Some Correlates of Reading Readiness among Children of Varying Background

EDRS Price MF -$025 HC -$055 Descriptors -Caucasian Students, *Childhood Attitudes, Early Experience, Emotional Development, N..egro Students:Perceptual Motor Learning, *Personality Studies, *Reading Rea&ness, Socioeconomic Status Identifiers -Childrens Self Social Constructs Test, Metropolitan Readiness Test The relationships between noncognitive factors and reading readiness in elementary school child were studied. One hundred and ninety-two entering first graders (half Negro, half .white; half boys, half girls) were selected in two rural Southern counties at the initial stages of a desegregation program. The socioeconomic level of the groups was controlled so that half of each group belonged in grades 6 and 7 and half belonged in grades 1 through 5. The Metropolitan Readiness Test and the Children's Self-Social Constructs Test (preschool form) were given within the first few weeks of school. After 6 weeks, teachers were asked to rate all sublects on 24 bipolar dimensions of classroom behavior including follows di.rections and talks to other children. Intercorrelational analysis based on the total sample indicated a high relationship between readiness and eight of the 17 variables. Among the eight, preschool education, teachers' ratings, and age were the best predictors. Among the other significant relationships were distance from teacher, realism for size, and preference for mother. The data seem to indicate .that . meaningful social experience is as important as training in decoding skills for reading readiness.