PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) Dissertations /Theses Masters Theses (042) Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160)

A study examined whether reading aloud to young children would have an effect on their reading success in first grade. Subjects, 45 first-grade students in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, were given a questionnaire to be completed by their parents. The three first-grade teachers provided students reading aptitude scores, based on teacher observation and test scores from the MacMillan/McGraw-Hill "A i'ew View " reading series. The questionnaires were returned on a voluntary basis with a response rate of 84.447.. Students were divided into two first-grade based upon whether they were rich or poor in their literacy experiences. A t-test was used to analyze the differences, if any, between the reading questionnaire/achievement of the samples. Results indicated that there was almost a 24-point difference between the mean grade achievement of the samples at the end of the second quarter and this difference was highly significant. There was no strong evidence however to support that reading to children at a young age would better help them succeed in first grade. (Contains 2 tables of data; related research, 25 references, and a sample letter and questionnaire are appended.) (CR) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document