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Guthrie, John T.; And OthersMeasuring Reading Activity: An Inventory.Instructional Resource No. 4.National Reading Research Center, Athens, GA.;National Reading Research Center, College Park,MD.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),Washington, DC.94PR-117A2000720p.
Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160) ReportsDescriptive (141)
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.Elementary Education; Evaluation Methods; *ReadingAbility; *Reading Achievement; Reading Tests; TestReliabilityReading Activity Inventory; *Reading Behavior
Noting that the amount of reading students do isrelated to their reading achievement, this booklet presents aninstrument designed to msasure the amount and breadth of students'reading in and out of school. The first part of the booklet discussesthe Reading Activity Inventory (RAI) and how it differs from otherreading activity measures, uses of the RAI, and the reliability ofthe instrument. The second part of the booklet discussesadministration and scoring of the RAI and presents the instrumentitself. Contains five references. (RS)
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Reproductions supplied by EDRS aro the best that can be madefrom the original document.
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MEASURING,READING ACTIVITYAN INVENTORY
JOHN T. GUTHRIE
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NRRC
KAREN MCGOUGH ALLAN WIGFIELD
LInstructional Resource No. 4National Reading Research Center Spring 1994
2 BEST Corr AVAILABLE
NRRCNational Reading Research Center
Measuring Reading ActivityAn Inventory
John T. GuthrieKaren Mc Gough
Allan WigfieldUniversity of Maryland College Park
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE NO. 4Spring 1994
Cover photo courtesy of Superstock
The work reported herein is a National Reading Research Center Project of theUniversity of Georgia and University of Maryland. It was supported under theEducational Research and Development Centers Program (PR/AWARD NO117A20007) as administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
U.S. Department of Education. The findings and opinions expressed here do notnecessarily reflect the position or policies of the National Reading Research Center,
the Office ot Educational Research and Improvement, or the U.S. Department ofEducation.
NRRC NationalReading ResearchCenter
Executive CommitteeDonna E. ANormann, Co-Directortin lversAy of Georgia
John T. Guthrie, Go-DirectorUniversity of Maryland College Park
James F. Baumann, Associate DirectorUniversity of Georgia
Patricia S. Koskinen, Associate DirectorUnr VersNy of Maryland Collage Park
Linda C. De GroffUniversity of Georgia
John F. O'FiehavanUnivorsity of Maryland College Park
James V. HoffmanUniversity of Texas at Austin
Cynthia R. HyndUniversity of Georgia
Robert Serpa liUniversity of Maryland Baltimore County
Publications Editors
Rosaarch Reports and PerspectivesDavid Reinking, Receiving EditorUnivers* of Georgia
Linda Baker, Tracking EditorUniversNy of Maryland Baltimore County
Linda C. De Groff, Tracking EditorUnivers* of Georgia
Mariam Jean Dreher. Tracking EditcrUnivarsity ol Maryland College Park
Instructional ResourcesLee Gaida, University of GeorgiaReuerch HighlightsWilliam G. HollidayUniversity of Marykind College Park
Policy BriefsJames V. HoffmanUniversity of Texas at Austin
I/ MoosShawn M Glynn, University of Georgia
NRRC StaffBarbera F. Howard, C)ffice ManagerCam:Ike R Bush, Senior SecretaryUnivers* of Georgia
Barbara A. Nettzey, Admnistrative AssistantValerie Tyra, AccountantUniversity of Maryland College Park
National Advisory BoardPhyllis W. AkirichSaratoga Warren Board of Cooperative EducationalServioes, Saratoga Springs, New York
Arthur N. App lobesState University of New York, Albany
Ronakl S. BrandtAssociation for Supervision and CurriculumDevelopment
Marshi T. De LainDelaware Department of Public Instruction
Carl A. GrantUniversity of Wisccosin-Madison
Walter KintschUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
Robert L. LinnUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
Luis C MoilUniversity of Arizona
Card M. SantaSchool District No. 5Kalispell, Montai sit
Anne P. SweetOffice of Educational Research and Improvement,U.S. Department of Education
Louise Cherry WilkinsonRutgers University
Technical WrIter and Production EditorSusan L. YarboroughUniversity of Georgia
Dissemination CoordinatorJordana Rid)University of Georgia
NRRC University of Georgia318 AderhoidUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, Georgia 30602-7125(706) 542-3674 Fax: (706) 542-3678INTERNET. NRRCOugacc.uga.edu
NRRC - University of Maryland College Park2102 J. M Patterson BuildingUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, Maryland 20742(301) 405-8035 Fax (301) 314-9625INTERNET. NRRCeumail umd edu
About the National Reading Research Center
The National Reading Research Center (NRRC)is funded by the Office of Educational Researchand Improvement of the U.S. Department of Educa-tion to conduct research on reading and readinginstruction. The NRRC is operated by a consortiumof the University of Georgia and the Unh.,arsity ofMaryland College Park in collaboration with re-searchers at several institutions nationwide.
The NRRC's mission is to discover and docu-ment those conditions in homes, schools, andcommunities that encourage "children to becomeskilled, enthusiastic, lifelong readers. NRRC re-searchers are committed to advancing the develop-ment of instructional programs sensitive to thecognitive, sociocultural, and motivational factorsthat affect children's success in reading. NRRCresearchers from a variety of disciplines conductstudies with teachers and students from widelydiverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds inprekindergarten through grade 12 classrooms.Research projects deal with the influence of familyand family-school interactions on the developmentof literacy; the interaction of sociocultural factorsand motivation to read; the impact of literature-based reading programs on reading achievement;the effects of reading strategies instruction oncomprehension and critical thinking in literature,science, and history; the influence of innovativegroup participation structures on motivation andlearning; the potential of computer technology toenhance literacy; and the development of methodsand standards for alternative literacy assessments
The NRRC is further committed to the partici-pation of teachers as full partners in its research. Abetter understanding of how teachers view thedevelopment of literacy, how they use knowledgefrom researth, and how they approach change inthe classroom is crucial to Improving Instruction Tofurther this understanding, the NRRC conductsschool-based research in which teachers explore
their own philosophical and pedagogical orienta-tions and trace their professional growth.
Dissemination is an important feature of NRRCactivities. Information on NRRC research appearsin several formats. Research Reports communicatethe results of original research or synthesize thefindings of several lines of inquiry. They are writtenprimarily for researchers studying various areas ofreading and reading instruction. The PerspectiveSeries presents a wide range of publications, fromcalls for research and commentary on research andpractice to first-person accounts of experiences inschools. Instructional Resources include curriculummaterials, instructional guides, and materials forprofessional growth, designed primarily for teach-ers.
For more information about the NRRC's re-search projects and other activities, or to have yourname added to the mailing list, please contact:
Donna E. Alvermann, Co-DirectorNational Reading Research Center318 Aderhold HallUniversity of GeorgiaAthens, GA 30602-7125(706) 542-3674
John T. Guthrie, Co-DirectorNational Reading Research Center2102 J. M. Patterson BuildingUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742(301) 405-8035
NRRC Editorial Review Board
Pabicia Adkinsthmity of Georgia
Peter AtroarbechLThivieraity of Maryland Cava Palk
Joi Irrth AlienLk Inanity of Georgie
Patty Andersliniverairy, of Arizona
Tom AndersonUnivorsity of lama at Urbana-Champaign
Harristko ArlingtonUnivorsity of Kentucky
keno BlumPine Springs Samaritan, SchoolFails Chuith, Virginia
John BorkowskiNotre Demo University
Cynthia BowanBaltimore County Public SchoolsToweon, Maryland
Markt. CarrLlnivaraty of Georgia
Suzann. Clew* IIMonfgomory County Public SchoolsRockville, Maryland
Joan Co*,Moslem Maryland Co Sego
WW1* CornmeyraaUrwerary of Georgia
Unda CooperShaksr Heights City SchoolsShaker eoghts, Ohio
Karen Cattail*Connoctscut Dapartment of EducationHanford, Connacticut
Karin DaNOhio Slate University
Lynn* Diaz-RicoCalifornia State Univorsity-SanBornardino
M. Jean DrollerUnwarsity of Maryland College Park
Pamela DunstanUnivorsity of Gaorgia
An FloodSan Diego State University
Dans FoxUrworsity of Arizona
Unda GsmbrellUnwarsity of Maryland College Park
Valeria GarfieldChattahoochee Elementary SchnolCumming, Georgia
Sherrie Gibney-ShermanAthens-Clarkii Counry SchoolsAthens, Georgia
Rachel GrantUniversity of Maryland College Park
Darbara GuzzattiAnzona State University
Jan. HaughCantor for Dove loping LearningPotentialsSilver Sonny,. Maryland
Beth Ann HerrmannUniversity ol South Carolina
Kathleen HeubachUnivorsity of Georgia
Susan HIMUnneersity of Mary4and Cokige Park
Sally Hudson-RossUnivorsity of Gaorgia
Cynthia HyndUniversity of Goorgia
Robert JimenezUniversity of Oregon
Karen JohnsonPennsylvania State University
James KingUniversity of South Ronda
Sandra KimbrollWest Hall Mkkille SchoolOaMvood, Goorgia
Kale KirbyGwinnott County Public SchoolsLawrenceville, Georgia
Sophie KowzunPrince Georges County SchoolsLandover, Maryland
Linda LabboUniversity of Gaorgia
Rosary LankVirgwaa Polytechnic Msbtute
Michael LawUniversity of Georgia
Sarah McCartheyUniversity of Texas at Austin
Veda McClainUniversity of Goorgia
Lisa McFall*Univorstty of Goorgia
Mike McKennaGeorgia Southern University
Donna Mae layLOULSWIA9 State University
Barbara Mich/MorFon. lor DMA, Elomantary SchoolAthens, Goorgia
Akintunde MoreklnyoUnivarsity of Maryland College Park
Lesley MorrowRutgars Unrvarsity
Basco MurrayUniveraity ol Gaorgia
Susan NeumanTomphr University
Carolina NoyesUniversity of Groorgia
John O'FlahavonUnivorsity of Maryland College Park
Penny OldtatherUniversity of Goorgra
Joan PagnuccoUnrvarsity of Goorgia
Barbara PalmerMount Saint Mary's Coaege
Wks PlckleGaorgra SoiAhom University
Jessi PolackMaryland Department of EducationBallroom Maryland
Sally PorierBlair High School&Ivor Spring, Maryland
Michael PressleyStat University of New York at Albany
John ReadencsUri/varsity of Nevada-Las Vegas
Torn ReevesUnwersty of Georgia
Lenore RingletNow York University
Mary RoeUniversity of Delaware
Mad4sen T. RuizCakfornia State University-Sam,"
Robecca SammonsUnrversity of Maryland College Park
Paula SchwanenflugalUniversity of Georgia
Robort SerpollUniversity of Maryland BaltimoreCounty
Batty thockleyFosoler Drive Elementary SchoolAthans, Georgia
Susan SonnenscheinUniversity of Maryland BaltimoreCounty
Stay. StahlUnivorsity ol Georgia
Anne SweetOffice of Educational Researchand Improvement
Llqing TaoUnrversity of Georgia
Ruby ThompsonClark Atlanta University
Louise TomlinsonUnwary of Georgia
Bruce VanShoddghtUnivarsity of Maryliaqd College Park
Chris WaltonNortham Tarritory UrWersityAustralia
to Janet WatkinsUniversity of Goorgia
Sandy TumarkinStnnikarry Knob Elomentary SchoolGaithersburg, Maryland
Shells ilakmiclaUniversity of Washington
Lcuise WaynantPrima George's County SchoolsUpper Marlboro, Maryland
PrisciUs WaynantRoiling Marco Elomontary SchoolTakoma Park, Maryland
Dem WeassrAthens-Clarke County Schools
Jan* WestUniversity of Gsorgia
Stays WhiteUnivarsety of Gisorgia
Allen WignoldUniversity ol Maryland College Park
Shelley WongUniversity of Maryland Colley* Park
About the Authors
John T. Guthde is Co-Director of the NationalReading Research Center and Professor ofHuman Development at the University of Mary-land at College Park. He was formerly ResearchDirector for the International Reading Associa-tion. He may be contacted at the followingaddress: National Reading Research Center,2102 J.M. Patterson Building, University ofMaryland, College Park, MD 20742. Phone:(301) 405-8036
Karen Mc Gough received a master's degree inthe Department of Human Development, Uni-versity of Maryland at College Park in June1993.
Allan Wigfield is Associate Professor of HumanDevelopment at the University of Maryland atCollege Park. He is also a principal investigatorwith the National Reading Research Center. Hemay be contacted at: 3242 Benjamin Building,l/J,niversity of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.Phone: (301) 405-2809
MeasuringReadingActivityAn Inventory
John T. GuthrieKaren Mc Gough
Allan WigfieldUniversity of Maryland College Park
Naticrtal Reading Research CenterUniversities of Georgia and Maryland
Instructional Resource No. 4
Spring 1544
V.
The Reading Activity Inventory (RAI) isa measure of the amount and breadthof students' reading in and out ofschool. (See pp. 5-11 for the both theinstrument and the administration andscoring information.) Studies haveshown that the amount ef reading stu-dents do is related to their readingachievement (Anderson, Wilson, &
Fielding, 1988). The RAI is designed tohelp teachers monitor their students'reading, both individually and in theclass as a whole. By administering theRAI at the beginning of the schoolyear, teachers can be alert to theirstudents' interests, and can encouragetheir reading by suggesting books thatthey might find appealing. Teachersmay also use the RAI to check students'growth in reading and other activitiesfrom the beginning of the year to theend. Planning a curriculum that coin-cides with students' interests may moti-vate students to learn by giving them asense of control about what happens inthe classroom.
The Reading Activity Inventorydiffers from other reading activity mea-sures on several points. Stanovich andCunningham (1993) reported that printexposure measures, such as the AuthorRecognition Test (ART), the MagazineRecognition Test (MRT), and the News-paper Recognition Test (NRT) are pre-
2 John T. Guthrie, Karen Mc Gough & Allan Wigfield
dictors of reading vocabulary andknowledge. Although it appears thatfamiliarity with an author's name doesindicate greater knowledge, none ofthe print exposure measures can deter-mine how much or what kind of read-ing people actually do.
The RAI also differs from the Ele-mentary Reading Attitude Survey
(ERAS) (McKenna and Kear, 1990),
wi-iich is intended to describe students'attitudes toward reading in grades onethrough six. Although that survey doesexamine both recreational and academ-ic reading, it does not.explore readingfrequency or the types of books thatstudents read in school and at home.
The RAI covers three areas: socialactivities, school reading, and personalreading. Because it obtains informationabout students' activities, there is notlikely to be a social desirability factor.The questions in the inventory are suchthat students tend to be honest in theirresponses.
Uses of the RAI
The RAI can be administered to a class;n approximately 20 minutes at thebeginning and the end of the schoolyear to assess changes in classroom and
individual reading. Teachers can use itto learn what subjects their studentsare interested in, such as nature, sports,romance, and biography. This informa-tion may help them observe students'reading habits and direct students tofind additional material that might beappealing.
Designed for upper elementary tomiddle school students, the RAI wasinitially administered to fifth-graders. Itwas revised (October 1992) after its firstadministration. In the original version,there were questions about variousgenres of books such as science fiction,mystery, and adventure During inter-views with children after the test, how-ever, it was apparent that many chil-dren could not identify some types ofliterature, such as adventure or mysterystories, nor could they provide exam-ples of books they had read in thesegenres. Consequently, the questionsconcerning genres were replaced by asingle question asking whether stu-dents had read a book of fiction.
The RAI can be used to make in-structional decisions about curriculum.Teachers can identify the amount andtype of reading done both in schooland out and select a variety of booksfor the classroom that will increase the
NRRC National Reading Research Center
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Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory 3
frequency of reading. Special projectsmay be implemented including homereading projects and book sharing inwhich students discuss a book they arereading with a sibling or friend andthen trade books.
Reliability
Wigfield (1994) administered theRAI to 300 students from third, fourthand fifth grades. The data collected isbeing analyzed for reliability of themeasures used. Results will be docu-mented in a forthcoming NationalReading Research Center (NRRC) report.
The RAI was also administered to aclassroom of fifth-graders as part of astudy investigating the outcomes of acurriculum of concept-oriented readinginstruction (CORI) on motivation andstrategies in reading (Guthrie, Bennett,& Mc Gough, 1994). The RAI was ad-ministered to the CORI class both be-fore the initiation of this curriculumarid after its completion. During thattime, the RAI was also administered toa classroom that was usir.g a basal
reader (BASAL). The amount andbreadth of reading of students in theCORI classroom was significantly higherthan that in the BASAL classroom. A
one-way analysis of covariance be-tween the two groups was conducted.The total score for reading (combiningschool and personal reading) and thegeneral activity measure on the RAIwere covariates. The difference be-tween groups was significant, F (1,34)= 4.75, p < .036.
Instruction probably influenced thestudents' motivation. In addition tohaving higher scores on the RAI, stu-dents from the CORI classroom dis-played a greater motivation to read asassessed by the Motivations for Read-ing Scale (Guthrie et al., 1994). Childrenin CORI chose to read more often formo..e intrinsic reasons such as curiosity,aesthetic enjoyment, sociability, love ofa challenge, and competitiveness. Stu-dents from the CORI class were likely todescribe themselves by saying:
I like to read about new things.I enjoy a long, involved story or fic-tion book.If my friend is reading a good book. Iwill read it.
If a book is interesting, I don't carehow hard it is to read.
I like being the only one who knowsan answer in something we read.
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4 John T. Guthrie, Karen Mc Gough & Allan Wigfleld
The BASAL class displayed moreextrinsic reasons for reading such asrecognition, compliance, and workavoidance. These students were likelyto describe themselves by saying:
I like to get lots of compliments formy reading.
I always try to finish my reading ontime.
I am a good reader.
REFERENCES
Anderson, R. C., Wilson, P. T., & Field-ing, L.G. (1988). Growth in readingand how children spend their timeoutside of school. Reading ResearchQuarterly, 23, 285-303.
Guthrie, J. T., Bennett, L., & Mc Gough,K. (1994). Concept-oriented readinginstruction: An integrated curricu-lum to develop motivations andstrategies for reading (ReadingResearch Report No. 10). Athens,GA: National Reading Research
Center, Universities of Georgia andMaryland.
McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990).Measuring attitude toward reading:A new tool for teachers. The Read-ing Teacher, 43, 626-639.
Stanovich, K. E., & Cunningham, A. E.(1993). Where does knowledgecome from? Specific associationsbetween print exposure and infor-mation acquisition. Journal of Edu-cational Psychology, 85, 211-229.
Wigfield, A. (1994, April). Dimensionsof children's motivations for read-ing: An initial study. In K. Dahl & P.Oldfather (Chairs), Issues in Motiva-tions and Literacy Learning. Sym-posium conducted at the annualmeeting of the American Educa-tional Research Association, NewOrleans, LA.
NRRC National Reading Research Center
Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory 5
READING ACTIVITY INVENTORY
Administration and Scoring
The Reading Activity Inventory (RAI) isa quick way to find out how frequentlyand how widely students read andabout some of their other activities aswell. It consists of 26 questions and canbe administered to a class in 20 min-utes or less.
The RAI is shown on pp. 7-11 of thisresource and can easily be photocopiedfor use in the classroom.
Administration
As you distribute the RAI. forms, tellstudents that you want to find outwhat they read in school and whatthey do when they are on their own.Explain that the RAI is not a test andthat there are no 'right' answers.Encourage them to be honest.
The RAI can be administered in twoways: (a) teachers may read the ques-tionnaire aloud to the students; or (b)they may permit students to read andanswer the questions silently. We rec-ommend that teachers read a few ofthe questions aloud and allow thestudents, some of whom may not besure of the definitions of words likefiction, mystery, and biography, to ask
questions if they need to. Teachers canmodel answering the questions bythinking aloud about wile hey read intheir spare tirive. This pro,..edure mightadd a few minutes to the administra-tion time, but would probably improvethe accuracy of the students' answers.
For those questions that request anauthor, title, or topic, explain that stu-dents only have to give one answer,but encourage them to give all three ifthey can remember.
Scoring
Activities. The Activities questionsare coded according to frequency (Howoften do you...?) on a scale of 1 to 4.They are scored as follows: 1 = Almostnever; 2 = About once a month; 3 =About once a week; 4 = Almost everyday. The minimum score a stuaent canreceive is 5. The maximum score is 20.
School Reading. The School Read-ing questions are coded according towhether students' reading is consistentwith what is being taught in the class-room. This section was developed tosee how aware the student was ofwhat he was studying in school as wellas how well he understood the formatof the questionnaire.
If an answer is consistent, it receives1 point. For example, assuming that
Instructional Resource No. 4, Spring 1994
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6 John T. Guthrie, Karen Mc Gough & Allan Wigfield
science i being taught in the classroomat the time this survey is administered,the student should circle "Yes" to thequestion 'Did you read a science bookor a science textbook for school lastweek?' This answer would receive 1
point. If the student wrote in the title,author, or topic of the science book,that answer would receive 1 point. A"No answer would receive 0. If thestudent failed to write in a title, au-thor, or topic, the answer would re-ceive a 0.
Consistency is also examined byquestions about frequency, such as"How often do you read a science bookor science textbook for school?" Assum-ing again that science is being taughtin the classroom, the student wouldreceive a 1 for circling 'About once aweek" or 'Almost every day.* A stu-dent with the same instruction whocircles 'Almost never" or 'About oncea month' would receive 0.
The minimum score a student canreceive is 0. The maximum score is 9.
Reading for Personal Interest. Ques-tions about books read for personalinterest in the past week are scored: 0= No; 1 = Yes without a title given; 2 =Yes with a title.
Questions about frequency are
scored: 0 = circled 1 or 2 and wrotetitle; 0 st circled 3 or 4 and failed to
write title; 1 = circled 1 or 2 and failedto write title; 2 = circled 3 or 4 andwrote title.
The minimum score a student canreceive is 0. The maximum score is 30.
Interpretation
The results of the Reading ActivityInventory can be used to plan instruc-tion for individual students and forwhole classes.
For example, a student who doesnot read outside of school but does goto the movies a lot might be motivatedto read by books that retell the plots ofhis or her favorite movies.
If, on the other hand, the RAI re-sults show that students have littleexperience following written directions,a teacher might plan a project in whichstudents do something like build amodel town or record a videotape, forwhich they viould follow printed in-structions. They could then have acompanion project in which they them-selves write directions to be used byother students.
NRRC National Reading Research Center
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Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory 7
READING AcnvITY INVENTORY
Directions: We are interested ir knowingabout your activities and in finding out howoften you do them. Circle the answers to someof the questions, and write the answers to theothers.
Practice Questions
1. Do you have a first name?(Circle only one.)
No 1
Yes 2
If yes, write your first name.
First name:
2. How often do you tell another person yourfirst name?(Circle only one.)
Almost never 1
About once a month.... 2About once a week 3
Almost every day...... 4
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR ACTMTIES
1. How often do you listen to music?
Almost never 1
About once a month.... 2About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
2. How often do you watch television?
Almost never 1
About once a month.... 2About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
3. How often do you play outside?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
4. How often do you go to the movies?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
5. How often do you do chores at home?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
Instructional Resource No. 4, Spring 1994
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8 John T. Guthrie, Karen Mc Gough & Allan Wigfield
QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL READING
Directions: In this section, think about readingyou do for school and for homework. Includetextbooks and other books in your answers.
6. Did you read a science book or sciencetextbook for school last week? (Circle onlyone.)
No 1
Yes 2
If yes, write in the title, author, or specifictopic that you read about.
Science book title/author/topic:
7. How often do you read a science book orscience textbook for school?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
If yes, write in the title, author, or thespecific topic that you read about.
Fiction book title/author/topic:
9. How often do you read a book of litera-ture or fiction for school?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
10. Did you read a book about history or ahistory textbook last week for school?(Circle only one.)
No 1
Yes 2
If yes, write in the title, author, or thespecific topic that you read about.
History book title/author/topic:
8. Did you read a book of literature or fiction 11. How often do you read a book aboutlast week for school? (Circle only one.)
No 1
Yes 2
history or a history textbook for school?
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
NRRC National Reading Research Center
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Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory 9
QUESTIONS ABOUT READING FOR If yes, write in title, author, or specificYOUR OWN ENJOYMENT topic you read about.
Directions: in this section, think about booksthat you read for your own interest that arenot assigned for school or homework.
12. Did you read a fiction book like a mysteryor an adventure last week for your owninterest? (Circle only one.)
Book title/author/topic:
15. How often do you read sports books foryour own interest? (Circle only one.)
Almost never 1
No 1 About once a month 2
Yes 2 About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
If yes, write in the title, author, or specifictopic you read about. 16. Did you read a nature book last week for
your own interest? (Circle only one.)Book title/author/topic:
13. How often do you read a fiction book likea mystery or an adventure for your owninterest? (Circle only one.)
AlmJst never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
14. Did you read a sports book last week for
No 1
Yes 2
If yes, write in the title, author, or specifictopic you read about.
Book title/authorttopic:
17. How often do.you read a nature book foryour own interest? (Circle only one.)
your own interest? (Circle only one.) Almost never 1
About once a month..... 2No 1 About once a week 3
Yes 2 Almost every day 4
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10 John T. Guthrie, Karen Mc Gough & Allan Wigfield
18. Did you read a romance book last week Almost never 1
for your own interest? (Circle only one.) About one a month 2
About once a week 3
No 1 Almost every day 4Yes 2
If yes, write title, author, or specific topicyou read about.
Book title/author/topic:
22. Did you read a comic book or magazinelast week for your own interest? (Circleonly one.)
No 1
Yes 2
If yes, write in the title, author, or specific19. How often do you read a romance book topic that you read about.
for your own interest? (Circle only one.)Book title/author/topic:
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week...... 3Almost every day 4 23. How often do you read comic books and
magazines for your own interest? (Circle20. Did you read a biography last week for only one.)
your own interest? (Circle only one.)Almost never 1
No 1 About once a month 2
Yes 2 About once a week 3
Almost every day 4
If yes, write in the title, author, or specifictopic you read about.
Book title/author/topic:
24. Did you read any other kind of book lastweek for your own interest that was notmentionci? (Circle only one.)
No 1
Yes 2
21. How often do you read biographies foryour own interest? (Circle only one.) If yes, write in the title, author, or specific
topic that you read about.
NRRC National Reading Research Center
Measuring Reading Activity: An Inventory 1 1
Book title/author/topic:
25. How often do you read this kind of book7(Circle only one.)
Almost never 1
About once a month 2
About once a week...... 3Almost every day 4
26. How often do you read written directionsor instructions that tell you how to dosomething you enjoy, like a putting amodel airplane together, or baking a cake,or some similar activity? (Circle only one.)
Almost never 1
About one a month 2
About once a week 3
Almost never 4
Instructional Resource No. 4, Spring 1994
1 9
NRRCNational
Reading ResearchCenter318 Mist *old, University of Georgia. Athens, &weds 30602-7125n 021 Potterstm 801.1141, Uoiversay of Moryismil. Colkw Park. MD 20742
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