RELATIONSHIPS OF INSTRUCTION TO AMOUNT OF READING - AN EXPLORATION OFSOCIAL, COGNITIVE, AND INSTRUCTIONAL CONNECTIONS

THE AUTHORS examined the association of reading instruction with the a mount and breadth of students' reading activities, taking account of s ocial, cognitive, and home factors. They conducted secondary analyses of a large national database for students aged 9, 13, and 17. Using an swers from student questionnaires, the authors applied conceptual crit eria and factor analysis to identify five constructs (such as study st rategies) for 9 year olds, eight for 13 year olds, and nine for 17 yea r olds, then performed path analyses to describe the relationships of these constructs to amount of reading activity. The resulting path mod els for the three age groups had goodness of fit indices of .98 or hig her. For 9 year olds, amount of reading was associated with levels of social interaction surrounding reading, cognitive strategies for readi ng, and teacher-directed instruction. The path model for 13 and 17 yea r olds was generally similar to that for 9 year olds. In accounting fo r students' amount and breadth of reading, the authors emphasized an i nstructional framework that supports the social and cognitive needs of students from a wide range of home backgrounds.