The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the development of reading strategies of adolescent pupils with dyslexia using Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment, an internationally recognized method which is aimed at the development of cognitive functions. In the context of the actual legislative changes in the education of pupils with special educational needs, this reflects the needs of educational practice. The theoretical part summarizes the basic terminology and the state of the Czech and foreign literature related to the topic of this work. The research part of the work characterizes the research design and the research sample, and then presents individual results and conclusions for further researches and educational practice. The objectives of the research can be divided into two levels, in the qualitative part of the research there were realized special reeducations of adolescent pupils with dyslexia using set of teaching materials based on the principles of Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment. In this part of the thesis, the aim was to describe and analyze selected factors influencing the development of reading strategies of adolescents with dyslexia involved in the research (own learning process, behavior of pupils and lecturer); to find out what reading strategies are developed in...

This study aims to explore the use of literature to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities in the upper secondary EFL classroom in Sweden. The study uses a mixed method of teacher survey and teacher interviews to answer the three research questions: (1) How often do teachers use literature to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? (2) What kinds of literature are used when the purpose is to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? And (3) How do EFL teachers teach literature when the purpose is to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? The study finds that upper secondary school teachers in Sweden use literature in various ways to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities. To achieve this purpose, teachers mainly use short stories, novels, poetry, young adult novels, plays, and children’s books.  The study also finds that intensive reading approaches are more commonly used than extensive reading approaches in Swedish classrooms and teachers use a wide range of reading comprehension strategies to help their students comprehend the text. Additionally, teachers’ use of reading strategies varies according to the text at hand and the purpose of reading. Furthermore, upper secondary school teachers use both explicit strategy instruction and activities that allow the students opportunities to practice reading strategies, and they also teach the students how different reading strategies are used for different purposes.

I denna systematiska litteraturstudie presenteras resultat av vad tidigare forskning konstaterat om lässtrategier i frågan om hur de används och vad de innebär för elever i skolåren 9–12. Uppsatsen visar att den utbildningsforskning som berört lässtrategier under de senaste tio åren inte behandlar strategisk läsning med konsensus i begrepp eller förklaringsmodeller, utan att det istället finns olika synpunkter om både vad lässtrategier är och vad de innebär för läsaren. Studien visar också att lässtrategier används frekvent hos elever i skolåren 9–12 inom och utanför Sverige, både bland skickliga läsare och bland mindre skickliga läsare, för att främja läsförståelse. Vad som skiljer dessa skickliga respektive mindre skickliga läsare från varandra tycks till viss del vara kvaliteten av deras strategiska läsning och hur de använder lässtrategier till sin fördel för att förstå text. Uppsatsen undersöker olika aspekter av lässtrategier och konstaterar att det finns främst tre faktorer som påverkar lässtrategiers effektivitet. Dessa är: 1) Huruvida eleven besitter metakognitiv medvetenhet och gör aktiva val vid strategisk läsning. 2) Elevens förmåga att kombinera olika strategier med varandra. 3) Elevens förmåga att utvärdera sin egen läsning. / In this systematic review, results of previous research on strategic reading were analyzed and presented regarding the question of how students (year 9–12) use reading strategies, and what these strategies mean to reading comprehension levels. The review found that studies which have investigated strategic reading during the past ten years subscribe to different viewpoints and models regarding what reading strategies are, how they should be described, as well as how they should be used by students to further their reading comprehension. While the review further concludes that both good readers and less skilled readers among students in secondary school, frequently do use reading strategies, it also provides evidence to support the idea that these strategies must be used in a certain way for them to be effective. The review presents information from previous research which pertains to the different aspects of reading strategy, and what makes strategic reading effective in terms of furthering reading comprehension. These aspects include: 1) The level of metacognitive awareness that the reader possesses when choosing and using strategies. 2) The readers ability to effectively combine strategies with each other. 3) The readers level of insight into his or her strategy use via the use of control strategies and reflection.

Elever som har funktionsvariationen autismspektrumstillstånd har kognitiva nedsättningar som kan försvåra förståelsen av ett textinnehåll i skönlitterär genre. Elever med funktionsvariationen kan vara duktiga på att avkoda text. Det kan däremot vara vårt att förklara innehållet, förstå mellan raderna eller koppla texten till sitt eget perspektiv. Studiens syfte är därmed att öka kunskapen om hur några lärare arbetar med skönlitterära texter för elever inom autismspektrumstillstånd. Frågeställningarna tar upp hur lärare arbetar med olika strategier och metoder kring skönlitterära texter, hur lärarna anpassar skönlitterära texter både i undervisningen samt i samband med läsläxor och slutligen vilka hinder respektive möjligheter läsläxor i genren skönlitterära texter kan bidra med för en elev inom autismspektrumstillstånd. För att uppfylla studiens syfte och frågeställningar har en kvalitativ forskningsmetod tillämpats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. I analysen av empiriska data har den behavioristiska teorin applicerats. Den behavioristiska teorin betonar en individualiserad undervisning, goda läromedel och strategier av upprepningar som arbetssätt. Resultatet visar i att lärarna använde mycket visuella material, boksamtal och läsfixarna som strategier. Samtliga lärare stöttade även en elev inom AST genom att använda skönlitterära texter av elevens intresse med en-till-en-undervisning. Det är i enlighet med vad det behavioristiska perspektivet betonar som viktigt. Samtliga lärare betonade även vikten av att samarbeta med vårdnadshavare, då elever inom AST behöver få en god stöttning och med samma uppgifter i både hemmet som i skolan. Slutligen delger lärarna att elever inom AST har olika individuella behov, därmed är det betydelsefullt att ha en mer ingående kunskap om AST för ett förbättringsarbete i skolverksamheten. / Students with functional variation have cognitive impairments that can make it difficult to understand a textual content in a fiction genre. Students with functional variation happens to be good at decoding texts, but to be able to explain the content, understanding between the lines or connect the text to their own perspective is something that is complicated for a student with functional variation. The purpose of the study is thus to increase knowledge about how some teachers work with fictional texts for students in autism spectrum disorders. The questions address how teachers work with different strategies and methods around fictional texts, how teachers adapt fictional texts both in teaching and in connection with reading lessons and finally what obstacles and opportunities reading lessons in the genre of fictional texts can contribute to a student within autism spectrum disorders. To fulfil the aim and answer the research questions, the qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews has been applied through semi-structured interviews. In order to be able to analyze the empirical data, a behavioristic perspective has been applied. The behavioristic perspective emphasizes individualized teaching, good teaching materials and strategies of repetition as a way of working. The result remained that the teachers used a lot of visual materials, book talks and reading fixes as strategies. The teachers also supported the student with autism spectrum disorder by using fiction texts of the student's interest with one-on-one teaching. All teachers also emphasize the importance of cooperating with guardians, as students within autism spectrum disorder have to receive a good support and with the same tasks both at home and at school. Finally, the teachers reported that students within autism spectrum disorder have different individual needs, thus it is important to have a more in-depth knowledge of autism spectrum disorder for improvement work in school activities.

In this study, I analyse current studies to discover the common Double-Entry Diary points which result in reading literacy development and find the essential data which support this theory and describe the state of reading among Czech children from eight to fifteen years of age. Although reading literacy is a well-recognized feature of academic writing, little research has been undertaken as to its models. Because the purpose of reading is using the texts as efficiently as possible, teachers should use methods which allow a variety of active strategies. What we need is a sustained coordinated effort. In my study I focus on fourth-grade primary schools learners who have mastered the technique of reading and are ready to improve their understanding of the text and get an idea of what is hidden beyond the text. Its goal is to familiarize the reader with the reasons for effective education using the Double-Entry Diary method, which originated in the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking International Consortium. This paper focuses on the issue of theoretical analysis of previous research and literature. It presents specific educational practices and deals with the consequences that lead to practical usage of this method. The research analysis indicates much strength in this teaching method. This...

In traditional EFL classrooms, teachers often tend to relay on textbooks where the reading material is a text usually followed by reading activities. Consequently, this material does not really provide students with the reading strategies necessary to become succesful readers. Successful readers should posess the ability to apply appropriate kinds of reading and reading strategies and to do that the teacher needs to provide the students with the right teaching material. Therefore, this degree project analyses three EFL textbooks for upper secondary school in the Swedish context, namely Context 2, Pick & Mix 2 and Viewponts 2. The present study explores if the reading activities in the textbooks provide learners with the opportunity to develop their reading skills by including different kinds of reading and reading strategies. Moreover, the researchers use a qualitative content analysis and criteria to conduct their study. The results reveal that the textbooks do consist of reading activities which allow for different kinds of reading. Two of the textbooks analysed, Pick & Mix 2 and Context 2, entail activities which require the readers to be able to use the majority of different kinds of reading. One textbook, however, shows lack of activities that allow learners to train their skimming ability. Finally, the textbooks do not provide learners with sufficient reading activities that include the three processes: before-, during- and after- reading.

To operate in our modern society an individual need to possess a well-rounded reading ability, and to know of and use reading strategies is crucial for learners to develop this ability. The present study sets out to explore the beliefs of Swedish English teachers regarding the significance of reading and reading strategies. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate to what extent their classroom practice of teaching explicit reading strategies instructions is consistent with their beliefs. In this qualitative study, four 7-9 English teachers and two student groups participated. These come from two Swedish schools with different social-economic backgrounds. The data was collected by conducting content analysis of the teachers' lesson plans and conducting semi-structured interviews with both the teachers and students. The results show that the teachers express positive attitude to reading and reading strategies as they believe that these constitute essential elements in the communicative classroom. However, the results also indicate that the teachers’ actual classroom practice for reading strategies is not always consistent with their beliefs: for example, despite all teachers being positive to reading and reading strategies’ instruction, only the teachers from the school with lower social-economic background provide reading strategies’ instruction explicitly. Further, the results indicate that factors such as the teachers’ theoretical conceptions, time contraints, student composition and proficiency level, the school’s socio-economic background are the reasons for the teachers including explicit reading strategies’ instruction in their repertoire.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is clear from a recent study done by the Western Cape Education Department that the quality of literacy instruction in primary schools is not up to standard (WCED, 2006; Kruizinga, 2010). Therefore, countless learners struggle with the acquisition of literacy skills, such as reading and writing (WCED, 2006). One of the numerous reasons for South Africa's poor literacy levels is stated in the National Reading Strategy (Department of Education, 2008:10): “Learners who experience barriers to learning often do not receive the support needed to become fluent readers.” Despite the policies of inclusive education that recognise the special needs of learners in all sectors of education (Department of Education, 2008:10), countless children find it impossible to decipher and make sense of the unfamiliar texts they encounter in school. For this reason, many learners struggle with feelings of frustration, inadequacy and a sense of failure. As a result of the poor literacy levels, a literacy intervention programme was developed that was used to improve the literacy levels of learners who needed individualised instruction in the specific areas of reading and writing. This intervention programme was based on the principles of Reading Recovery®, a New Zealand literacy intervention programme developed by Clay (1993). Her Observation Survey assessment tasks (Clay, 2002) were used as the main research instrument within a pre-test, mid-test and post-test design. In addition to quantitative data, the Observation Survey yielded qualitative, descriptive data on children's literacy-processing behaviours, which were used to monitor learner progress and provide a source of feedback to guide teachers' instructional decision-making. Three struggling grade three learners were chosen for the intervention, together with a control group consisting of four average-performing learners to which the intervention group was compared. The comparison was done in order to gain knowledge of the intervention group‟s improvement and to see whether they progressed to the level of the control group as a result of the intervention. This programme was designed to accelerate the learning process of struggling learners, firstly by using levelled texts, and secondly by teaching the learners to apply the comprehension strategies needed for successful reading and writing. The results indicate that the intervention group reached the average performance level of the control group and therefore the intervention proved to be successful. Towards the end of the intervention it became clear that the project merited further research and support. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Onlangse studie wat deur die Wes-Kaapse Onderwysdepartement voltooi is, het aangetoon dat die kwaliteit van geletterdheidsonderrig nie op standaard is nie. Gevolglik is daar baie leerders wat geletterdheidsprobleme ervaar (WCED, 2006). Een van die vele redes vir Suid-Afrika se lae geletterdheidsvlakke word in die Nasionale Leesstrategie (Department of Education, 2008:10) weergegee: “Leerders wat struikelblokke tot leer ervaar, ontvang gewoonlik nie die ondersteuning wat hul benodig om suksesvolle lesers te word nie.” Ten spyte van die Inklusiewe Onderwysriglyne wat die spesiale behoeftes van alle leerders in alle sektore van onderwys erken (Department of Education, 2008:100), is daar steeds vele kinders wat dit feitlik onmoontlik vind om sin te maak van onbekende tekste waarmee hul in die skool te doen kry. Vir hierdie redes sukkel baie leerders met gevoelens van frustrasie, ontoereikendheid en mislukking. As gevolg van die geletterdheidsprobleme onder jong leerders, het ek 'n intervensieprogram ontwikkel wat gebruik is om die geletterdheidsvlakke van leerders wat spesifiek geletterdheidsprobleme ervaar op te stoot. Die intervensie is gebaseer op beginsels van Reading Recovery®, 'n Nieu-Seelandse Geletterdheidsprogram wat deur Clay (2002) ontwikkel is. Die bykomende “Observation Survey” assesseringstake is gebruik as die hoof navorsingsinstrument binne die raamwerk van 'n voortoets, middel-toets, natoets-navorsingsontwerp. Bo en behalwe die kwantitatiewe data wat die “Observation Survey” take opgelewer het, het die assesseringsinstrument ook kwalitatiewe data verskaf ten opsigte van die leerders se geletterdheids-prosesseringsgedrag. Hierdie data het my gehelp om die leerders se vordering te monitor, asook om my onderrigsbesluite te rig. Drie graad drie leerders wat geletterdheidsprobleme ervaar het, is gekies om deel te neem aan die intervensie. Vier graad drie leerders wat gemiddeld presteer, is vir die kontrolegroep gekies waarteen die intervensiegroep gemeet is. Een van die doele van die intervensie was om te sien of die intervensiegroep binne die gegewe tydperk die gemiddelde vlak van die kontrolegroep kon bereik. Die program is ontwerp om op die een-tot-een vlak sukkelende leerders se leerproses te versnel deur eerstens gebruik te maak van tekste wat in vlakke van „n progressiewe moeilikheidsgraad opgedeel is. Tweedens is die intervensieleerders geleer om 'n verskeidenheid begripstrategieё toe te pas wat enige leser nodig het om met sukses te kan lees en skryf. Die assesseringsresultate het getoon dat die intervensieleerders na verloop van die intervensie die gemiddelde lees- en skryfvlakke van die kontrole groep bereik het. Dus was die studie 'n sukses. Aan die einde van die intervensie het dit duidelik geword dat die projek verdere navorsing in hierdie veld vereis.

In an inner-city elementary school, students continue to lag in reading proficiency, and implementation of research-based, district-mandated teaching strategies is not well understood. The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of mandated, read-aloud expository text strategies in K-2 classrooms. The conceptual framework was Vygotsky's social constructivism model of learning, which envisions students learning by interacting with teachers and peers, in this case, using read-aloud strategies, until they become autonomous, expository readers. The research questions focused on benefits and challenges of the implementation of read-aloud expository text by K-2 teachers who were given a 5-year mandate by the school to use strategies of scaffolding, graphic organizers, think-alouds, and text talk. Data were gathered from 5 teachers who volunteered to participate and were trained in the strategies. Data collection included individual interviews, collaborating interviews, reflective journals, and field notes. Open coding and thematic analysis identified 6 themes of teacher perceptions, including benefits, situational strategies, and explanations for use, challenges, support, and implementation. Throughout the data collection process, teachers suggested the use of Text Talk Kit materials. These kits, in use by other districts, may be beneficial to all teachers and may lead to social change by allowing teachers to access materials to better instruct all struggling readers, a benefit across all curricular areas and for all students.

This study focused on the relationship between reading comprehension and academic achievement of grade 10 learners in the learning area Language and attempted to address the following primary research question: What is the relationship between the reading comprehension of grade 10 learners in their first and second language and their academic achievement in the learning area Language ? The researcher also addressed the following secondary questions: Is them a significant difference between Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language)? Is there a significant difference between male and female learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language) ? A total of seventy-seven (77) grade 10 learners for whom English is a second language were included in this study. The learners' reading comprehension abilities in the first language (Afrikaans and Sesotho) and the second language (English) were tested and correlated with their achievements in the learning area Language (first and second language). The reading comprehension and language achievements of Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners respectively and male and female learners were compared. Resulting from the findings of this study, the following conclusions were made: A significant relationship exists between the reading comprehension of grade 10 learners in their first and second language and their academic achievement in the learning area Language. There is a significant difference between Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language). There is a significant difference between male and female learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.