This study focused on independent EFL reading among Grade 11 students across public and non-public schools in Ethiopia. Students who practice independent reading develop a love for reading and ultimately become life-long self-initiated readers. Therefore, independent reading should be considered as a vital goal of instruction and research. The issues of focus in this study were students’ reading comprehension ability levels, attitude towards learning English as a school subject and reading its literature, reading motivation, reading strategy use, persistence in independent reading and access to reading resources along with inclusion of independent reading in classroom instruction and in English textbooks. To this end, the study used quantitative data (collected through reading comprehension test, structured questionnaire and independent reading follow-up checklist) and qualitative data (gathered via classroom observation and content analysis).The findings revealed lower predisposition towards and practice of independent EFL reading among public school students (n = 375). A statistically significant difference, in favour of non-public schools (n = 181), was also found between the two groups of students in scores pertaining to most of the variables investigated. Enhanced scaffolding of independent reading through improved instruction and resource provision, regular short refresher courses for teachers of English and further studies have been recommended to improve public school students’ involvement in independent EFL reading. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English Studies)

La question abordée dans cette thèse est l’accès à la lecture autonome des apprenants de chinois langue étrangère. Pour un apprenant de langue maternelle à écriture alphabétique, le chinois est “une langue distante géographiquement, culturellement et linguistiquement” (Bellassen, 2014). Il nous a donc paru nécessaire d’examiner dans quelles conditions s’effectue cet accès, et de définir à cette occasion un “Seuil de Caractères pour Accéder à la Lecture en Autonomie” (SCALA). La présente recherche est fondée sur une enquête réalisée auprès d’un panel d’environ 300 apprenants, dont nous avons cherché à établir la biographie langagière, afin de constituer un corpus de textes authentiques lus en premier. L’analyse de ce matériau permet de mieux comprendre comment un non-lecteur devient un lecteur autonome. Ce travail ouvre en outre des perspectives pédagogiques qui ne demandent qu’à être approfondies. / The subject addressed in this research concerns access to independent reading for the learners of Chinese as a foreign language. For a learner who is a native user of alphabetical writing systems, Chinese is a “geographically, culturally and linguistically distant language” (Bellassen, 2014). Therefore, it seemed necessary to explore under which conditions a learner starts independent reading and to establish a “Threshold of characters to Access First Readings in Autonomy” (TAFRA). This study is based on an investigation conducted with a study sample consisting of over 300 learners with whom we try to establish a language biography as well as to constitute a corpus of authentic first-read texts. The analysis of this material allows to better understand how a non-reader becomes an independent reader and to establish the “TAFRA” list. This study provides interesting insight into future learning as well as pedagogy.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om den tysta läsningen i grundskolans tidigare år behöver ändras, varför detta behövs samt hur den kan ändras. Till grund för studien skrevs tre frågeställningar. Dessa lyder:   Behöver den tysta läsningen förändras- varför? Hur kan den tysta läsningen i skolan utvecklas? Hur kan utvecklandet av tyst läsning gynna elevernas läsande och livslånga lärande?   Studien genomfördes genom en litteraturstudie av forskning och annan litteratur. Litteraturen och stoffet analyserades genom Vygotskijs och det sociokulturella perspektivet.   Det undersökningen visat är att läsförmågan i Sverige sjunkit och att den fortsätter att sjunka. För att ändra på detta behövs mer undervisning i lässtrategier. En förändring i momentet tyst läsning är därför av vikt. Om en sådan förändring skulle medföra ökade resultat går inte att säga, det behövs det större undersökningar för att ta reda på.   En förändring från den enskilt tysta läsningen till en tyst läsning där samtalet och innehållet i texten får en större betydelse visar undersökningen är att föredra. Detta innebär inte att den tysta läsningen ska försvinna. Den enskilda läsningen behövs också, då avkodning är en viktig förmåga för att utveckla goda läsare. Däremot visar studien att genom att samtala om lässtrategier, lyfta olika tolkningar och få ett dialogiskt klassrum där elevernas frågor är av vikt, kan vi utveckla bättre läsare i skolan. / The aim of this study is to see if the silent reading in the early school years in Sweden needed to change. The purpose was also to see how this educational moment could change and what benefit the students learning could have of this change. To answer this aim some question was written. These where:   Does the silent reading need to change - why? How can the silent reading in school develop? How can the development of this educational moment benefit the students’ lifelong learning and reading skills?   The study where executed thru a literature study with both research- and other literature material. These where analyzed thru Vygotskijs and the sociocultural perspective on learning.   The study shows that the reading ability in Swedish school has dropped and continues to drop. To change this down going pattern more education in reading strategies are necessary. A change in the silent reading is therefore important. The study cannot say if a change would increase Swedish students reading ability. A larger research is needed to see this.   A change in the silent reading, from an individual work, to a moment where the conversation and content of the text get larger space, are something the study shows as an important change. This does not exclude the silent reading as an individual work. It is necessary to read much to increase the reading fluency. This is a significant part of becoming a good reader. Though the study shows that this is important, the education need more conversations and education about reading strategies. If we teachers lift different aspects of the text and create a dialogical classroom where the students’ questions matters the development of good readers will have a significant chance of growing.

The present study puts forward two models which examine the relationship between at home at school variables of (1) engagement in shared and independent reading and (2) access to print with reading achievement. Participants were fourth grade English speakers from Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia), New Zealand, England, and USA. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) questionnaires and reading achievement test were used to design the two models, and Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the data where students (Level-1) were nested within classrooms (Level-2). The results of the Engagement in Reading Model demonstrate that activities of shared reading at home and at school did not statistically significantly relate or related negatively with reading achievement. Parents helping their children with school readings emerged as the strongest negative predictor of reading achievement in the entire model. However, the relationship between how often participants talked with their families about what they read on their own and reading achievement was positive. Additionally, independent reading at school, reading for fun at home, and reading printed material (books and magazines) at home predicated reading achievement positively; reading for homework did not predict reading achievement; and reading for information and reading on the internet at home predicted reading achievement negatively. The results of the Access to Print Model demonstrate that while access to books and other reading material at home related positively with reading achievement, access to books and other reading material at school did not overall relate to students’ reading achievement. Additionally, access to the library, generally, did not relate to reading achievement; and when statistical significance was found it was not replicated in all or even most of the countries. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended that fourth graders be given ample opportunities to read books of their own choosing independently at school, and to develop students’ habits and motivation to read for leisure during their free after school time. Additionally, children should be provided with ample access to reading material at home which is geared towards their interests.