Primary School Students' Attitudes towards Reading

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of primary school students' attitudes towards reading and whether they differ according to various variables. Descriptive scanning model was used in the research. The universe of the research consists of primary school students studying in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades in Istanbul. The sample of the study consists of 534 primary school students who study in 2, 3 and 4 classes in primary schools in Avcılar and Beylikdüzü districts of Istanbul. In the research, “Personal Information Form” and “Reading Attitude Scale” were used as data collection tools. SPSS was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of data analysis, it was observed that primary school students' attitudes towards reading were high. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the total scores, in the reading for fun and in the academic reading sub-dimensions according to variables of gender, book-magazine reading status and state of enjoying the gift of books. The attitudes of female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like to give books to them are higher. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference according to the variable of buying book magazines to read in the sub-dimension of reading for entertainment and in the total scores. This difference is in favor of those who buy book and magazines to read. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in sub-dimension of reading for entertainment purposes according to the number of siblings. The attitudes of primary school students towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the total scores, in the reading for fun and in the academic reading sub-dimensions according to the variables of the class she studied and the number of books read per week. Primary school students' attitudes towards reading do not show a statistically significant difference according to variables.of mother and father educational status and favorite book type. per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading four books per week; between students reading three books and one book per week in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books and one book per week in favor of those reading four books per week; and between students reading three books and two books per week in favor of those reading three books per week, and between students reading four and two books per week in favor of those reading four books per week. It can be said that those who read more books per week have higher reading attitudes.

up to the 4 th grade, and then they read to learn after the 4 th grade. The reason why this process starts so late is that the pronunciation and spelling of English words are different from each other. Since words are read as they are written to a large extent in Turkish, students learn how to read until the end of the first grade (Savaş, 2006). Students who have learned to read understand the meanings of words, sentences, and paragraphs by concentrating their attention. They choose the information they are interested in and find necessary from words, sentences, and paragraphs. They perform high-level mental operations such as ordering, classifying, questioning, relating, criticizing, analyzing, problem-solving, evaluating, and synthesizing in line with the selected information (Güneş and Akyol). With reading, students acquire one of the most effective tools to develop language and personality systematically (Özbay, 2009). The attitude that students who learn to read develop towards reading is important both during their academic life and for their future life periods. Students who develop a positive attitude towards reading are more likely to enjoy what they read, become a good reader, understand what they read better, and have higher academic achievement.
The reading skill acquired in primary school affects students' further learning positively or negatively. Students develop an attitude towards reading in this process. To achieve the individual and social benefits expected from reading education, first of all, individuals should love to read and not avoid reading. At this point, the need to develop a positive attitude towards reading emerges (Akkaya and Özdemir, 2013: 77).
According to Smith, the attitude is a tendency that is attributed to an individual and regularly forms his/her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the psychological object (Kağıtçıbaşı, 1992; as cited in Vatansever-Bayraktar and İşleyen, 2018). The attitude is defined as "a preliminary tendency to a mental, emotional, and behavioral reaction that an individual organizes against himself/herself or any object, social issue, or event around him/her based on experience, knowledge, emotion, and motivation" (İnceoğlu, 2010). The attitude is a psychological construct that is regarded as an important and critical predictor of an individual's behaviors with its cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions (Anderson 1988;Kan and Akbaş, 2005; as cited in Vatansever-Bayraktar, Kadıoğlu-Ateş and Afat, 2019).
The most important feature that distinguishes a human from other living beings is his mind. In this way, the individual perceives his/her environment, the culture, society and the world he/she is in. One of the important factors that contribute to a person's taking action while performing these actions is the attitude. The number of investigations on attitudes among the studies carried out to increase efficiency in education is increasing every day. The researchers have made different definitions of the concept of attitude. Attitudes form a need for information that enables individuals to develop some basic criteria in understanding and interpreting the world (İsen and Batmaz, 2002). The attitude is a permanent trait tendency that affects the individual's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors by affecting his/her cognitive, affective, and psychomotor behaviors as a result of his/her interaction with his/her environment (Başaran and Ateş, 2009). As seen in other psychological variables, attitudes are hidden and theoretical variables that cannot be observed directly. The existence and dimensions of attitudes can only be understood by observing the behaviors they affect. Therefore, it is possible to mention a parallel relationship between attitudes and behaviors (İnceoğlu, 2004). To measure attitudes, it is necessary to investigate and know the existence of an attitude and to observe the behavior of an individual. The reason for this is that an attitude can be measured indirectly, in other words, by examining the individual's responses to the attitude items since the attitude is a mental preparation behind the behavior (Silah, 2000). In this respect, the attitude takes an important place in the learning-teaching process because the student's positive attitudes towards elements such as the subject, school, teacher, etc. will increase his/her achievement in the teaching process (Açıkgöz, 1992). This power has enough effect even to activate the individual. With this movement, the individual performs the act of reading that continues from the past to the present day in order to meet the learning need. It is thought that the attitude of the person affects the reading activity.
The reading attitude is defined as children's views on enjoying and appreciating a book. It is within the vision of the Turkish course that a child enjoys reading and learning. The studies draw attention to the fact that the development of reading and reading comprehension skills, which are the most important elements of the learning process, is directly related to students' attitudes towards reading. It is known that students who have a positive attitude towards reading learn more effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, students' attitudes towards reading also affect their academic achievement and cognitive learning levels in general (Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün, 2017).
General reading attitude is defined as reading material characteristic of most types of reading; readings which enhance personal growth and self-fulfillment. Academic attitude toward reading material is defined as reading for the acquisition of knowledge about content areas, correct language usage, and understanding grammar. Vocational attitude toward reading material is defined as reading material which has as its goal the preparation of readers for the world of work; readings directly related to applying for and maintaining a job (Moore and Lemons, 1982).
Recent research on literacy has highlighted the impact of affective factors on learning to read. Among these factors, attitudes toward reading have been clearly shown to influence the development of reading skills and academic success (Nootens et al, 2019).
There are many factors that affect attitudes towards reading. As stated by Temple et al. (2005), the US National Research Council listed some attitudes and behaviors that may affect children's attitudes towards reading as follows: 1. Value Given to Literacy: Children to whom books are read and who are encouraged to read books realize the value of reading.
2. Emphasis on Success: Parents' expressing their expectations about children's achievements, providing them with instructions for this, and meeting their reading interests can be effective in making children good readers.
3. Accessibility and Usability of Reading Material: Having children's books and other reading and writing materials at home increases literacy experiences.
4. Reading to Children: Parents can increase their children's positive attitudes towards reading by reading books to them before going to bed and at other times in the pre-school period (as cited in Başaran and Ateş, 2009, pp. 77-78).
If the factors for reading mentioned above are acquired, the possibility of the child developing a positive attitude towards reading is also increased.
It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of developmental periods to make a child acquire a positive attitude towards reading and to ensure that the reading habit is established (Akkaya and Özdemir, 2013). The literature demonstrates that primary school children have low attitudes towards reading and that the child's family, environment, home environment, and many other factors affect their reading attitudes (Başaran and Ateş, 2009). According to the research, attitude development differs according to age: It was found that attitudes acquired between the ages of 1-7 years can usually maintain their effects throughout life. It is not possible to completely erase the attitudes of students that are settled at this age but do not comply with the educational objectives. The undesired attitudes can either be replaced by others, or their damage is reduced by minimizing their renewal, or they can be directed towards areas where they will be necessary (Başaran, 1988). It has been revealed that while some attitudes of primary school students aged between 6-12 years change, some remain the same and that the attitudes towards the status of the family are strong (Ülgen, 1997). Parents and friends are the most influential people in the attitudes formed by children (Kağıtçıbaşı, 1993).
The changes that parents make in home conditions for their children can also affect their children's attitudes towards reading. For example, having a study room and a bookcase at home, and activities such as the regular buying of books, magazines, or newspapers to home, arranging environmental conditions for children after they start reading, etc. will increase children's positive attitudes towards reading (Başaran and Ateş, 2009: 77).
The studies demonstrate a positive relationship between children's reading skills and their attitudes towards reading, in other words, those who can read better love to read more (Groff, 1962;as cited in Dökmen, 1994). In reading comprehension studies, students' positive attitudes towards reading will enable more effective and efficient learning. There is also a linear relationship between students' reading comprehension achievements and their attitudes towards reading. In the study conducted, Smith (1991) found a linear relationship between individuals' attitudes towards reading and their reading behaviors and activities. As a result of his study, Altunay (2000) found that students with a positive attitude towards reading benefited more from pre-organizers and the achievement of students with a negative attitude towards reading decreased gradually. Thus, improving the reading comprehension process and making it effective depend only on the formation of positive attitudes towards reading and knowing how to become more successful in this process. Therefore, attention should be paid to reading comprehension studies and developing positive attitudes towards reading (Güngör and Açıkgöz, 2006).
Among the studies conducted from the past to the present, there are studies showing that the attitude takes an important place in people's reading habits. Reading is a skill that can be developed and improved (Akçamete and Güneş, 1992). Reading is important learning that should be acquired in an individual's life. Reading is an important skill that must be acquired both in school life and in daily life. The reading habit is an important key for the child in his/her mental, personality, language and social development, in the development of thinking power, and in becoming more efficient and successful in education (Yılmaz, 2000). Raising individuals who can read correctly and fluently, can make sense of what they read and transmit it verbally and in writing is very important in terms of a person's academic and social life (Çeliktürk and Yamaç, 2015). Despite an increasing emphasis on reading comprehension in recent studies, it is known that students' attitudes towards reading take an important place in improving their reading skills. There is a meaningful relationship between the reading skill acquired by an individual and other skills that have been acquired or will be acquired. This relationship may occur in the form of skills complementing or supporting each other, or it can be in the form of achieving the same goal (Arıcı, 2012). The critical role of the reading skill from the first years of school life imposes significant responsibilities on teachers and parents for their children to develop a positive reading attitude and thus become good readers (Kocaarslan, 2016).
The attitude of an individual towards reading will affect learning positively or negatively. The individual progresses in waves from the family environment where he has started life to developing these factors and reflects them on the whole area. Attitudes tend to be affected by family members or other people with whom they have relationships, especially in childhood (Özbay, 2009: 68). An individual who comes to school for the reading activity after his/her family life develops an attitude in the school he/she has started with his/her personal structure. Moreover, factors such as the individual's gender, age, the number of siblings, the financial status of the family, and the educational status of the family are thought to affect the individual's attitude towards reading.
There are many studies in the international literature that evaluate the attitudes of primary school students towards reading. Furthermore, it has been emphasized that there is a relationship between students' attitudes towards reading and their reading achievement, and students with high reading attitudes also have high reading comprehension skills (Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün, 2017). It is observed that there are studies that examine reading attitudes and reading comprehension skills in Turkey (Açıkgöz and Güngör, 2006;Sallabaş, 2008). The findings obtained from these studies, which are generally performed with secondary school students, emphasize that there is a relationship between students' attitudes towards reading and their reading comprehension skills (Açıkgöz and Güngör, 2006;Balcı, Uyar and Büyükikiz, 2012;Sallabaş, 2008). There are few studies dealing with the reading attitudes of primary school students. In these few studies, the relationship between reading attitudes and achievement was revealed, and it was emphasized that factors such as parental attitude, the income level of the family, and education level affect this relationship (Akyol and Temur, 2008;Kovacıoğlu, 2006). The literature draws attention to the fact that the reading comprehension skill, which plays an essential role in students' academic achievement, is related to their attitudes towards reading. Accordingly, it is important to develop the reading attitude in the primary school period when students learn and improve literacy. Findings to be obtained from the research to be conducted to this end will provide us with information about how we can help students develop a positive attitude towards reading. Thus, it is thought that it will contribute to the increase in students' reading achievement and, consequently, their achievement in other courses.

Aim of the Study
The aim of this study is to examine the level of primary school students' attitudes towards reading and whether they differ according to various variables. Within the framework of this general aim, answers to the following questions will be sought: 1. What is the level of primary school students' attitudes towards reading? 2. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly by gender?
3. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to their status of reading books and magazines? 4. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to their status of liking being gifted with a book? 5. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to the number of siblings? 6. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to their grade level? 7. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to the number of books they read per week?
8. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to their parents' educational status? 9. Do primary school students' attitudes towards reading differ significantly according to their favorite type of book?

Research Method
The descriptive survey model was used in the study to describe the attitudes of primary school students towards reading. In survey models, which are a research approach that aims to describe a past or present situation as it is, the individual or object, which is the research subject, is tried to be defined in its own conditions and as it is (Karasar, 2016).

Population and Sample
The universe of the research consists of primary school students studying in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades in Istanbul. The sample of the study consists of a total of 534 primary school students studying in the 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th grades of primary school in Avcılar and Beylikdüzü districts in Istanbul province in the second semester of the 2017-2018 academic year.
The distribution of the sample group according to their demographic characteristics is presented in the tables below. According to Table 2, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study according to their grade level variable is examined, it is observed that 60 out of 534 students (11.2%) are 2 nd grade, 264 (49.4%) are 3 rd grade, and 210 (39.3%) of them are 4 th grade students.  According to Table 4, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study according to the variable of their status of reading books and magazines was examined, it was determined that 350 (65.5%) of 534 students read books and magazines, and 184 (34.5%) did not read books and magazines.  According to Table 6, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study by the variable of the status of buying books and magazines to read was examined, it was revealed that 404 (75.7%) out of 534 students bought books and magazines to read, while 130 (24.3%) did not buy books and magazines. According to Table 7, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study according to the variable of the status of liking being gifted with a book was examined, it was found that 493 (92.3%) out of 534 students liked being gifted with a book, and 41 (7.7%) did not like being gifted with a book.  According to Table 9, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study by the variable of the mother's educational status is examined, it is observed that the mothers of 71 (13.3%) of the 534 students are illiterate, mothers of 150 students (28.1%) are primary school graduates, mothers of 150 students (28.1%) are secondary school graduates, mothers of 115 students (21.5%) are high school graduates, mothers of 32 students (6.0%) are university graduates, and mothers of 16 students (3.0%) have a master's degree. According to Table 10, when the distribution of the primary school students participating in the study by the variable of the father's educational status is examined, it is observed that the fathers of 34 (6.4%%) of the 534 students are illiterate, fathers of 117 students (21.9%) are primary school graduates, fathers of 151 students (28.3%) are secondary school graduates, fathers of 141 students (26.4%) are high school graduates, fathers of 65 students (12.2%%) are university graduates, and fathers of 26 students (4.9%%) have a master's degree.

Data Collection
The "Personal Information Form" and the "Attitude Towards Reading Scale" developed by Kocaarslan (2016) were used as data collection tools in the study. The scale has two sub-scales: "leisure reading" (Items 1-10) and "academic reading" (Items 11-20). The scale consists of a total of 20 items. This scale, which is very useful for application in the classroom, requires choosing one of the four different emotional states of the "Garfield" cat character created by Jim Davis. These emotional states are represented by Garfield's pictures of "very happy," "a little happy," "a little sad," and "very sad" and are graded from 4 points to 1 point. Cronbach's alpha value, which shows the internal consistency of the scale, was determined to be .88 for the first factor, .78 for the second factor, and .88 for the overall scale. These values indicate that the scale can make reliable measurements in terms of internal consistency (Kocaarslan, 2016).

Data Analysis
SPSS was used in the data analysis. Percentage and frequency were calculated among descriptive statistical methods for demographic data. Furthermore, the data were analyzed by the t-test and ANOVA. When Table 11 was examined, it was observed that primary school students' attitudes towards reading were at a high level according to the leisure reading sub-scale with X =3.30, at a high level according to the academic reading sub-scale with X =3.31, and at a high level in the general total with X = 3.31.    LSD and Scheffe's tests were conducted to determine between which groups this significant difference existed. This difference found is indicated in the significant difference column of the table. There is a significant difference between the 2 nd and 3 rd grades in the leisure reading sub-scale according to the variable of the grade level of primary school students. This difference is in favor of 2 nd grades. It can be said that primary school 2 nd -grade students' reading attitudes towards the leisure reading sub-scale are higher than those of 3 rd -grade students. There is a significant difference between the 4 th and 3 rd grades in the leisure reading sub-scale according to the variable of the grade level of primary school students. This difference is in favor of 4 th grades. It can be said that primary school 4 th -grade students' reading attitudes towards the leisure reading sub-scale are higher than those of 3 rd -grade students.

Results
There is a significant difference between the 2 nd and 3 rd grades in the academic reading sub-scale according to the variable of the grade level of primary school students. This difference is in favor of 2 nd grades. It can be said that primary school 2 nd -grade students' reading attitudes towards the academic reading sub-scale are higher than those of 3 rd -grade students. There is a significant difference between the 2 nd and 4 th grades in the academic reading sub-scale according to the variable of the grade level of primary school students. This difference is in favor of 2 nd grades. It can be said that primary school 2 nd -grade students' reading attitudes towards the academic reading sub-scale are higher than those of 4 th -grade students.
There is a significant difference in the attitudes of primary school students towards reading between the 2 nd and 3 rd grades according to the variable of their grade level in the general total. This difference is in favor of 2 nd grades. It can be said that primary school 2 nd -grade students' attitudes towards general reading are higher than those of 3 rd -grade students. There is a significant difference between the 2 nd and 4 th grades. This difference is in favor of 2 nd grades. It can be said that primary school 2 nd -grade students' attitudes towards general reading are higher than those of 4 th -grade students. There is a significant difference between the 4 th and 3 rd grades. This difference is in favor of 4 th grades. It can be said that primary school 4 th -grade students' attitudes towards general reading are higher than those of 3 rd -grade students. LSD and Scheffe's tests were conducted to determine between which groups this significant difference existed. This difference found is indicated in the significant difference column of the table. According to the variable of the number of books read by primary school students per week, there is a significant difference in the leisure reading sub-scale between students reading one book per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading one book per week; between students reading two books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading two books per week; between students reading three books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading four books per week; between students reading two books and one book per week in favor of those reading two books per week; between students reading three books and one book per week in favor of those reading three books per week, and between students reading four books and one book per week in favor of those reading four books per week. It can be said that those who read more books per week have higher reading attitudes.
According to the variable of the number of books read by primary school students per week, there is a significant difference in the academic reading sub-scale between students reading one book per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading one book per week; between students reading two books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading two books per week; between students reading three books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading four books per week; between students reading three books and one book per week in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books and one book per week in favor of those reading four books per week; and between students reading three books and two books per week in favor of those reading three books per week, and between students reading four and two books per week in favor of those reading four books per week. It can be said that those who read more books per week have higher reading attitudes.
According to the variable of the number of books read by primary school students per week, there is a significant difference in the total scores between students reading one book per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading one book per week; between students reading two books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading two books per week; between students reading three books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books per week and not reading at all in favor of those reading four books per week; between students reading two books and one book per week in favor of those reading two books per week; between students reading three books and one book per week in favor of those reading three books per week; between students reading four books and one book per week in favor of those reading four books per week; and between students reading four books and two books per week in favor of those reading four books per week. It can be said that those who read more books per week have higher reading attitudes.  When Table 19 is examined, it is observed that primary school students' attitudes towards reading exhibit a statistically significant difference according to the variable of the number of siblings in the leisure reading [F(5; 528)= 3.095; P<.05] subscale.
LSD and Scheffe's tests were conducted to determine between which groups this significant difference existed. This difference found is indicated in the significant difference column of the table. According to the variable of the number of siblings of primary school students, there is a significant difference in favor of those with 3 siblings in the leisure reading sub-scale between those with 3 siblings and 2 siblings. There is a significant difference between those with 4 siblings and 1 sibling in favor of those with four siblings. There is a significant difference between those with 4 siblings and 2 siblings in favor of those with four siblings. Those with more siblings have higher attitudes towards reading.

Conclusion
It was observed that primary school students had a high level of attitudes towards reading.
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading exhibit a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading and academic reading sub-scales and their total scores according to the variables of gender, the status of reading books and magazines, and the status of liking being gifted with a book. This difference is in favor of female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like being gifted with a book. Female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like being gifted with a book have higher attitudes towards reading.
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading sub-scale and their total scores according to the variable of the status of buying books and magazines to read. This difference is in favor of those who buy books and magazines to read.
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading exhibit a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading sub-scale according to the number of siblings variable. This significant difference is in favor of those with three siblings between those with three siblings and two siblings, in favor of those with four siblings between those with four siblings and one sibling, in favor of those with four siblings between those with four siblings and two siblings.
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading and academic reading sub-scales and their total scores according to the variables of their grade level and the number of books they read per week.
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading do not exhibit a statistically significant difference according to the variables of the educational status of parents and their favorite book type.

Discussion
According to the recent studies, the human starts learning from the mother's womb. The individual is in a learning activity from birth to death. The person performs an informal or formal, positive or negative learning action. Reading and attitude are also among these activities and are the learning that the individual acquires later. The attitudes and behaviors determined by the person affect the person's attitude towards reading. When the literature is reviewed, it is observed that there are very few studies conducted to examine primary school attitudes towards reading. However, there are studies on a similar subject in different school types. The results of this study we conducted on the relationship between reading and attitude are presented below.
As a result of the data analysis, it was observed that primary school students' attitudes towards reading were at a high level. In the study conducted by Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün (2017), it is observed that the third and fourth-grade students' leisure reading attitudes are at 'a little unhappy' level and their academic reading attitudes are at 'a little happy' level. As a result of the study carried out by Özdemir and Şerbetçi (2018), it was observed that students had a strong reading attitude. According to the results of the study performed by İzci (2013), it was determined that 5 th -grade students' attitudes towards reading were at a high level. As a result of the application performed by Başaran and Ateş (2009), it was observed that the majority of students developed a high level of positive attitudes towards reading. As a result of the study conducted by Yıldız and Kaman (2016), it was determined that there was a significant difference between the 2 nd and 3 rd grades of primary school and 5 th and 6 th grades of secondary school in terms of reading attitudes, and the reading attitude, which was high in the first years of primary education, decreased in the first years of secondary school. In the study conducted by Nootens et al (2019) results showed that their stated attitudes toward reading remained stable across the final 2 years of elementary school, as well as across the first 2 years of middle school, but differences were observed for the transition from one education level to the next, with stated attitudes toward reading being less positive in the latter. It is observed that the results of this study are similar to the results of other studies.
In the study conducted by Ley, Schaer and Dismukes (1994 students reported their general attitude toward reading and the values that they placed upon reading for three distinct purposes. These purposes are individual development, utilitarian and enjoyment. Primary school students' attitudes towards reading exhibit a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading and academic reading sub-scales and their total scores according to the variables of gender, the status of reading books and magazines, and liking being gifted with a book. This difference is in favor of female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like being gifted with a book. Female students, those who read books and magazines, and those who like being gifted with a book have higher attitudes towards reading. According to the results of the study carried out by Yıldız and Kaman (2016), while female students' attitudes towards leisure reading were more positive than those of male students, no significant difference was found in the academic reading attitude. As a result of the study carried out by Özdemir and Şerbetçi (2018), it was observed that the reading attitude of female students was higher than that of male students. As a result of the study carried out by Worrell, Roth and Gabelko (2006) significantly higher scores on reading attitudes were found for girls at three grade levels, with medium to large effect sizes. As a result of the study carried out by Vatansever Bayraktar (2017) primary school students' perceptions of reading motivation differ significantly according to the gender variable. There is a significant difference in favor of boys in the sub-dimension of perceiving reading difficulty and in favor of girls in the sub-dimension of effort / appreciation for reading. The findings obtained from the study conducted by Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün (2017) draw attention to the fact that female and male students' leisure reading and academic reading attitudes do not differ significantly. While the research results obtained by Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün (2017) differ from the results of the present study, there are studies showing that female students' reading attitudes are more positive than male students' reading attitudes (Can, Türkyılmaz and Karadeniz, 2010;Batur, Gülveren and Bek, 2010;Sallabaş, 2008;Başaran and Ateş, 2009;Balcı, Uyar and Büyükikiz, 2012;Akkaya and Özdemir 2013). The results of the study conducted are similar to these studies. Likewise, as a result of the study performed by Gür-Erdoğan and Demir (2016), it was found that female students' attitudes towards reading were significantly higher than those of male students and students who had bookcases at home had significantly higher attitudes towards reading compared to those who did not. As a result of the study, the attitudes towards reading of those who read books and magazines were found to be higher. As a result of the study carried out by Gür-Erdoğan and Demir (2016), it was found that individuals with high attitudes towards reading had a higher frequency of reading books. As a result of the study performed by Akkaya and Özdemir (2013), it was revealed that secondary school students' attitudes towards reading had a moderate and positive relationship with the number of books read in both the overall scale and in all sub-scales. In the relevant literature, there are studies showing that there is a positive relationship between the reading attitude and the number of books read, which is accepted as an indicator of reading habits (Stokmans 1999;Schooten & Glopper 2002;Özbay, Bağcı and Uyar, 2008;Bağcı, 2010, Doğan-Yılmaz 2010Balcı, Uyar and Büyükikiz, 2012).
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading sub-scale and their total scores according to the variable of the status of buying books and magazines to read. This difference is in favor of those who buy books and magazines to read. Primary school students' attitudes towards reading exhibit a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading sub-scale according to the variable of the number of siblings. This significant difference is in favor of those with three siblings between those with three siblings and two siblings, in favor of those with four siblings between those with four siblings and one sibling, in favor of those with four siblings between those with four siblings and two siblings. Primary school students' attitudes towards reading show a statistically significant difference in the leisure reading and academic reading sub-scales and their total scores according to the variables of their grade level and the number of books they read per week. When evaluated in terms of grade level, it is observed that the leisure reading and academic reading attitudes of third-grade students are more positive than those of fourth-grade students (Şahin-Taşkın, Esen-Aygün, 2017).
Primary school students' attitudes towards reading do not exhibit a statistically significant difference according to the variables of the educational status of parents and their favorite book type. When the literature is reviewed, it is observed that there is a significant difference (Can, Türkyılmaz and Karadeniz, 2010;Durualp. Durualp and Çiçekoğlu, 2013) and there is not a significant difference between primary school students' reading attitudes and their parents' education levels (Demir-Atalay, 2009;Sadioğlu and Bilgin, 2008;Batur, Gülveren and Bek, 2010; Şahin-Taşkın and Esen-Aygün, 2017; Gür-Erdoğan and Demir, 2016).

Recommendations
As a result of the study, the reading attitudes of male students were found to be lower. Teachers can prepare activities that encourage reading to improve the reading attitudes of male students. Male students can be encouraged by giving more tasks to them at reading festivals and animation of in-class reading texts, ceremonies, etc.
This study covers primary school students. Comparisons can also be made by examining the reading attitudes of students at different levels. This research is a quantitative study. Qualitative and quantitative studies can be conducted on the subject. The relationship between students' reading attitudes and different variables can be examined. Longitudinal studies can be carried out with the primary school students participating in this study. The sample group in this study included primary school students in Avcılar and Beylikdüzü districts of Istanbul province. The study can be repeated with the extended sample group to include different regions and provinces.