Content area
Abstract
This study examined the ways in which a Book Club intervention, using high quality literature, affected the reading and writing vocabularies, reading habits, and attitudes toward reading for four types of readers: proficient, high average, average, and low average. The research was conducted in a fifth grade regular education classroom in a suburban elementary school in the Northeastern United States.
The researcher conducted a 10-week intervention using small peer-led discussion groups in which students shared their personal reflections, helped to clarify complex ideas in the book, questioned the author's intent, and critiqued the text in an effort to construct new meaning, revise previous thinking, and fill-in gaps in knowledge while interacting with their peers in a social learning environment. She examined the effect of the Book Club on student reading and writing vocabularies, reading habits, and attitudes toward recreational and academic reading.
Data were collected using four measures. The reading vocabulary test from the Woodcock-Johnson III was administered before and after the study. In addition, student's writing vocabulary was examined using a word tier rubric to determine if they included more Tier Two words in their post-study writing. To measure reading attitudes, the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey was administered before and after the study. Students' reading logs were examined to measure the amount of time they spent reading recreationally.
Findings of this study revealed that 87% of the participants across the four groups increased their vocabulary scores. Students from all groups included significantly more Tier Two words in their post-intervention writing. Reading vocabulary was strongly correlated with writing vocabulary, particularly for the proficient and high average groups. There was a significant correlation between reading habit and students' attitude toward recreational reading. Although recreational reading attitudes increased over time for proficient readers, they declined for high average, average, and low average readers. Academic reading attitudes decreased slightly for proficient readers, increased for high average and average readers, and declined for low average readers.
