The Beliefs and Practices of Second Grade Teachers Who Implement Independent Reading and Its Effect on Students' Reading Achievement and Reading Volume

• Published in: Language and Literacy Spectrum Vol. 30; no. 1
• Main Authors: Brannan, Lauren R, Johnson, R. Burke, Giles, Rebecca M, Kent, Andrea M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York State Reading Association 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Computer Assisted Instruction; Conferences (Gatherings); Elementary School Students; Elementary School Teachers; Grade 2; Independent Reading; Program Effectiveness; Reader Response; Reading Achievement; Reading Instruction; Reading Material Selection; Reading Motivation; Reading Programs; Social Influences; Sustained Silent Reading; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods; Time

The purpose of the present study was to explore the beliefs and practices of teachers who implement independent reading in their classrooms. Results showed that teachers who implemented independent reading believed in the importance of both the quantity and quality of student reading. The teachers' practices of independent reading showed students selecting books that were "just-right" for them to read, social experiences around reading, guided practice through reading conferences with the teacher, and setting a purpose for reading through response activities. A nonexperimental comparative design was used to examine the effects of independent reading on reading volume and reading achievement. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant effects between the independent reading group and the no independent reading group for reading achievement or reading volume. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in growth of reading achievement between higher and lower readers in the independent reading group.