Reading and beyond : analysis of teacher-student interactions in relation to reading skills in the primary

Abstract

Reading and beyond: Analysis of teacher-student interactions in relation to reading skills in the primary. This dissertation explores the social and intimate nature of reading in the classroom context. The teacher-student interactions were investigated through a case study methodology. Observations of mainstream class reading lessons and a semi-structured interview with the teacher were the basis for data collection. Thematic analysis was used to elicit the salient themes across data. The themes that emerged are: the classroom atmosphere, the approach to reading, interacting with the text and making links. The theories guiding the research are Vygotsky’s (1978) theoretical framework which implies that reading is a social activity and learning is co-constructed in a social environment as well as Rosenblatt’s (1982) Reader Response Theory which espouses that reading is more than just decoding as it demands a personal response in order to make meaning. The implications of this study include having more incentives for teacher development and training in reading instruction and more guidance in order to provide better quality reading interactions with the text in the classroom context. The study also calls for a greater variety of real books moving away from series books only as the bases for reading instruction.