1 Motivating and engaging all young adolescent students in readingAssociate Professor Jo Fletcher School of Teacher Education, College of Education, Health & Human Development, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand UKLA 53rd International Conference at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, from Friday 30 June to Sunday 2 July 2017
2 Reading
3 New Zealand context In New Zealand, students enter secondary schooling at approximately 13 years of age, whereas in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, the transition to secondary schooling occurs around eleven years of age. Compared to their overseas contemporaries, New Zealand 11-to 13 year-old students are in classrooms where teachers and principals consider the teaching of reading as normal practice (New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2006).
4 International comparison PIRLS 2011New Zealand, 25 percent of students below the ‘Low International Benchmark’ or at the ‘Low International Benchmark’ in reading. Australia, 24 percent of students below or at the ‘Low International Benchmark’, England was slightly better with 17 percent Canada and the United States had 14 percent of students below or at the ‘Low International Benchmark’ (Labrecque, Chuy, Brochu, & Houme, 2012; Thomson et al., 2012).
5 2010/11 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS): ten year-old studentsNew Zealand - over 50 percent of students indicated that they got bored while at school (Chamberlain & Caygill 2013). Internationally, 74 percent of students were ‘motivated’, 21 percent ‘somewhat motivated’ and only five percent ‘not motivated’. The international average for students who ‘like reading’ was 28 percent, 57 percent ‘somewhat like reading’ and 15 percent ‘do not like reading’. (Mullis, Martin, Foy, & Drucker 2012) Although a lower percentage (28 percent) liked reading, the percentage of students who were motivated was much higher (74 percent).
6 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivationsA substantive percentage of 10 year-old students may not have liked reading, but they were motivated to learn to read. This variation may be explained by extrinsic motivation, in regards to the external benefits of being a competent reader. Schiefele et al. (2012), in their synthesis of research findings over the past 20 years on reading motivation and behaviour, discussed intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to read. Intrinsic motivations: enjoyment and interest in reading, as the learner finds it rewarding or satisfying. Extrinsic motivation: succeeding in schooling by gaining good grades leading to positive career opportunities in later life; pleasing parents with positive reports from teachers; and competitive possibilities of outperforming peers.
7 Home-school partnershipsTeachers informing parents about the language of schooling and the nature of learning in schools today can provide a mechanism whereby parents and teachers can work together to co-educate their children (Hattie 2012).
8 Theories of learning to readReading acquisition from a social constructivist perspective is that it is shaped through interactions with others. The socio-cognitive perspective recognises how families and the wider community can impact on the sociocultural values and attitudes of the reader.
9 Aim of study Multiple case studies were investigated to explore how teachers, principals and parents, can work together in a systemic manner to provide positive and effective literacy learning environments for all students in their final two years of primary schooling in a range of socioeconomic areas.
10 Semi structured interviewsMethodology Six case study schools Three schools were from lower socioeconomic areas Two from middle socioeconomic areas One school from a high socioeconomic area School rolls ranged from 110 to 470 Five schools were state schools and one was a state integrated school. Wide range of ethnicities represented across the six schools. Semi structured interviews Six principals Eight teachers 34 students Nine parents Data analysis The data were analysed using a three-step process of open, axial and selective coding.
11 Semi-structured interview schedules for each group of participants Questions were included, such as: What do you consider are effective practices in reading and why? What do you consider are the challenges for your school community in raising reading achievement? Does your child like reading? How have you encouraged your child to read and supported their reading at school?
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13 Findings and discussionLearning to be an effective reader comprises a complex overlay of connections, relationships and inter-related systems (Syverson 2008). The four themes that arose from the data analysis of the six case study schools provide a strong indication that there is an interplay amongst what Bronfenbrenner (2005) refers to as ‘significant others’.
14 Attitudes towards learning to readThe 34 young adolescents in this research investigation had a sense of purpose and motivation for learning to read. They identified links between time spent learning to read and developing writing skills. It [reading] helps me a lot with my vocabulary when I am writing, because I like to write. If I read a book, I am always learning new words because I come across words I don’t know and look them up. (School 4, student F) If you don’t know how to read, you probably don’t know how to write/ read what you’re writing. (School 1, student C)
15 Clear motivation to read for extrinsic purposesReading is important because you won’t get far in life without a good education. (School 1, student A) Yes, it helps you, if you want to be something good in life, like a truck driver. You need to learn how to read signs and stuff. Or if you want to be a lawyer, because I want to be a lawyer, you have to read and write. (School 5, student A) The upcoming transition to secondary schooling was an extrinsic motivator for becoming an accomplished reader and comprehender of texts. When you are going to high school [common term used for secondary school] and you have an exam, you need to read the test. (School 6, student E)
16 Home-school relationships between the parents and the child’s teacherThe teachers reported progress in reading against the National Standards (Ministry of Education 2013). In New Zealand, all principals and teachers are required to assess children in the National Standards in Reading levels of ‘above’, ‘at’, ‘below’, or ‘well below’ Required to report this to the parents, Boards of Trustees and the Ministry of Education. We had a learning interview about two weeks ago and she showed me on the graph where he was in terms of the National Standards. (School 4, parent A)
17 At a very low socioeconomic and multicultural school, a parent rated herself as poor in reading, and had been informed of her daughter’s ‘well below’ achievement in the Reading National Standards. From what she reported, there was no explanation given or direction offered to remedy the underachievement. I just really don’t understand how they sort of get to her being behind, if that makes sense. (School 1, parent A)
18 Specific strategies the teacher puts in place to support engagement in readingTeachers with a passion for reading and good knowledge of the different text types can help direct students in a positive manner to be intrinsically motivated to read for pleasure (Cremin et al. 2014; Schiefele et al. 2012). Good books, that is really clear with the boy that has gone up four stanines [measure of achievement]. He has just all of a sudden had this huge interest in reading and has books he really loves. I think there is a direct relation with reading for enjoyment and success at secondary level too. Keeping it fun and relevant and doing it every-day are really important. Showing enjoyment in it, as well. I love reading. I think that comes through to them too. (School 2, teacher B)
19 Seeking feedback from the studentsI try and keep reading short. I think length is your greatest weapon against these guys because their attention span is minimal. I got them to answer a survey at the beginning of the year and they were very honest on it. I asked, ‘How long do you think you can concentrate on one item?’ Ninety percent of the class put 20 minutes as the perfect amount of reading time. (School 5, teacher A)
20 Strategies principals implemented to improve outcomes for students in readingDeveloping deepening professional dialogue as a community of practice about reading provides a framework for governance and accountability for all students in a school (Dempster et al. 2012). Of the six schools, only two had been recently engaged in ongoing and sustained professional development in literacy. Reading was our major focus two years ago and we spent a number of years on that. (School 2, principal)
21 Patch-up approach to PDCompeting professional development needs within a school Staff identified priorities on a term-by-term basis. All the staff meetings for the [school] term are identified in terms of what they are going to be. So one might be a literacy staff meeting. So, therefore there will be a lot of work done around up-skilling, using the skills we have within the staff here. The next point, is going out and observing what is happening within the classrooms and observing what is happening within schools in our area as well. (School 1, principal)
22 Conclusions Only two of the six schools had been involved in sustained professional development in literacy in recent years. Three schools in low socioeconomic areas and one in a middle socioeconomic area, were the schools where no recent sustained literacy professional development had occurred. Of the total of six schools, the four schools with the highest percentages of Māori and Pasifika students, who are more highly represented as underachieving in reading (Chamberlain 2008, 2014), had no sustained, recent literacy professional development.
23 Conclusions Evidence of the teachers and principals working to positively engage and motivate these young adolescents in reading. Disconnects at some of the research case study schools in the facilitation of purposeful, planned and informed strategies to link together the home and school literacy strategies. As Park (2008) and Cremin et al (2012) suggest, to make a difference to children’s reading what happens in their home literacy environments is key.
24 Final words Priority for a managerial imperative of a systemic, sustained focus on children’s learning and achievement in literacy to lower the boundary in the distribution gap in reading achievement (Dempster et al. 2012).
25 References Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Interacting systems in human development: Research paradigms : Present and future. In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.), Making human beings human: biological perspectives on human development (pp ). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. Chamberlain, M. (2008). PIRLS 2005/2006 in New Zealand: an overview of national findings from the second cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). Retrieved from Chamberlain, M. (2014). PIRLS 2010/11 in New Zealand: An overview of national findings from the third cycles of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). . Retrieved from Chamberlain, M., & Caygill, R. (2013). Key findings from New Zealand's participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) in 2010/11 Cremin, T., Mottram, M., Collins, F., Powell, S., & Drury, R. (2012). Building communities: teachers researching literacy lives. Improving Schools, 15(2), Dempster, N., et al., Principals as literacy leaders; Confident, credible and connected. 2012, Australian Primary Principals Association: Kingson, ACT. Hattie, J., “Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to Achievement”. 2009, London: Routledge. Labrecque, M., et al., PIRLS 2011 Canada in Context. 2012, Council of Ministers of Education Canada: Toronto, Ontario. Mullis, I., Martin, M., Foy, P., & Drucker, K. (2012). PIRLS 2011 International results in reading New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2006). Effective literacy practice in Years 5–8. Wellington: Learning Media. Park, H. (2008). Home literacy environments and children’s reading performance: A comparative study of 25 countries. Educational Research and Evaluation, 14(6). doi: / Schiefele, U., Schaffner, E., Moller, J., Wigfield, A., Nolen, S., & Baker, L. (2012). Dimensions of reading motivation and their relations to reading behavior and competence. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(4), Syverson, P. (2008). An ecological view of literacy learning. Literacy, 42(2), Thomson, S., et al., Highlights from TIMSS & PIRLS 2011 from Australia's perspective. 2012, ACER: Australia.