ERIC Number: ED202611
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1981
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Parenting Books: What Variables Are Associated with High Usage.
Abram, Marie J.
The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) how frequently each of 32 parenting books was totally or partially read by mothers in a parent education program, (2) which of the 32 titles were most popular, (3) whether the readability level of the books was associated with the reading competency of the readers who chose them, and (4) whether reading competency was associated with the number of books read. Twenty-eight well educated, middle- or upper-middle class women between 25 and 43 years of age who were enrolled in an informal church-related parent education program served as subjects for the study. Subjects were given a list of readily available parenting books that were recommended by the instructor of the parent education program and were asked to indicate the books they had partially or totally read. The reading competency of the women was measured using a cloze procedure. Readability of the 32 books was determined through the use of the Flesch Reading Ease formula. It was found that, on average, each woman read parts of 5.64 parenting books and all of 3.79 parenting books. Books by Briggs, Spock, and Ginott were most often reported as read in their entirety. Books by Gordon, Spock, and Dobson were most often reported as read in part. The readability of a given book was not associated with reading competency of women who chose it. Better readers read more books partially than totally and poorer readers read more books totally than partially. (Author/RH)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A