EFFECTS OF READING STORYBOOKS ALOUD TO CHILDREN

Findings from a longitudinal study of reading comprehension developmen t that revealed a negative relationship between the amount of time kin dergarten teachers spend reading to kindergarten children and the chil dren's reading achievement are presented. The amount of time first-gra de teachers spent reading to their students was unrelated to the readi ng achievement of their students. Results are discussed in terms of a ''displacement theory.'' In other words, teachers who read the most sp ent the least amount of time in teaching activities that were positive ly correlated with reading achievement. Further information gathered f rom parent questionnaires about the time they spend reading to their c hildren and the children's independent reading reveal a positive relat ionship between reading achievement and the time children spend engage d with print, but no relationship between reading achievement and the amount of time parents spent reading to their children. Further analys es revealed no relationship between kindergarten teachers' reading and the children's subsequent performance in first grade. These results a re discussed in terms of the need to involve children in print to impr ove their reading achievement and the lack of ''magical'' improvement that results when parents or teachers read to children.