Read-alouds can be very useful in the classroom to assist students in gaining knowledge and improving reading skills. Educational research documents that there is a link between reading aloud to children and successful beginning reading experiences. Furthermore, the reading research community has established a link between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. However, the value of “talk” or interaction prompted by read-alouds is an area in need of investigation given, what we know about emergent literacy instruction in the context of school reform mandates. The purpose of this investigation was to provide a baseline description of the nature of reading instruction with regard to teachers’ solicitation practices and congruence of student responses as these interactions occur during read-alouds with Kindergarten, first, and second grade students. The significance of this study was to advance the knowledge base of the nature of read-alouds within the context of teacher solicitations and student responses accounting for the value of interaction in the classroom as a means to enhance the literary experience.

Read-alouds can be very useful in the classroom to assist students in gaining knowledge and improving reading skills. Educational research documents that there is a link between reading aloud to children and successful beginning reading experiences. Furthermore, the reading research community has established a link between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. However, the value of “talk” or interaction prompted by read-alouds is an area in need of investigation given, what we know about emergent literacy instruction in the context of school reform mandates. The purpose of this investigation was to provide a baseline description of the nature of reading instruction with regard to teachers’ solicitation practices and congruence of student responses as these interactions occur during read-alouds with Kindergarten, first, and second grade students. The significance of this study was to advance the knowledge base of the nature of read-alouds within the context of teacher solicitations and student responses accounting for the value of interaction in the classroom as a means to enhance the literary experience.

This descriptive study was designed to be an in-depth, ethnographic study of an after-school Writers Club that had been part of the fabric of a metropolitan area elementary school's culture for 12 years. The purpose of this research was to learn more about meaning-based pedagogy by examining Writers Club and the activities conducted within it with a focus on reading aloud. As the narrowing focus on skill and drill practices that are a by product of high stakes testing continues to grab time, attention, and headlines, educators and policymakers deserve access to examples of more meaning-based pedagogy in actual contexts. This research was focused on the activities that occurred during club meetings as well as on the meanings that participants of the club made concerning those activities, particularly as they related to the embedded read alouds. Revealed through the voices of selected participants, Writers Club proved to be a venue for read aloud events that built upon the reading/writing connection and served to allow children to develop as writers amongst a community that included adults as well as peers. / Ed. D.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the interaction between educators and children during reading aloud and how the educators recognize this. The study is qualitative and the empirical material was gathered through observation and interview methods. Interviews were done with three teachers, and they were observed on five occasions. The children’s age is 4-5 years. The results show that teachers have a good knowledge of reading alouds importance for young children's language development and reading aloud is seen as an educational activity, but may have different purposes depending on the situation. The result also shows that the teachers clearly recognize children's linguistic stimulation in reading aloud.

Sammanfattning I denna studie undersöks högläsning i förskolan utifrån ett pedagogperspektiv. Vi tar vår utgångspunkt i tidigare forskning som visar att högläsning är betydelsefull ur flera aspekter. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka hur pedagogerna planerar och använder sig av högläsning i förskolan samt hur de upplever att högläsningen fungerar. Vi har använt oss utav den kvalitativa metoden och genomfört intervjuer med fem pedagoger om högläsning. Det gav oss möjlighet att ta del av deras olika erfarenheter och lyfta fram dem. Resultatet av vår studie visar att de intervjuade pedagogerna har olika syften kring högläsningen på förskolan, som ökat ordförråd, språkutveckling och vila. De har också tankar om att skapa nyfikenhet och bokvana hos barnen. Pedagogerna planerar för högläsning varje dag men det kommer även oplanerade tillfällen. Högläsningsstunderna upplever pedagogerna som lustfyllda och lärorika. Dessutom använder de högläsning som en grund för samtal med barnen.

Η εργασία αυτή έχει αντικείμενό της την δραστηριότητα της ανάγνωσης βιβλίων στην ολομέλεια της τάξης του νηπιαγωγείου. Χωρίζεται σε ένα θεωρητικό και ένα ερευνητικό κομμάτι. Στο θεωρητικό πλαίσιο, στόχος της είναι να αναλύσει τους λόγους που η ανάγνωση βιβλίων είναι σημαντική στο νηπιαγωγείο. Σε μια βιβλιογραφική αναζήτηση αναλύονται οι τομείς μάθησης που επηρεάζονται θετικά και σχολιάζεται η θέση που έχει δώσει στην ανάγνωση το ελληνικό αναλυτικό πρόγραμμα. Επίσης, γίνεται αναφορά στην αξία των βιβλίων πληροφορίας και τη θέση που έχουν στο νηπιαγωγείο και στο «δικαίωμα» που έχουν τα παιδιά όλων των κοινωνικών στρωμάτων στην επαφή με τα βιβλία και την ανάγνωσή τους. Με βάση όλο το παραπάνω θεωρητικό πλαίσιο, στη συνέχεια, γίνεται μια πρόταση ανάγνωσης βιβλίων αφηγηματικών και πληροφοριών, η οποία προσπαθεί να στοχεύσει στους άξονες μάθησης που επηρεάζονται, με δραστηριότητες πριν, κατά τη διάρκεια και μετά το τέλος της ανάγνωσης. Τέλος, πραγματοποιείται μια έρευνα για να διαπιστωθεί πώς γίνεται η ανάγνωση στο νηπιαγωγείο, με ανοιχτές συνεντεύξεις από νηπιαγωγούς. Στην ανάλυση της συμπεραίνεται ότι υπάρχει έλλειψη ενημέρωσης από τις νηπιαγωγούς, αλλά αναγνώριση της σημαντικότητας του ρόλου του βιβλίου και της ανάγνωσης στις νηπιακές ηλικίες. / In this study, we examined the practice of reading books aloud to children in a kindergarten classroom. The study is devided in two parts. First is the literature search, in which the goal is to analyse all the reasons that reading aloud to children is important. In that chapter, we have found that read-alouds helps children’s vocabulary, spoken word and general knowledge. Also there is an examination of the part that the practice of reading books has in the Greek curriculum. There is a report on the use of informational books and their part in the kindergarten and on the right for all children of any economy status to have access to books. In the next chaprter, we made an example of a way to read books to children with the best practices to do before, during and after, keeping in mind to target the areas that are helped from read-alouds: vocabulary, spoken word and general knowledge. In the last chapter, we examined how the Greek teachers in kindergartens read aloud books to children. The research had fifteen participants answer openended questions in interviews. We found that most of the teachers recognized the importance of reading aloud books but there was lack of knowledge about why it is actually so important.

Högläsning är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet i dagens klassrum. Forskning visar dock på att lärarens högläsning i många fall behöver effektiviseras. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka vilka effekter lärarens högläsning av berättande texter har på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse i årskurs 4-6. Vidare är syftet att belysa hur lärarens högläsning kan användas som ett didaktiskt redskap för att utveckla elevers läsförståelse och öka deras läsupplevelse. Fokus i arbetet ligger på berättande texter då forskningen visar på att de är de mest förekommande texttyperna i årskurs 4-6. De frågeställningar arbetet besvarar är följande: Vilka effekter har lärarens högläsning av berättande texter på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse? Hur kan lärarens högläsning av berättande texter didaktiskt utformas? Undersökningsmaterialet består till största del av internationella studier, artiklar och nationella forskningsrapporter, vilka har analyserats och jämförts. Att materialet ska vara riktat mot lärarens högläsning och hur högläsningen kan effektiviseras utgör ett obligatoriskt kriterium. Lärarens högläsning av berättande texter visar sig ha en positiv inverkan på elevers läsförståelse och läsupplevelse. Men avgörande för att högläsningen ska kunna bli effektiv, lärorik och meningsfull är att det finns tid och ett syfte med högläsningen. Om läraren inte uppfyller dessa krav kan högläsningen istället få negativa effekter.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of small group vocabulary instruction above and beyond whole group, read aloud vocabulary instruction, on second grade students' expressive vocabularies.  This experimental study reflected a between-subjects design as three treatment groups were compared using a pretest, posttest within subjects variable methodology.  A small group instructional intervention was administered to a treatment group in addition to the whole group, read-aloud based vocabulary instruction that the alternative treatment group received.  Data was collected over an eight week intervention period.  Results indicated that small group vocabulary instruction led to greater gains in second grade students' expressive use of target words than did read aloud-based instruction or no instruction (control).  Additionally, students who received small group instruction retained more target word knowledge over time than students who did not receive small group instruction.  Implications for practice and future research are included. / Ph. D.

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It has been common for elementary teachers to read aloud to their students; however, it has not been so common in the middle school. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine how middle school teachers and their students describe the use of read-alouds, including the teachers’ reasons for conducting read-alouds and the students’ descriptions of their experiences with them. Individual interviews and observations were conducted with two teachers and six students to gain the essence of their experiences with read-alouds. Results from this study indicated that what students gained from read-alouds matched the reasons their teachers utilized them. The students described their experiences as enjoyable, helpful to independent reading, motivating, engaging, and a learning opportunity which were all reasons their teachers stated for reading aloud. Findings in this study also indicated the fidelity with which read-alouds were implemented by teachers was impacted by district mandates and the pressure of preparing students for state tests. Results indicated students prospered both cognitively and affectively from listening to teachers read aloud. This study can be used to inform middle school teachers and administrators of the value of using read-alouds. Keywords: Read-Alouds, Middle School Teachers, Middle School Students, Middle School Reading