"A child's love for reading begins at an early age as families share literacy experiences together. Teachers also play an important role in influencing positive attitudes about reading." (Campbell Hill, Johnson & Schlick Noe, 1995, p. 4)
The second area of assessment investigated was reading attitude. The instrument chosen was the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990) which is in the public domain. This tool examines gender differences in attitude toward recreational and in school reading. The purpose of administering the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey was to measure student attitudes toward reading at the beginning and end of the Boys' and Girls' Literacy: Closing the Gap project. This assessment was administered during the initial and final assessment periods of the study.
Reading attitude reveals one's interest and motivation towards reading. These attitudes are influenced by previous experiences with literacy in the home, school, and the community. Other factors affecting attitude include purpose for reading, interest in the reading material, and the appropriate support systems at home and school.
While not measuring reading attitude but literacy levels, PISA (OECD, 2001) analyzed the following factors that relate to reading attitude: parent's academic interest and educational support, parent's social interests, student's cultural activities, reading for enjoyment, and teacher support. Therefore, assessing students' attitudes toward reading is an essential component to understand their literacy development.
Assessors
Eleven recently retired elementary teachers participated as assessors. They included: Lorraine Fullarton,
Brenda Ward, Linda McKay, Susan MacLeod, Fran Wilson, Janice Taylor, Pauline Springer, Kathy Bowen, Joan
Taylor-Lamrock, Diana McCabe, and Peggy Strange. The twelfth assessor, Jeanne Wood, is a current educator.
Training workshops were held on the use of the Basic Reading
Inventory (Johns, 2001) and the Elementary
Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990). The assessors were each provided with the inventory,
copies of the attitude survey, and the scoring guide.