Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

“We’re Never Going to Make Readers if Reading Is Always Difficult”: How Students’ Reading Habits Affect Upper-Secondary-School Teachers’ English Literature Instruction

Persson, Max LU and Moreira Hagvall, Louise (2020) ÄENM92 20201
Educational Sciences
English Studies
Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology
Abstract
Despite the consensus that reading is good for the individual, teachers seem to report the existence of a different mindset in the classroom as they struggle to motivate students to read. Research has indicated the existence of a growing gap between weak and strong readers, and that the fast-paced and technologically advanced society of today is noticeably affecting students’ reading habits. However, previous research has often chosen to focus on specific topics concerning students’ reading but has failed to address how teachers are affected by this situation and how it affects their literature instruction. This thesis attempts to understand how seven English upper-secondary teachers in Sweden are affected by their students’ disposition to... (More)
Despite the consensus that reading is good for the individual, teachers seem to report the existence of a different mindset in the classroom as they struggle to motivate students to read. Research has indicated the existence of a growing gap between weak and strong readers, and that the fast-paced and technologically advanced society of today is noticeably affecting students’ reading habits. However, previous research has often chosen to focus on specific topics concerning students’ reading but has failed to address how teachers are affected by this situation and how it affects their literature instruction. This thesis attempts to understand how seven English upper-secondary teachers in Sweden are affected by their students’ disposition to read fiction, their levels of motivation, and how their attitudes towards doing so are demonstrated in the classroom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these teachers to gather information about how they experienced this situation, along with which methods and strategies they chose to use when teaching fiction to students of varying levels of reading proficiency. The results of this study confirm the existence of a gap between levels of reading proficiency and highlight how important it is to provide support and strategies adapted to the students’ varying needs. An appropriate reading environment, a focus on students’ interests and backgrounds, and a well-structured literature unit are necessary when working to improve students’ reading habits and their ability to read for pleasure. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Persson, Max LU and Moreira Hagvall, Louise
supervisor
organization
course
ÄENM92 20201
year
type
L3 - Miscellaneous, Projetcs etc.
subject
keywords
The Matthew effect, fiction, Swedish upper-secondary school, English, teachers
language
English
id
9024100
date added to LUP
2022-09-07 08:27:52
date last changed
2022-09-07 08:27:52
@misc{9024100,
  abstract     = {{Despite the consensus that reading is good for the individual, teachers seem to report the existence of a different mindset in the classroom as they struggle to motivate students to read. Research has indicated the existence of a growing gap between weak and strong readers, and that the fast-paced and technologically advanced society of today is noticeably affecting students’ reading habits. However, previous research has often chosen to focus on specific topics concerning students’ reading but has failed to address how teachers are affected by this situation and how it affects their literature instruction. This thesis attempts to understand how seven English upper-secondary teachers in Sweden are affected by their students’ disposition to read fiction, their levels of motivation, and how their attitudes towards doing so are demonstrated in the classroom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these teachers to gather information about how they experienced this situation, along with which methods and strategies they chose to use when teaching fiction to students of varying levels of reading proficiency. The results of this study confirm the existence of a gap between levels of reading proficiency and highlight how important it is to provide support and strategies adapted to the students’ varying needs. An appropriate reading environment, a focus on students’ interests and backgrounds, and a well-structured literature unit are necessary when working to improve students’ reading habits and their ability to read for pleasure.}},
  author       = {{Persson, Max and Moreira Hagvall, Louise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“We’re Never Going to Make Readers if Reading Is Always Difficult”: How Students’ Reading Habits Affect Upper-Secondary-School Teachers’ English Literature Instruction}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}