A Study of the Correlation Between Sixth Grade Students' Attitudes Toward Reading and Their Performance on a Standardized Test

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a statistically significant correlation between sixth grade students' attitudes toward reading and their standardized test scores. More specifically, the area in question was whether a significant relationship existed between how well students scored on an exam and how much they enjoyed reading. The subjects consisted of 75 sixth graders who had not repeated the grade nor were in Special Education. All of the subjects took the DRP exam in May of 1998 and were given the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey in September of 1998. Four teachers and their classes participated in the study. Each teacher administered the Survey, however, the researcher collected and tabulated all results. A Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation was used to analyze the data. The results demonstrated that there was no statistically significant relationship between students' attitudes and their DRP scores.