In our society, it is almost a necessity to know how to read. It is important that children learn this skill from a young age so that the reading ability improves and the reading motivation...Show moreIn our society, it is almost a necessity to know how to read. It is important that children learn this skill from a young age so that the reading ability improves and the reading motivation increases. However previous research has shown that the reading skills of Dutch 15-year olds is lower than that of surrounding western countries. Reading skills are closely linked with the reading motivation and the reading attitude. Reading skills can potentially be improved when aimed for increasing reading motivation and improving reading attitude. In the present study, the relation between the home literacy environment and the use of digital books on the one hand and reading motivation and reading attitude of 35 Dutch second graders on the other hand is investigated. Participants were divided in a group to which digital books were offered or in a group to which digital books and nudges were offered. Nudges were provided by teachers to pay extra attention to the digital books. The reading motivation and reading attitude of children were measured at a pre- and post-test. The home literacy environment was measured with a questionnaires for parents, the to assess the amount of books at home and parental reading behavior. Results show no relation between reading motivation and reading attitude and the amount of books at home. The reading motivation and reading attitude of children were higher when parents read more. No change in reading motivation was found in the group of students who were offered digital books. However, an increase in reading attitude was found. No change was found in reading motivation and reading attitude in the group of student who were offered digital books and nudges. These results provide support to emphasize the reading behavior of parents in reading interventions to increase the reading motivation and reading attitude.Show less
In this meta-analysis, research has been integrated to determine the strength of the relationship between print exposure and reading comprehension as well as reading attitude in primary and...Show moreIn this meta-analysis, research has been integrated to determine the strength of the relationship between print exposure and reading comprehension as well as reading attitude in primary and secondary school students. Furthermore, possible grade-level differences in this relationship were examined. The 26 included studies, which measured print exposure with an author- or title-recognition checklist and reading comprehension and/or reading attitude with various instruments, showed positive, large correlations between print exposure and reading comprehension. Positive, moderate correlations were found between print exposure and reading attitude. The heterogeneity was high in all analyses but could not be explained by the age-groups of the participants. The relationships appeared to be comparable between primary and secondary school students aged 7-16 years. It should be noted that conclusions about the direction of the relationships cannot be indicated. Further research about this direction would be recommended along with more research including different variables that could explain the heterogeneity. Besides the need for more extensive research about the relationship between print exposure and reading comprehension as well as reading attitude it is clear that stimulating children to read more is helpful.Show less
