The school culture of reading for pleasure: Perspectives of educators and students in years 3-6
Publication Details
Nailer, J.,
Robinson, C.,
&
O'Connor, D.
(2023).
The school culture of reading for pleasure: Perspectives of educators and students in years 3-6.
Issues in Educational Research, 33 (4), 1495-1512.
Abstract
Australian children read for pleasure less and less as they move through primary school, with a noticeable decline emerging in the middle primary school years (Scholastic, 2019). It has also been found that reading for pleasure at school has become de-prioritised in primary schools, with greater emphasis in the broader literacy education dialogue placed on instructional reading pedagogy and standardised literacy testing (Merga & Gardiner, 2018). The research presented in this paper focuses on the aspects of school culture that meaningfully support Reading for Pleasure at School (RfPS) in Years 3-6. It aims to explore the perspectives of five educators and 14 Years 3-6 children from one Western Australian independent public school. Consistent with a phenomenological perspective, this qualitative case study collected data through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews with the participants. The research found that there were notable discrepancies between the educators’ and the children’s perspectives of RfPS culture, highlighting the importance of children’s perspectives being sought if schools wish to improve the quantity and quality of their reading for pleasure practices.
Keywords
reading pedagogy, reading for pleasure as school, reading skills, literacy
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