This report describes the plans for, implementation of, and results of a reading club program conducted at a middle school. This program was a modification of an unsuccessful one that was criticized by the staff and students for lack of structure and meaning. The literature supported the need for students taking time out of the school day for pleasure reading. Krashen (1993), Atwell (1998), and Irvin (1998) all have recommended that students should be permitted to read appropriate reading materials of their choice and that they should be provided with a wide range of materials from which to choose. Therefore, a revised club program, the Take Time To Read Club, designed to offer an alternative to pullout clubs, was agreed upon by a club revision committee. Three objectives were established. The 1st objective was to increase the amount of time students spent reading for pleasure. The 2nd objective was to improve the perception of the reading club program as measured by an 80% positive response rate to a faculty survey. The 3rd objective was to increase reading achievement levels by at least 5% as measured by Metropolitan Achievement Test and Grade 8 Early Warning Test (New Jersey State Department of Education, 1997) scores. None of the 3 objectives was completely realized as the result of this practicum. However, increases did occur in pleasure-reading times in instances when motivational factors were present. Also, teachers' positive perceptions did increase by 22% to 57%. There were slight increases in test scores in the 6th and 7th grades.

This qualitative study investigated the phenomenon of the pleasure reading experience in fourth and fifth grade students. The purpose of the study was to create a dialogue with children regarding their leisure reading habits in an effort to inform our understanding of aliteracy, a term that refers to having the ability to read but choosing not to. Fourth grade students were surveyed to uncover their attitudes toward pleasure reading and eleven students were chosen for interviews. Comparative data was obtained from those students who conveyed either extremely negative or extremely positive attitudes toward reading. Students of both genders were selected who had varied ability levels. Parents and fourth-grade teachers were also interviewed in an effort to triangulate data. This study revealed similarities in the way reluctant readers and motivated readers experience pleasure reading physically and intellectually and contrasts in the way these children emotionally, psychologically, and socially experience pleasure reading. Reluctant readers described preferring reality-based and experiential approaches to leisure-time activities while motivated readers described the ability to internalize stories they read for pleasure. Parental modeling did not prove to be a strong influence with this group of children and reluctant readers reported that the Accelerated Reader program provided motivation for them to read in order to meet classroom requirements.

悅讀是指讀者自己挑選有趣的書籍，自發性地廣泛閱讀。本研究是要探討悅讀對國中生的閱讀動機，閱讀能力，和寫作能力的影響。本實驗邀請台北市某所國中61位的八年級生參加，分為實驗組(悅讀組)和對照組(傳統閱讀組)。本實驗共為期23週，在學生的英文閱讀課進行，每週一次，每次45分鐘。實驗期間， 實驗組在上閱讀課時只專心於閱讀自己所選的圖畫故事書，而對照組則繼續原來由老師所主導的傳統閱讀課程。實驗進行前後二組學生都接受全民英檢的閱讀和寫作能力測驗及閱讀動機評量。這些測驗資料由電腦進行量化處理與分析，個別訪談結果則用來輔助說明結果與討論。 結果顯示，經過悅讀的實驗，學生的整體閱讀動機提升了。此外，多面向的動機顯示，參與者的閱讀自信和閱讀成就與目地深受悅讀課程所影響，尤其是參與者從悅讀中產生很強的愉悅感，也增強了自信心。此結果證明了悅讀的最大功能—增進愉悅感。但是此研究並未發現悅讀能有效地改進參與者的閱讀和寫作能力。 因為小樣本及有限的資料，本實驗結果只能提供建議性而非決地性的結果，不過本實驗還是能提供一些教育性的建議。如悅讀能納入學校課程當作正規英文課的輔助。學校每天的早自習是讓學生悅讀的最佳時間。另外，賦予不同程度的學生不同的閱讀目標與配合適當的閱讀活動能增進他們的英語能力。爲了更深刻了解悅讀對國中生的效益，最好從校內全體的七年級生開始進行為期三年的悅讀課程，最後以高中入學的基本學力測驗英文科成績來檢驗其成效。期待面對繁重課業壓力的國中生能透過悅讀快樂地並有效地學習英文。 / Pleasure reading refers to any reading in which self-motivated readers pick up books they are interested in and engage themselves in those books. Pleasure reading has long been recognized as a powerful tool for fostering reading interest and enhancing literacy development. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of pleasure reading on EFL junior high school students’ reading motivation, reading comprehension, and writing ability. Sixty-one eighth graders in a junior high school in Taipei were divided into the experimental group (pleasure reading group) and the control group (traditional reading group). This program was carried out during the English Reading class, once a week with 45 minutes for each period. During the 23-week reading program, the experimental group only focused on reading self-selected picture books without any instructions while the control group still received the skill-based reading approach. Before and after the program, their reading and writing ability were examined by the reading and writing tests of General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and their reading motivation was measured by the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ). The data collected were analyzed quantitatively and the interview data were utilized to interpret and support the findings. The results revealed that the experimental group participants’ overall reading motivation was enhanced significantly after the program. As for the multifaceted motivation, the results showed that the participants’ “reading self-efficacy” and “reading achievement values and goals” were influenced strongly by pleasure reading. Among the 12 reading dimensions, “enjoyment” was the most significant factor. All the findings confirmed the main value of pleasure reading-- reading for enjoyment, and such enjoyment promoted students’ reading motivation very positively. With respect to the participants’ reading and writing ability, the results did not show significant improvement. Pleasure reading did not influence the participants’ language proficiency positively. However, both groups made some progress in the posttest in the gain score. Therefore, pleasure reading appeared to be at least as effective as the traditional reading approach. Pleasure reading was more interesting and enjoyable for junior high students. Although the results may not be taken as conclusive because of limited data and small samples, this study still provides some pedagogical implications and suggestions. Pleasure reading can be implemented into school curriculum as a counterpart of regular English class, a kind of skill-based English class. The school’s morning session is a good time for students to read self-chosen materials. Moderate tasks should be set for students with different language levels to conquer. Appropriate reading activities can be integrated to help stimulate students’ reading. To get a clear picture of its effect on junior high level students, it is necessary to conduct the program for a longer duration and with larger samples. Therefore, it is suggested that further study can start with all the seventh graders in junior high schools and the study should last for three years. The entrance exam of senior high school, the Basic Competence Test can be adopted as the measurement of language proficiency. It is expected that junior high students under academic pressure can learn English happily and effectively.

No description available.

This study aims to find an understanding of how pleasure reading outside of a classroom context can assist in the development of English as a second language. The study primarily seeks to examine what teachers and parents say about how the access to and active reading of English books in children’s home environment can benefit their language skills development in the classroom, and this has been done through qualitative interviews. The interviewees were categorized into two groups, one group consisting of four teachers working as English teachers in grades 4-6 at four different schools, and the other consisting of parents of children currently studying in grades 4-6. The results of the study show that most of the interviewed parents encourage their children to read in English, however most of the mentioned children engage more in pleasure reading in Swedish rather than English. The study also shows that the interviewed teachers share the opinion that students who read in English during their free time bring better comprehension of and proficiency in the English language to the classroom. / Den här studien syftar till att få en förståelse för hur nöjesläsning utanför ett klassrumssammanhang kan assistera i utvecklingen av engelska som andraspråk. Studien riktar sig i första hand mot att undersöka vad lärare och föräldrar säger om hur tillgången till och läsningen av böcker på engelska i ett barns hemmiljö kan gynna utvecklingen av deras språkkunskaper i klassrummet, och detta har gjorts genom kvalitativa intervjuer. De intervjuade deltagarna kategoriserades i två grupper, en grupp bestående av fyra lärare som arbetar som engelsklärare i årskurserna 4-6 på fyra olika skolor, och den andra gruppen bestående av fyra föräldrar till barn som går i årskurs 4-6. Resultaten av studien visar att de flesta intervjuade föräldrarna uppmuntrar sina barn att nöjesläsa på engelska, men att de flesta av de nämnda barnen ägnar sig mer åt nöjesläsning på svenska. Studien visar också att de intervjuade lärarna delar åsikten att elever som läser på engelska under sin fritid har med sig bättre förståelse och språkfärdighet i det engelska språket till klassrummet.