Reading: Children tell it like it is∗

Abstract

Investigates concepts of reading given by students in grades one through eight. Over 1,600 children were interviewed individually to obtain answers to the following three questions: 1) What is reading? 2) What do you do when you read? 3) If someone didn't know how to read, what would tell him/her that he/she would need to learn. The responses were recorded on audio tape and later classified into logical categories and analyzed. The analysis revealed that the vast majority of students had little or no understanding of the reading process. Their views of reading were restricted and often described reading as an activity occurring in the classroom using a textbook, workbooks, or reading groups. Most of the meaningful responses described or defined reading as a decoding process. It was also evident that older students’ had a somewhat better understanding of the reading process than younger children. The investigators concluded that teachers are not necessarily providing a basis for understanding the reading process when they teach reading. Perhaps teachers should attempt to provide an understanding of the reading process and place additional emphasis on the role that meaning plays in reading. Suggestions were also given for future studies which could involve additional methods for exploring children's “concepts of reading.

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