M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Library Science) / Children's literature transmits values regarded as important by society and is an important means of socialisation. It will tend to reflect those· values regarded as important and fundamental to the dominant social class. Alternative values and the questioning of traditional values only takes place in children's literature when society in general begins to question its values. Reading is a transactional process. Meaning is not "contained in the text" but the result of interaction between the reader and the text. The reader's cultural background and attitudes will play an important role in determining how a text will be understood. Children from diverse backgrounds will not necessarily understand a text in the same way, as they bring their background to the text and understand it or interpret it in the light of that background or schema. Values are the foundation on which people base their actions, beliefs and attitudes. Each culture develops its own value system in terms of which values will be ranked in order of importance. Through socialisation these value systems will be passed on to new generations...

The problem of this study was undertaken to determine what reading material might be developed from the meaningful vocabularies, experiences, and interests of some slow learners from one of the second grades of Nederland, Texas.

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Bibliography: pages 490-552. / Two fundamental questions which frequently confront a children's librarian are 'what do you suggest my child should read?' and 'Why does my child not read, and what can be done to rectify the situation?' It is fairly easy to deal with the first question by referring either to one's own knowledge of children's literature or to the many authoritative books on the subject. The second question poses a problem, because, although much concern has been expressed regarding reading reluctance, current perceptions generally relate to limited aspects only. Such perceptions tend to be based on incidental observations and untested premises rather than on rigorously executed research. Hence it was decided to undertake this research project in an attempt to fill a gap in a sound understanding of reading reluctance among children in a given library environment.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M. Bibl. in the Department of Library Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1987. / Primary school children of the Mehlwesizwe Circuit, who are learning to read for the first time do not have sufficient reading material in Zulu. These books are essential to the formulation of proper reading habits and the stimulation of the desire to read. An investigation was conducted with all lower primary schools of Mehlwesizwe Circuit, South African publishers, all local bookshops and libraries to ascertain whether any appropriate books in Zulu were available for purchase or loan. Results indicated that few such books were available and of those found, 88 % were translations from other languages and were often unsuitable.1 Possible solutions and recommendations have been presented. / Human Sciences Research Council

The purpose of this study is to provide a community with the resources necessary to help children become proficient readers. This qualitative study explored the literature on attributes of successful Community Family Literacy Centers and before and after school tutoring programs. Community Family Literacy Centers are localized places where families can build literacy skills in a supportive and safe environment.

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This study investigated the leisure reading of British Columbia grade 6 anglophone French immersion students, attempting to find out their genre preferences, their language preferences, the amounts they read, and whether there were significant differences between the reading of the boys and the girls. It further sought to determine whether there were any relationships between the children's reading and teacher, teacher-librarian and public librarian activities, or the French language materials to which the children had access. Data were collected by means of four questionnaires—to grade 6 immersion students, to grade 6 language arts teachers (English and French), to teacher-librarians in immersion schools, and to public librarians in communities with immersion schools. Statistical analyses were made of: circumstances reported by the teachers, teacher-librarians, and public librarians by isolating the replies of the children in the corresponding classes. This researcher found that: children preferred to read in English; genre preferences varied widely from child to child, and were different between boys and girls; very few activities of teachers, teacher-librarians or public librarians could be related to the volume of children's reading; and very few circumstances of the school library collections could be related to the volume of children's reading. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

The problem addressed by this investigation is whether the provision of centralized school library services is related to the reading habits and reading abilities of elementary school children. In considering this problem, a survey approach was utilized which entailed the examination of standardized reading achievement test scores, student reading records, and parent, teacher, and student questionnaire responses.