Psychology
in
the
Schools
1982.
19,
28-32
THE RELATIONSHIP OF READING ATTITUDES
TO ACADEMIC APTITUDE, LOCUS
OF
CONTROL, AND
FIELD INDEPENDENCE'
JOHN
BLAHA LARRY
CHOMIN
George
Mason
University
Detroit
Public
Schools
The relationship between eight dimensions
of
reading attitude and measures
of
academic aptitude, locus
of
control, and field independence was investigated
for
a
sample
of
322
inner-city Detroit fifth graders. Verbal academic aptitude correlated
significantly with the Expressed Reading Difficulty, Reading Anxiety, Silent vs. Oral
Reading, and Reading as Enjoyment reading attitude dimensions, while nonverbal
academic aptitude correlated with Expressed Reading Difficulty and Reading Anx-
iety. The Expressed Reading Difficulty, Reading Anxiety, Reading Group, Reading as
Direct Reinforcement, and Reading as Enjoyment dimensions were significantly
related to the
I+
score; reading attitudes were not related
to
the
I-
score. Only the
Expressed Reading Difficulty dimension correlated with field independence. The
meaning
of
these relationships was discussed.
The importance of a positive reading attitude has been supported by many
authorities
in
the reading area (Alexander
&
Filler, 1976; Estes, Johnstone,
&
Richards,
1975; Koe, 1975). Recent research with successively refined editions of A Survey
of
Reading Attitudes (Note 1) has demonstrated that reading attitude is a multifactored
phenomenon (Engin, Wallbrown,
&
Brown, 1976; Wallbrown, Brown,
&
Engin, 1978).
Wallbrown, et al. (1978) found eight dimensions
of
reading attitude. To explore the con-
struct validity of these reading attitude dimensions, it is necessary to relate them to a
wide range
of
cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, and personal history variables. The pur-
pose of this investigation is to determine the relationship of reading attitudes to measures
of academic aptitude, locus of control, and field independence.
METHOD
Sample
The sample consisted of 322 inner-city children from four elementary schools in the
public school system of Detroit, Michigan. All children enrolled in the regular fifth-grade
classroom present on the testing day were included. This sample was composed of 164
males and 158 females and included 82 white and 240 black children. The mean age was
11.3 years, with a standard deviation
of
.8 years.
Procedure
All instruments were group administered. The Survey of Reading Attitudes
(Survey; Wallbrown, Brown,
8t
Engin, 1978) was used to measure eight dimensions of
reading attitude. These dimensions consist of Expressed Reading Difficulty, Reading as
Direct Reinforcement, Reading as Enjoyment, Alternative Learning Modes, Reading
Group, Reading Anxiety, Silent vs. Oral Reading, and Comics. The Intellectual
Achievement Responsibility Scale (IAR; Crandall, Katkovsky,
&
Crandall, 1965) was
'Appreciation is expressed to the children, parents, teachers, and administrative staff
of
the Detroit Public
Schools
for
their participation
in
this study.
Reprint requests should be sent to John Blaha, Psychology Dept., George
Mason
University,
4400
Univer-
sity Drive, Fairfax, VA
22030.
28