Teaching of English Reading

The main task of practice teaching of English Reading is to train students’ independent reading ability and good reading habits. Extra-curricular reading of English literature and English newspapers and magazines plays an active role in improving English reading ability. The principle of selecting reading materials, the scope of selection and the organization of teaching are essential to effective practice teaching. The practice teaching of English Reading can not only cultivate among the students a self-learning ability, but also allow students to expand horizons through a wide range of extra-curricular reading, and learn more about the society and culture of the nations related to teaching.