Sociocultural and Cognitive Dimensions of Reading Attitudes: High School Students' Self-Reported Hours Spent Reading

• In Event: 44.071 - Research in Reading and Literacy SIG III

Abstract

Reading is a cognitive process as well as a social practice that varies by context, but very little is known about high school students’ social reading attitudes or their social behaviors around written texts. The primary purpose of this study is to develop an instrument that measures the sociocultural and cognitive dimensions of reading motivations. The survey was administered to 286 students (grades 9-12) from a well-established charter school in a large Midwestern city, and this investigation explores differences across grade level, race, and self-reported hours spent reading for school and for pleasure. Initial findings indicate differences in attitudes and social behaviors among racial groups and students who report reading more but no difference in perceived self-efficacy.

Authors

• Amanda O Maher, Eastern Michigan University

• Robert D. Carpenter, Eastern Michigan University