Effects of a school wide reading culture on student engagement

Daniels, E., & Steres, M. (2011). Examining the effects of a school-wide reading culture on the engagement of middle school students. Research in Middle Level Education, 35(2), 1-13.

Background

The lack of motivation among middle school students is an issue. Middle schools find it challenging to motivate their students to read and learn, and to demonstrate gains in academic achievement, which depends on literacy skills.

Aims

The aim of this case study was to examine how and why a change in school-wide reading culture appeared to influence student engagement with reading.

Sample

The participants were 1,356 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students and 85 staff members in an American middle school in Southern California. The students were either poor, came from homes where English was not the dominant language learners, or both.

Method

The school implemented a school-wide reading intervention for three years. The principal made reading a priority for all teachers and students. He fostered a reading culture by:

having a specified time for reading during the school day;
letting students choose what they wanted to read; and
encouraging teachers and administrators to read during the school day and to talk about their reading with students.

All teachers maintained a library for their students in their own classrooms and were given money to buy books for young adults. English teachers provided time for students to read in class every day. The principal gave regular book talks in English classes and talked to students about reading when he met them outside the classroom. He also spent time teaching teachers how to talk about books with students during staff meetings. The data collected included 18 individual interviews with students, classroom discussions facilitated by researchers, and focus group discussions with 17 staff members, that focused on changes in the students’ reading habits and abilities and their perceptions of the reading intervention. The ideas found in the data collected were grouped into themes and categories.

Findings

It was found that three conditions in the middle school contributed to students’ desire to read:

making reading a top priority;
adults in the school modelling and supporting reading; and
creating a motivating learning environment.

Implications

The authors recommended that reading be prioritized as a school-wide objective and that staff members engage in conversations about books with students. Ongoing professional development should also be provided to allow school staff members to be familiar with young adult literature. Time and money should also be allocated to reading and to the buying of books, respectively.

Original article retrieved from ERIC.