scholarly journals Making the Shift to Summer Learning: Are We Reaching Everyone?

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Elizabeth McChesney
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Picture Books ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Children's Services ◽  
Summer Learning ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Summer Reading Program

Flashback to August 2012: the Children’s Services team at the Chicago Public Library (CPL) was running a successful summer reading program that was humming along across the Windy City. After years of a structure in which children read and reported on either twenty-five picture books or ten chapter books depending on their age and reading level, my team and I decided to conduct some focus groups of children and parents to find out if our program was still meeting needs. Frankly, I assumed we were.

scholarly journals Out-of-School Reading and Literature Discussion: An Exploration of Adolescents’ Participation in Digital Book Clubs

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Colwell ◽  
Lindsay Woodward ◽  
Amy Hutchison
Keyword(s):  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Book Clubs ◽  
Literature Discussion ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
New Literacy ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Summer Reading Program

This research used an inductive qualitative method to examine how adolescents participate in online literature discussion, with limited guidance from adults, through a summer reading program. Using a New Literacy framework, the authors considered that literacy is social and collaborative and that adolescents often engage in such literacy practices on the Internet outside of school. This study considered these literacy practices to examine an eight-week voluntary online summer reading program at a public library and how such a program might inform such activities in school settings to promote more authentic opportunities for literacy engagement. In this program, twelve adolescents (ages 13-17) read print-based young adult novels and responded to their reading in threaded discussion boards, called book clubs, in a closed, online social network.  Results indicated two overlapping themes related to students’ formality in writing to promote shared learning and personalizing digital discussions to make connections. Researchers found adolescents spontaneously adopted online discussion techniques that hybridized formal discussion practices with more personal practices to encourage emotive transaction with text. These results raised implications for integrating such activities in classroom settings to support all learners and to promote academic literacies. 

scholarly journals Shifting the Sands of Summer Reading

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne De Groot
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Reading Programs ◽  
Reading Interests ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Library Staff ◽  
Summer Reading Programs

This study investigated ways in which summer reading programs (SRPs) support children’s recreational reading interests and habits and help to promote reading and literacy throughout the summer months. The primary research question was: How do children, parents, and library staff experience their public library summer reading program? This paper will present selected findings from the study related to children’s reading experiences in school and during the summer, reading games and incentives, and designing summer reading programs that emphasize the social aspects of reading. Findings from this study suggest that school and public libraries should consider moving away from traditional summer reading programs that include reading games and rewards and focus instead on providing children, their parents, and library staff members with greater opportunities to interact with books and reading, and one another, throughout the summer.

A Closer Look at a Summer Reading Program: Listening to Students and Parents

2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Compton-Lilly ◽  
Rachel Caloia ◽  
Erin Quast ◽  
Kelly McCann
Keyword(s):  
Reading Program ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Summer Reading Program

scholarly journals Impact of the Reading Buddies Program on Reading Level and Attitude Towards Reading

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Hayley Dolman ◽  
Serena Boyte-Hawryluk
Keyword(s):  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Reading Practice ◽  
Summer Learning ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Reading Levels ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Reading Test Scores ◽  
Attitudes Towards Reading

Objective – This research examines the Reading Buddies program at the Grande Prairie Public Library, which took place in July and August of 2011 and 2012. The Reading Buddies program pairs lower elementary students with teen volunteers for reading practice over the summer. The aim of the study was to discover how much impact the program would have on participating children’s reading levels and attitudes towards reading. Methods – During the first and last sessions of the Reading Buddies program, the participants completed the Elementary Reading Attitudes Survey (ERAS) and the Graded Word Recognition Lists from the Bader Reading and Language Inventory (6th ed., 2008). Participants were also asked for their grade and sex, and the program coordinator kept track of attendance. Results – There were 37 Reading Buddies participants who completed both the pre- and post-tests for the study. On average, the program had a small positive effect on participants’ reading levels and a small negative effect on their attitudes towards reading. There was a larger range of changes to the ERAS scores than to the reading test scores, but most participants’ scores did not change dramatically on either measure. Conclusions – Although findings are limited by the small size of the data-set, results indicate that many of the Reading Buddies participants maintained their reading level over the summer and had a similar attitude towards reading at the end of the program. On average, reading levels increased slightly and attitudes towards reading were slightly more negative. Many factors could not be taken into account during the study (e.g., the amount of reading done at home). A study with a control group that did not participate in the program could help to assess whether the program helped to combat summer learning loss.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document