Reading and Writing Attitudes of Children: Conceptual Implications for Health Education and Health Literacy
Author: Ubbes, Valerie A.
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Health Education,Writing Attitudes,Literacy,Recreational Reading,Pretests Posttests,Reading Attitudes,Gender Differences,Academic Discourse,Summer Programs,National Surveys,Positive Attitudes,Health Behavior,Elementary School Students,Secondary School Students

Purpose: We investigated the reading and writing attitudes of children attending a recreational camp to gain insights into student motivations toward literacy. Two national surveys were used to study children's attitudes toward the skills of reading and writing for academic and non-academic purposes. We wanted to explore reading and writing attitudes as a possible bridge to the concept of functional health literacy. A secondary purpose of the study was to determine the differences in attitudes for recreational reading, academic reading, and academic writing between boys and girls. Methods: Children (n = 102) aged 5 to 12 years responded to 30 questions read aloud by the research proctor from two national paper-and pencil surveys. Students participating in at least two of the ten weeks of the summer camp were given a pretest and posttest of the Reading Attitudes Survey (RAS), Writing Attitudes Survey (WAS), and a Demographic Survey after completing the IRB requirements of active parent consent and student assent. Results: Three findings emerged: 1) girls showed higher academic reading attitudes than boys; 2) girls showed higher recreational reading attitudes than boys, and 3) girls showed slightly higher writing attitudes than boys. Girls' (n=65) scores on the RAS averaged 31.84 (SD=6.58) when reading for recreation and 30.13 (SD= 6.53) when reading for academics. Boys' (n=37) scores on the RAS averaged 28.88 (SD=7.18) when reading for recreation and 25.14 (SD=8.42) when reading for academics. As girls' reading attitudes went up, boys' reading attitudes went down (r = -0.72 recreational reading; r = -0.85 for academic reading). Writing attitudes also differed between girls and boys. WAS scores averaged 63.22 (SD = 25.73) for 65 girls and 52.83 (SD = 25.91) for 37 boys (n = 37). As girls' writing attitudes went up, boy's writing attitudes went down (r = -0.85). Conclusions: Girls are more inclined than boys to read for fun and to have positive attitudes associated with reading and writing. Because a significant gap exists between what people know and what people do regarding health behaviors, this study may be the first to conceptualize reading and writing attitudes as a lens to understanding functional health literacy -- the ability to read, write, and speak about health. Recommendations: Future research is needed to explore how reading and writing attitudes relate to health literacy. Attitudinal studies between girls and boys are needed to investigate the complex role that functional health literacy plays as a determinant of health. If attitudes help to determine an intention to do a behavior and if one's intention is the key predictor of healthy behavior, then health education curricula should include reading and writing as possible determinants for shaping children's attitudes toward their health.