The reading of literature is rarely practiced in our high schools today yet many studies
have shown that voracious, free, voluntary reading improves students' grammar, spelling,
vocabulary, and composition. The demands of our present day economy require higher
literacy rates of our citizens if businesses are to compete successfully in the international
marketplace. However, the majority of high school students do not or cannot make time to
read for pleasure. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if English 9 students and
transitional English students would welcome a reading program as part of their course work.
I selected School District # 43 (Coquitlam's) A Literature Based Individualized Reading
Program because it has been used successfully in the district's elementary and middle schools
and because it allows teacher-librarians to actively promote the reading of literature, beyond
their more traditional role of book displays and booktalks.
A questionnaire was administered by the teacher-librarian/researcher to three classes
at the end of the six week program asking students to give their opinions on those aspects
they liked and disliked about the program. Two teachers who also took part give their
opinions as well.
Major findings indicate that a reading program is acceptable to most students i f some
alterations are made to the design of the unit. English 9 students educated in Canadian
classrooms prefer more choice in reading materials and fewer written assignments that
interfere with their readings. Entry level English as a Second Language, or transitional
English students, need more support than our modified program gave them. The more
advanced transitional English (TRAN) students handled the demands of the program quite
well. A reading unit at the secondary level, then, must be simplified and tailored to the needs
of specific groups before it is accepted by a majority of teachers and their students.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/10743 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Peplow, Karen Winifred |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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