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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 i f, 76-9982 HOWARD, Mary V irginia Brown, 1929- THE RESPONSES OF FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH GRADE BLACK URBAN CHILDREN TO SELECTED STORIES. The Ohio State U niversity, Ph.D., 1975 Education, elementary j Xerox University Microfilms , Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 0 1976 MARY VIRGINIA BROWN HOWARD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. THE RESPONSES OF FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH GRADE BLACK URBAN CHILDREN TO SELECTED STORIES Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School o f the Ohio State U n iversity By Mary V irg in ia Brown Howard, B .S ., M.A. The Ohio S tate U n iversity 1975 Reading Committee: Approved by Charlotte Huck Alexander Frazier Advi ser Martha King College of Education Arthur White ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere thanks to several persons vrfiose guidance and encouragement helped in the development of this di s s e rta tio n . First of all to my Mother Dear, Mrs. A. Margaret Gibson, whose love, strength and guidance has been a part of my total life . She was always present when I needed her. My fondest thoughts are of my husband, Hayden; my dear son, Lan; and my God-daughter, Charlene B. H a ll. They helped to make i t a ll possible. The sincere understanding they offered and their willingness to endure many sacrifices were necessary to accomplish this goal. My very special appreciation goes to Dr. Charlotte S. Huck, Chairman of my committee whose thoughtful advice and wholehearted support were invaluable during my graduate study.' Sincere thanks . are also expressed to my doctoral advisory committee, Dr. Martha L. King and Dr. Alexander Frazier. I also wish to acknowledge the suggestions given to me by Dr. Arthur L. White, concerning the s ta tis tic a l procedures used in th is in v e s tig a tio n . To gain a friend through a dissertation is probably a miracle and th a t m iracle happened in the frien d sh ip o ffe re d by Dr. Ojo E. Arewa. I shall always be indebted to him. i i Inspiration and support were offered by many friends, especially Mrs. Melba G. Rucker and Mrs. Sally K. Byrd, whose continuous concern and keen insights contributed immeasurably to the completion of this p ro je c t. To express my profound gratitude to a very dear friend, Mrs. Barbara J. Fincher, is indeed unsurmontabie. She was always witling to listen and to offer a comforting ward, in addition to the typing and editing of this dissertation. i i i VITA A pril 3, 1929 ............................................ Born - Albany, Georgia 1947-1950 ..................................................... B.S., Albany State College Albany, Georgia 1964-1969 ..................................................... Elementary Teacher Fai r Avenue School Columbus, Ohio 1969-1970 ..................................................... Reading Teacher Columbus Public School D is tr ic t Columbus, Ohio 1970-1974 ..................................................... Teaching Associate The Ohio State U n iversity Columbus, Ohio 1974-Present ........... .... Research Associate Educational Research Council o f America Cleveland, Ohio Fields of Study Major Field: Early and Middle Childhood Education Studies in Childrens Literature - Professor Charlotte Huck Studies in Elementary Education - Professor Alexander Frazier Studies in Language Arts and Reading - Professor Martha King Iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ i i VITA ....................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. v lf CHAPTER I . BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM.................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ..................................................... 7 Importance of the Study ....................................................... 8 Scope and L im itatio n s o f the S tu d y ............................... 19 Procedure of the Study .' ....................... ...................... 21 D e fin itio n o f Terms ............................................. 22 Summary .......................................................................................... 23 Organization of the Study ................................ 2k I I . REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................ 25 The General Reading Interests of Children ................ 25 The Factor o f Race in C h ild ren 's Reading In te re s t kO The Reading In terests o f Black Children .................... k] Summary . i ...................................................................................... 69 I I I . PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY.................................................................. 72 Introduction ............................................................................... 72 Selection of Schools .............................................................. 73 Description of Schools ......................................................... 7k Selection of Teachers ..................................... 77 Description of Students ....................................................... 81 Selection of Books .................................................................. 84 Instructions to Teachers ................................ 9^ D escription o f Response Instrument ............................... Sk The F ie ld o f Study .................................................................. 98 Delivery of Materials ............................................................ 99 Scoring the Response Booklets .......................................... 101 The Analyses o f the Responses .......................................... 103 Coding Inform ation fo r the Computer From Response Booklets ......................................................... 105 Statistical Treatment of Hypotheses ............................. 105 Data Analysis ............................................................................. 107 Analysis of the Teacher Questionnaire ............. .......... 108 Summary ................................................................................ 108 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) CHAPTER IV . ANALYSIS OF DATA .................................................................................. I l l Books Enjoyed Most and L e a s t ............................................. 112 C ircled Responses .................................................................... 114 W ritten Responses ................. 128 Responses R elating to Story Factors ............................. 135 Statistical Testing of the Null Hypotheses .............. 139 Summa r y ........................ ................................................................. 169 V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 170 Purposes of the Investigation .......................................... 170 Methods o f Procedure .............................................................. 171 Results of Tested Hypotheses ............................................ 173 Findings ........................................................................................ 177 Conclusions .................... ............................................................. 180 Recommendations ......................................................................... 182 Suggestions for