Date of Award
2022
Degree Name
Master of Philosophy (School of Education)
Schools and Centres
Education
First Supervisor
Associate Professor Dee O'Connor
Second Supervisor
Dr. Christine Robinson
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. Reading for Pleasure at School (RfPS) also appears to have become de-prioritised in primary schools, with greater emphasis in the broader literacy education dialogue placed on instructional reading pedagogy and standardised literacy testing. This research focused on the pedagogy that meaningfully supports RfPS in Years 3-6, within a framework of school culture, teacher practices and the physical environment. This investigation aimed to explore the perspectives of three key stakeholder groups from one Western Australian independent public school: leadership, classroom teachers, and Year 3-6 children. Consistent with a phenomenological perspective, this qualitative case study collected data through semi-structured individual interviews with leadership and classroom teachers, small focus groups with Year 3-6 children, and a researcher journal. This research found that there were notable discrepancies between the educators’ and the Year 3-6 children’s perspectives of RfPS pedagogy, highlighting the importance of children’s perspectives being sought. This investigation also found that educator professional knowledge of RfPS pedagogy affects stakeholders’ perspectives, and that RfPS physical spaces and texts play a key role in meaningfully implementing RfPS in middle to upper primary school.
Publication Details
Nailer, J. (2022). Perspectives of Reading for Pleasure Pedagogy in Western Australian School Classrooms [Master of Philosophy (School of Education)]. The University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/337