Article Summary and Analysis 4

Article Title: Becoming the reading mentors our adolescents deserve: developing a successful sustained silent reading program

Author: Lee, V.

Journal: Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 55 (3), November 2011, pgs. 209-218.

Summary

            In this article, Lee describes the steps she took to create a popular and successful sustained silent reading (SSR) program in her classroom.  She followed the advice of researcher J.L. Pilgreen who detailed eight factors for creating an effective SSR program.  Those eight factors are: access, appeal, conducive environment, encouragement, staff training, non-accountability, follow-up activities, and distributed time to read (2011, p. 211).

            Some key aspects of these factors are that the teacher must also read during the SSR time, the students should be allowed to read anything (magazines, catalogs, web based articles, etc.), and students should fill out a reading log with goals for each student. Lee also advised teachers not to punish students who were resistant to the idea at first, but to engage them in conversation in order to find some kind of text they would enjoy.  Regarding non-accountability and follow-up activities, Lee advocates that students not be graded or forced to do any work for their reading. However, she does recommend providing students with recommendations on what to do when they finish reading.  These recommendations range from reading other books by the author to writing a book review for the school newsletter.

            Lee considers that her SSR program was a success in her classroom because the students eventually demanded more time to read and started holding each other accountable for their behaviors during the SSR time.

Analysis and Application

            Lee’s tale of turning a struggling SSR program into a successful one provides many great pieces of advice for teachers.  Four aspects of her program I am going to borrow for my research study are teacher modeling, book logs, non-accountability, and allowing students to read anything.  If the teacher does not model the same behavior he or she expects of the students, why would the students buy in?  Telling students “reading is a wonderful activity that will help you in many ways,” and then grading papers or surfing the Internet would send the message that both reading is not important, and that your time is more valuable than theirs.  Books logs are an effective tool for students to be able to monitor their reading, so they can see trends or patterns to help guide themselves.  Including a reading goal may sound like creating a semblance of accountability, but this is merely for the student to realistically assess their reading.  Students will not be punished if goals are not met, nor will they be asked to share their goals with the class. Following this, making SSR a non-graded activity is important for students to feel comfortable and relaxed in their reading. Tying mandatory assignments or activities to the task could add stress and agitation which could create reduced motivation or further reading. Finally, allowing students to read anything will hopefully guide them to find joy in the activity.  Reading does not only take place with a physical book in one’s hand.  Graphic novels and magazines are just as relevant when it comes to reading as a book.  Plus, in the age of e-readers and online comics, teachers need to allow those options as well.  Shutting down students’ preferences for reading will not help to increase motivation for the activity, which is what I aim to do with this program.

References

Lee, V. (2011). Becoming the reading mentors our adolescents deserve: developing a successful sustained silent reading program. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 55.2, 209-218. doi: doi:10.1002/JAAL.00026

Article Summary and Analysis 3

Article Title: The effects of incentives on reading

Author: Jeff McQuillan

Journal: Reading Research and Instruction Vol. 36, Winter 1997, pgs. 111-125

Summary

            This article did not provide any new research, but merely looked into other studies in which incentives were used to determine if they had any effect on reading performance and/or motivation of students.  In the literature review, McQuillan references numerous studies comparing the effectiveness of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on any task, not just reading.  He finds that the research states that incentives not only do not help the performance, but that they can ultimately have negative effects on certain tasks.

            McQuillan then looks at ten studies on the usage of incentives in reading and found that half of them found positive effects, while the other half found no effect or negative effects.  McQuillan analyzes the studies which showed positive effects and points out areas in which the results seem faulty or questionable.  He often uses the word “confounding” to describe the conditions of the studies.  McQuillan then analyzes the studies which showed either negative or no effects of incentives.  He concludes by stating that external incentives or rewards do not have a positive effect on reading and future studies looking into the matter need “more rigorous experimental design” (1997, p. 119).

Analysis

            This article echoes other research I have read about how extrinsic motivation is not a positive determinant in motivating students to read; however, I am curious about the potential bias in McQuillan’s research.  He seemed to go into his research with the belief that external incentives do not make good motivators, and dismissed five studies that found otherwise.  The use of the word “confounding” in an academic journal is a bit over the top to describe the research of others, and leads me to question his research.  One difference between the studies McQuillan investigated and my research study is that I am not interested in increasing student’s test scores or reading scores.  I am merely looking at motivation.  Another difference is that the external rewards will only be one part of my study.  Sustained silent reading will be another aspect of the study.

References

McQuillan, J. (1997). The effects of incentives on reading. Reading Research and Instruction, 36.2, 111-125. Retrieved from www.ebscohost.com.

Problem Statement and Research Question

I should have posted this first, but I suppose it is better late than never.

The problem statement and research question I am currently working off of are as follows:


Problem Statement: The problem is that middle and high school students have little motivation and time to engage in reading outside of the classroom.

Research Question: How can a school create an effective reading program for secondary students who lack motivation and time for reading?

Article Summary and Analysis 2

Article Title: The status of reading habit and interests among secondary school children in Sri Lanka

Author: P.H.A.S. Abeyrathna and A.N. Zainab

Journal: Malaysian Journal of Library and Information Science Vol. 9 (2), 2004, pgs. 109-123

Summary

            The research in this article took the form of a reading and school library survey given to 300 secondary students in ten different schools in Sri Lanka.  The survey asked questions regarding the genres and types of materials read by students; time spent reading; the reading environment at home; students’ attitudes and purposes for reading; and students’ attitudes, use, and awareness of how to use the school library.  The paper then broke down the answers along the lines of gender and academic stream (arts or science).  A brief summary of some of the results are as follows:

• the material most read by students was textbooks for classes
• there was a high relationship between the amount of time students read and the amount of time their parents’ read
• girls read slightly more than boys
• both genders read more fiction than nonfiction, but boys read more nonfiction than girls
• students in the arts stream read more for knowledge, while students in the sciences stream read more for leisure
• students primarily used the school libraries for reference materials or a place to study
• less than half of the students borrowed books from the library, but girls were twice as more likely to borrow books than boys
• the majority of students responded that they did not know how to use the school library to locate materials nor had they ever received any instruction

Analysis:

            This survey and research closely matches what I have seen in my school among secondary students regarding types of material read and use of the school library. The areas in which I see correspondence with my school are: the materials read are mostly for classwork, fiction is read more than nonfiction, boys read more nonfiction than girls, less than half of the students use the library to check out books, and, while I have no proof of this, I would imagine the majority of secondary students do not know how to locate books in the library.  While this survey didn’t touch on areas of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation for reading, it did provide helpful information regarding the relationship between parents who read and children who read, which will be an area I will want to look at in my research and any surveys I may give to students later in the year. Finally, the information regarding the school library was very helpful because it helps to paint a picture of what students envision the library to be: a place to study that just so happens to contain a lot of books. The librarian(s) and teachers need to promote the library as a place to check out and read books for enjoyment in addition to just being necessary for studying.

References

Abeyrathna, P.H.A.S, & Zainab, A.N. (2004). The status of reading habit and interests among secondary school children in Sri Lanka. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 9(2), 109-123. Retrieved from http://repository.um.edu/1316/1/299.edu