scholarly journals Urban Teenagers Talk about Leisure Reading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Hughes-Hassell
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban School Districts ◽  
Literacy Programs ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Reading Behaviors ◽  
Leisure Reading ◽  
Below Grade Level

In urban school districts in the United States, it is not unusual for 80 percent of the eighth-graders to read below grade level. Schools are tackling low literacy levels by initiating literacy programs, many of which contain a focus on building the habit of leisure reading. While research has shown a connection between success in school and the amount of leisure reading students do, little is known about the leisure reading habits of urban teenagers. This paper reports the results of a three-part study investigating the leisure reading behaviors of urban teenagers and suggests strategies to support their literacy development.

Cognitive and Academic Functioning of Homeless Children Compared With Housed Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-294
Author(s):  
David H. Rubin ◽  
Candace J. Erickson ◽  
Mutya San Agustin ◽  
Sean D. Cleary ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Functioning ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Homeless Children ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Below Grade Level

Background. During the past 10 years, the number of homeless families has increased in every region of the United States. Despite several studies of this population, there are few data regarding the cognitive functioning of these homeless children. The aim of this controlled study was to determine the effect of homelessness on cognitive and academic functioning of children aged 6 to 11 years. Methods. Homeless children (N = 102) and their mothers living in shelters were compared with a housed group of children (N = 178) and their mothers selected from the homeless child's classroom in New York City between August 1990 and August 1992. Groups were compared using standardized cognitive and academic performance instruments. Results. Controlling for child's age, sex, race, social class, and family status, verbal intelligence (estimated by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and nonverbal intelligence (estimated by the Raven's Progressive Matrices) were not significantly different between the groups. However, academic achievement (measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised [WRAT-R]) was significantly poorer in reading (75% of homeless children compared with 48% of housed children were below grade level), spelling (72.4% of homeless children compared with 50% of housed children were below grade level), and arithmetic (53.6% of homeless children compared with 21.7% of housed children were below grade level). These dramatic differences in academic performance did not appear to be related to the mother's report of the number of days missed from school or the length of homelessness, but were associated with: (1) the number of school changes for the WRAT-R reading subtest, and (2) grade repetition for the WRAT-R spelling subtest. Conclusions. These data demonstrate no difference in cognitive functioning between homeless and housed children. However, homeless children performed significantly more poorly than housed children in tests of academic performance.

Anne O. Krueger, Constantine Michalopoulos and Vernon W. Ruttan. Aid and Development. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1989. xiv + 386 pp.Price: U.S. $ 52.00

1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-217
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
International Development ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Development Assistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

Foreign aid has been the subject of much examination and research ever since it entered the economic armamentarium approximately 45 years ago. This was the time when the Second World War had successfully ended for the Allies in the defeat of Germany and Japan. However, a new enemy, the Soviet Union, had materialized at the end of the conflict. To counter the threat from the East, the United States undertook the implementation of the Marshal Plan, which was extremely successful in rebuilding and revitalizing a shattered Western Europe. Aid had made its impact. The book under review is by three well-known economists and is the outcome of a study sponsored by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of assistance, i.e., aid, on economic development. This evaluation however, was to be based on the existing literature on the subject. The book has five major parts: Part One deals with development thought and development assistance; Part Two looks at the relationship between donors and recipients; Part Three evaluates the use of aid by sector; Part Four presents country case-studies; and Part Five synthesizes the lessons from development assistance. Part One of the book is very informative in that it summarises very concisely the theoretical underpinnings of the aid process. In the beginning, aid was thought to be the answer to underdevelopment which could be achieved by a transfer of capital from the rich to the poor. This approach, however, did not succeed as it was simplistic. Capital transfers were not sufficient in themselves to bring about development, as research in this area came to reveal. The development process is a complicated one, with inputs from all sectors of the economy. Thus, it came to be recognized that factors such as low literacy rates, poor health facilities, and lack of social infrastructure are also responsible for economic backwardness. Part One of the book, therefore, sums up appropriately the various trends in development thought. This is important because the book deals primarily with the issue of the effectiveness of aid as a catalyst to further economic development.

scholarly journals EFL Textbook Analysis: A Case Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harison Mohd Sidek
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Textbook Analysis ◽  
Secondary Curriculum ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Below Grade Level

The purpose of the present study was to determine how well Malaysian EFL Secondary Curriculum prepares upper secondary students for tertiary reading in English. This study is explorative in nature. The data for this study were acquired from a Malaysian national EFL upper secondary textbook. The data were in the form of comprehension reading passages in the selected EFL textbook. In this case study, reading instructional design in the EFL textbook was analyzed in terms of types and the grade-level length of passages used in the textbook. The findings show that reading instructional design in the EFL textbook significantly emphasizes the use of narrative passages with the majority of the passages being below grade-level texts.

scholarly journals The Impact of Print vs. Digital Resources on Moroccan University Students’ Reading Habits, Uses, and Preferences

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Maryem Larhmaid
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Reading Practices ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Reading Behaviors ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Online Newspapers ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Information Consumers ◽  
The Impact

The widespread use of digital resources, the Internet and the development of technology have brought several significant changes in reading practices, preferences and use among information consumers. Readers of the 21st century have many options for reading thanks to the rapid growth of electronic-based reading materials, instead of printed ones, such as online newspapers, electronic books, digital encyclopedias, and online academic journals, as well as the expansion of e-book readers. All of these have contributed to changing readers’ reading strategies, reading preferences, and attitudes toward the act of reading. In the field of academia, for instance, there has been a tremendous shift from paper-based reading to screen-based reading. Given the fact that digital devices have become pervasive, and that reading has recently become a digital activity, this article proposes the need to investigate the impact of print vs. digital reading materials on Moroccan undergraduate students’ reading behaviors, preferences and use.

scholarly journals AN EXAMINATION OF ONE FACTOR IN SCHOOL REFORM: INCREASED TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY IN TWO URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (27) ◽  
pp. 329-344
Author(s):  
Nadine Bonda
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Standardized Testing ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban School Districts ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Study Approach

Beginning in 2009, and with the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, school districts across the United States began to be held to higher standards and their progress publicly reported.  Student achievement began to be measured by standardized testing and great efforts were being made to reduce the achievement gap. This paper is based on a five-year study of teacher evaluation in two urban districts in Massachusetts where improving teacher practice was seen as an important factor in raising student achievement. This research studied efforts to address those teachers who were identified as underperforming and were supported through individual improvement plans.  This paper used a case study approach to show what the practices of a sampling of these teachers looked like, teachers’ reactions to being rated unsatisfactory, and teachers’ reactions to the improvement planning process.

Readability of Online Health Information: A Meta-Narrative Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 487-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lubna Daraz ◽  
Allison S. Morrow ◽  
Oscar J. Ponce ◽  
Wigdan Farah ◽  
Abdulrahman Katabi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
General Public ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Cross Sectional

Online health information should meet the reading level for the general public (set at sixth-grade level). Readability is a key requirement for information to be helpful and improve quality of care. The authors conducted a systematic review to evaluate the readability of online health information in the United States and Canada. Out of 3743 references, the authors included 157 cross-sectional studies evaluating 7891 websites using 13 readability scales. The mean readability grade level across websites ranged from grade 10 to 15 based on the different scales. Stratification by specialty, health condition, and type of organization producing information revealed the same findings. In conclusion, online health information in the United States and Canada has a readability level that is inappropriate for general public use. Poor readability can lead to misinformation and may have a detrimental effect on health. Efforts are needed to improve readability and the content of online health information.

Measuring Text Readability Using Reading Level

2019 ◽  
pp. 93-103
Author(s):  
James C. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Pages ◽  
Wide Audience ◽  
Reading Grade Level ◽  
Text Readability ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
The Military

Reading grade level calculations have been in use for over a century in the United States and have guided the selection of texts used in school programs. Government agencies at all levels, the military in its various branches, and editors of publications have found such formulas of use in setting policy or determining who can participate in programs. As readership is now a worldwide phenomenon with English as the primary language of the internet, reading grade level calculations can also be useful in creating web pages and assigning reading texts to large multi-user classes (MOOCs) run over the internet. In this regard, it is possible for faculty to be assured that the material is reachable to a wide audience by checking reading grade level and providing additional guidance for the more difficult items in the form of discussion or focused questions. Authors can use the formulas as a tool to check the quality of their own writing and improve sections which are unnecessarily complex.

Errant Readers

2021 ◽  
pp. 90-112
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Print Culture ◽  
Reading Practices ◽  
Reading Public ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
The Public ◽  
Journal Editors ◽  
Uncertain Outcome ◽  
Primary Object ◽  
Leisure Reading ◽  
Reform Project

This chapter discusses serialized translated novels. The Arabic novel made its own proper entry into the Arabic print sphere at this moment as a part of the uncertain reform project of print culture. Novels were published after and alongside a larger body of serialized translated novels that in fact occupied the greater part of the new audience's leisure reading habits. Over the course of the first decades of commercial print from the late 1850s to the late 1870s, serialized translated novels appeared in almost every type of Arabic periodical; for many readers, the word “novel” itself probably referred to these works and not the few original ones produced to compete with them. It was not just news translation that was central to the development of Arabic print culture; the translated novel, which appeared first and most prominently in serialized form, was often identified as part of periodicals' reform projects. At the same time that editors embraced translated fiction as a vehicle for their messages, however, their claim that these works served serious moral purposes was by no means indisputable. These novels' excesses were not always containable by the moral intentions of journal editors, who sometimes resorted to qualifications and elaborate interpretations in order to justify their publication. Print's civilizing reform mission, as uncertain as it was, had a primary object: the modern reading subject. Transforming the public into a reading public, and one that read properly, was the goal of many magazine producers who outlined ideal reading practices and modeled them through novels. And it was likewise a goal with an uncertain outcome.

Reframing Suburbs: Race, Place, and Opportunity in Suburban Educational Spaces

2020 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2097267
Author(s):  
John B. Diamond ◽  
Linn Posey-Maddox ◽  
María D. Velázquez
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban School Districts ◽  
Suburban Schools ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Race And Class ◽  
Suburban Education ◽  
Educational Spaces ◽  
History Of ◽  
Core Issues

Most students in the United States attend suburban schools. However, most education research focuses on urban school districts. This may be in part because many of the core issues that currently drive education research—issues of race and class inequities, social mobility, immigration, English learning—are believed to be “urban” challenges. In this article, we argue that the changing nature of suburban schools and communities, and the history of their creation as education spaces, make them advantageous locations for education researchers to study many pressing issues and expand the ways we understand the intersections of race, place and inequality. We argue that education scholarship across multiple disciplinary orientations, theoretical foci, and substantive concerns can benefit from a deeper engagement with suburban education spaces and the issues and opportunities associated with them.

scholarly journals 3125 Acceptability of a Narrative Video to Enhance the Use of Genetic Counseling in Latina Women at-risk of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Community Health Worker’s Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 80-81
Author(s):  
Alejandra Hurtado de Mendoza ◽  
Kristi Graves ◽  
Sara Gómez-Trillos ◽  
Minna Song ◽  
Lyndsay Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
The United States ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Patient Navigators ◽  
Latino Community

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The goal of the study was to assess the acceptability of a culturally targeted narrative video and identify potential avenues for dissemination in a sample of bilingual community health workers who provide services to the Latino community in the United States. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We piloted the video in a sample of bilingual community health workers who provide services to Latinos (n=31). After watching the video, participants filled out a survey. The survey captured sociodemographic data (e.g. education), their role and experience working with Latinos (e.g. patient navigators), acceptability of the video (e.g. general satisfaction, length of the video, amount of information), and potential dissemination (e.g., dissemination channels, preferred settings to watch the video, and preferred context). Three open ended questions captured information about how the video could be useful for the Latino community, what they liked the most from the video, and suggestions for improvement. Data was entered in SPSS version 25. We used descriptive statistics to analyze the survey, and content analysis to summarize the feedback from the open-ended questions. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants (n = 31) had an average age of 46 years (SD=16.99), all self-identified as Hispanic or Latinos, most were female (90.3%), and worked as patient navigators (29%) or community outreach workers (25.8%). The video’s general acceptability was very high. Participants reported high ratings for overall satisfaction, how much they liked the video, enjoyed it, and considered it to be interesting (all means >9.6, range 1-10). Most participants strongly agreed or agreed that the length was adequate (80.7%), that the information presented was very helpful (100%), that the video could be useful for the Latina community (96.8%), and that they would share the video with women at-risk of HBOC (100%). The highest endorsed channels for dissemination were Facebook (90.3) and YouTube (87.1%). The highest endorsed settings were community centers (100%), churches (96.8%), and hospitals (80.6%). Most participants (90.3%) considered that the best context to watch the video would be with relatives, followed by watching with other women at-risk of HBOC (71.0%), friends (71.0%), and lastly by oneself (41.9%) DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This study represents a multidisciplinary approach to intervention development that aims to reduce well-documented knowledge gaps and disparities in the use of GCRA among at-risk Latinas. A culturally targeted video has the potential to reach underserved populations with low literacy and English proficiency and it can be widely disseminated. The video was well received by community health workers who reported high acceptability. These findings are promising given that community health workers could play a key role in the dissemination of the video if it is proven to be efficacious.

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