Browsing by Subject "omaehtoinen lukeminen"

The importance of high reading literacy is well known: it can be seen as the basis for learning, and reading literacy affects ones life for long after primary school. Worry about the loss of Finnish peoples reading literacy and motivation to read has been a topic of much conversation in the media. Latest PISA-scores indicate that the difference in reading literacy between genders as well as good and weaker readers is growing. Previous studies have shown that reading motivation is strongly linked to how much children read during their free time. According to studies self-motivated reading correlates to better reading literacy. In this study I will investigate primary school teachers perceptions of childrens reading literacy and motivation to read. I looked at teachers perceptions of childrens reading literacy today, challenges in reading, attitudes towards reading and differences in gender in reading and reading literacy. I clarified the factors which teachers believe affect childrens development in reading literacy. Furthermore I wanted to clarify how reading motivation appears in children and what role motivation has on reading literacys development. The study was conducted as a qualitative case study. The case consisted of 3 primary school teachers of a school in Espoo. Research material was collected through theme interviews and was analyzed through theory-driven content analysis. The results showed that teachers believe childrens reading literacy today varies widely, which brings challenges to teaching. Another challenge teachers face is finding enjoyable reading material and a general lack of interest towards reading. On the other hand, teachers at this particular school in Espoo did not perceive gender differences in literacy and reading ability to be present as strongly as previous studies have shown. The teachers had however noticed that girls in general read more during their free time than boys. Teachers believe that the support of the school and family play a strong role in the development of reading literacy. Teachers also believe that reading experiences in early childhood influenced reading motivation, which in turn is related to self-motivated reading. Commitment to reading was seen as a vital factor in developing reading literacy and in turn affecting success at school. In summary, according to teachers understanding, reading literacy, reading motivation, and self- motivated reading are strongly correlated and supporting of each other.