Purple Team Reading Surveys

Reading Surveys
Lisa M. Ortiz, Christy McKoy, Micha Parker
Grand Canyon University
RDG 585
April 21, 2010


Abstract
There are many factors and reasons that determine a person’s desire and motivation to read. There have been a number of surveys and polls, which seek to determine the interests of readers. The following piece analyzes a few of the surveys that examine the motivation behind one’s desire to read.

Reading Surveys
Student interest in reading has changed throughout the decades. Many people may be under the assumption that young people today do not enjoy reading, simply because they are over stimulated by our high technological society. Children today spend a great deal of time using the computer, playing digital games on various gaming devices, listening to music on ipods and spend a good amount of time with friends. Despite the numerous endeavors today’s young ones are involved in, many surveys suggest that children and adolescents do like to read literature.
In 2007, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) conducted a Reading Survey of children’s attitudes about reading. This was the third study of its kind conducted by the NFER. The survey questioned nine and eleven year old students in England. In the previous 2003 survey, the study found that there was a decline in reading enjoyment. However, the 2007 survey did not indicate such a trend. Enjoyment for reading as well as reading confidence levels remained unchanged. However, the level for enjoyment did not rise up to the way it was in the 1998 Reading Survey (Sizmur, 2008). The NFER survey also found that more girls enjoy reading than boys and the children polled in the nine-year-old group enjoyed reading more than the eleven year olds (Sizmur, 2008). It is interesting that the report found that enjoyment for reading is poor in England as compared to other countries.
A different survey studied the joint effects of attitude and language arts achievement level on attitudes toward reading. A total of 82 sixth graders at a middle school in McDuffie County, Georgia, were involved in the study. All of the students had taken the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) in the fifth grade. The ITBS language arts composite scores were used to classify each student as being above average, average, or below average in language arts achievement. State norms concerning the ITBS were used in the classification process, yielding 30 students with above average scores, 30 students with average scores, and 22 students with below average scores.
This survey was given to 6,458 people. The average age was13 years old. About 63% of the participants were female and 37% were male. Thirty-five percent of the people were the oldest children in their family, while 33% were the youngest in their family, 24% were the middle child in the family, and 8% were the only child in their family. Almost half of the respondents live in towns (42%), with about the same percentage living in rural areas (19%) and suburban cities (20%). Only 13% live in big cities and 6% live in villages.
Two types of surveys were used to compile the data. The first a Likert scale with four options: 4 = makes you very happy, 3 = makes you slightly smile, 2 = makes you mildly upset, 1 = makes you very upset. For each response item on the attitude survey, the students were asked to write the number of the response that best described their feelings. The second type of survey was a picture survey. This survey used pictures of Garfield, the cat. The options were: 4 = very happy Garfield, 3 = slightly smiling Garfield, 2 = mildly upset Garfield, 1 = very upset Garfield. Next to each response option was a corresponding picture of Garfield, with a facial expression concurrent with the respective option.
The survey was randomly distributed to the students. The student’s final score was determined by adding the 20 scores for the items, thus yielding a possible low score of 20 and a possible high score of 80. There were two students who didn’t complete the survey and their scores were not included.
There was no significant main effect on attitude scores due to student ability. However, the main effect due to format was significant, with the Likert-type format producing significantly higher scores than did the Garfield format. The tests indicated that there was no significant difference between attitudes of above average students given the Likert-type scale and above average students given the Garfield format. However, average students and below average students both had significantly higher attitude scores when they were given the Likert-type format than when they were given the Garfield format. For students who were given the Garfield format, above average students and average students had significantly higher attitude scores than did below average students. For students given the Likert-type format, average students and below average students had significantly higher attitude scores than the above average students did.
Another survey addresses the need to prepare students for Kindergarten ages 3-6. Many parents poled in this survey agreed that it was very important to prepare their children for Kindergarten. It also addresses how reading is something that is important in the household as well as how implementing the use of video games can be a way to teach their children how to read. This is similar to the NFER survey, in how children’s interests should be taken into consideration, especially when it comes to reading.


References
Sizmur, J. (2008). Attitudes to Reading Survey-Rhyme or Reason?, (57), 29-31.
Sizmur, J. (2008). Children’s Attitudes to Reading. Literacy Today, (54), 20-21.
Ryan, B., & Smith, L.R. (1997, Summer). Language arts achievement level, attitude survey
format, and adolescents' attitudes toward reading. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n126_v32/ai_19619408/?tag=content;col1
O’Donnell, Kevin. (2008). Parents Reports of the School Readiness of Young Children from National Household Education Surveys Program of 2007. Retrieved from April 20, 2010 www.eric.gov
Buschick,Mary E, &Shipton, Tracey A. & Winner, Laurie M. &Wise, Melissa D. (2007). Increasing Reading Motivation in elementary and middle school students through the use of multiple intelligences. Retrieved April 20, 2010 www.eric.gov