Children's Concepts of the Nature and Purpose of Reading in Different Instructional Settings

Abstract

This study investigated the influence that both instruction and the developmental stage of learning to read have on the reading concepts of 24 first graders randomly selected from two skill-based and two literature-based classrooms. A multi-step process providing quantitative and qualitative data was used in identifying the two skill-based and two literature-based classrooms. Controls were provided for variables known to impact children's reading concepts such as grade level, reading ability, socioeconomic status, and gender. Three measures producing quantitative and qualitative data were used to examine the children's reading concepts. Results indicated that the two groups of children were similar in some reading concepts. Both the skill-based and literature-based students exhibited a high interest in learning and knowing words and in phonics or decoding. Findings also indicated that the two groups were different. The literature group differed from the skill group in their heightened metacognitive understandings, their knowledge and use of varied reading strategies, and their view of reading as a meaning-making, language-like process. Statistically significant differences were also found for the literature group in their more frequent rejection of passages of incomprehensible print and in their use of a balance of cues in oral reading. Additionally, although the literature group attempted to sound out words less often, they achieved a success rate of correctly sounding out words of 53% compared to 32% by the skill group.