Reading interests of beginning grade VI students under the jurisdiction of the RC School Board for Gander-Bonavista and the congruency of expressed interests with selected basal reading programs

Statement of Problem -- The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1.) to determine the expressed reading interests of beginning grade VI pupils; 2.) to determine the extent to which these expressed interests are reflected in the content of selected basal readers. The basal readers utilized in the investigation were limited to those basal texts which are classified as provincially adopted texts for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. -- Procedure -- The study population consisted of grade five pupils who were attending the last four weeks of their school year and had completed the instructional program for that grade. Since the pupils were in the process of being promoted to grade six, they were classified in the study as beginning grade six pupils. -- A questionnaire was designed which contained 171 short annotations based on the various selections contained in the basal readers used in the investigation. Due to the length of the questionnaire it was divided into two parts. Ten annotations which appeared in part one of the instrument were repeated in part two as a measure of reliability. -- A pilot study of the questionnaire was conducted which resulted in minor changes. The final questionnaire was administered to 197 grade V pupils towards the end of their school year. The data were coded on computer cards, analyzed by computer, recorded and studied. -- Results and Recommendations -- The major findings of the study were: -- 1. Differences in the reading interests between boys and girls were significant in ten areas: adventure, mystery and detective, school stories, hobbies, science and invention, sports, and humorous and nonsensical poems. -- 2. Significant differences between boys and girls in the content of basal readers existed for only one text, Exploring Afar. -- 3. Verbal I.Q. significantly influenced reading interests in the areas of mystery and detective, and sports. -- 4. No significant differences existed between verbal intelligence and the content of the basal readers investigated. -- 5. Non-verbal I.Q. significantly influenced the reading interest of pupils in only one category, sports. -- 6. No significant differences existed between nonverbal I.Q. and the content of the basal readers investigated. -- 7. Reading achievement significantly influenced the reading interests of pupils in four areas: animals, mystery and detective, science fiction and biographies. -- 8. Significant differences between reading achievement and the content of basal readers existed for only one text, Voyager 11. -- 9. Chronological age significantly influenced reading interests in two areas: people and places in other countries, and sports. -- 10. No significant differences existed between chronological age and the content of the basal readers investigated. -- As a result of the findings emerging from the study, a number of recommendations were made: -- 1. Further investigations should be conducted at other grade levels to determine the reading interests of pupils. -- 2. Investigations of this type should be undertaken periodically to determine the level of interest of pupils in provincially adopted texts. Furthermore, reading texts should not be purchased without some knowledge of the interest rating of their contents for children. -- 3. Provision should be included in the procedure for adopting basal texts to allow for textbook changes to be made regularly in order to meet the reading interest requirements of school children. -- 4. The Provincial Department of Education should establish a committee which would have as its prime task to assess the reading interests of pupils throughout the province with a view of creating provincial basal readers for the province. -- 5. Schools and school districts should be encouraged to develop adequate library facilities with materials compatible with children's reading interest