Building a reading culture in Singapore School

Loh, C. E. (2015). Building a reading culture in a Singapore school: Identifying spaces for change through a socio-spatial approach. Changing English, 22(2), 209-221.

Background

While research had demonstrated that home and school were complementary ecologies, the author postulated that there were various interacting parts that developed the student as a reader. Locating spaces for change within the school context might be a more fruitful strategy for getting students to rethink their identities as readers.

Aims

This study explored the reading identities and practices of students. It also investigated the social networks and affordances students were given at home and at school to support the development of a reading identity and encourage reading.

Sample

The participants were 1,133 students in one Singapore secondary school.

Method

The study adopted a mixed methods case study approach. It comprised a survey of the reading practices of students, and how they perceived themselves as readers. The school library was used to map out reading spaces and usage over two months. Close analyses of and interviews with 12 students were conducted.

Findings

The survey results indicated that while most students liked reading (66%), fewer students were eager to identify themselves as readers (40%). However, students’ qualitative responses suggested that most saw reading as a worthwhile leisure activity if they could find a suitable book, and that interest was a key motivator for reading. Most students tended towards a functional rather than aesthetic view of reading. They perceived reading as an important activity for academic achievement. Less than 50% of the students were socialized into reading at home. Many requested a choice of books. Reading was closely related to other multimodal practices as they reported going online to get more information about characters in books or movies. Many students (68.8%) visited the public library, out of which 33.8% visited regularly (at least once a month). However, in contrast, only 40.9% visited the more accessible school library, out of which 21.8% were regular visitors. The school library was underutilised as the physical space was uninviting, and it seemed that it was not prioritized as a reading space that students could access on a regular basis. Even students who liked to read saw the library as unattractive space.

Implications

The author highlighted that the school library space could be better aligned with the reading objectives of the school. More attention should be paid to the library as a social space for reading and for creating excitement about books, and to the reorganization of the library space.

Original article retrieved from Google Scholar.