Date of Award

Summer 2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Program/Concentration

Curriculum and Instruction

Committee Director

Gail Dickinson

Committee Member

Angela Eckhoff

Committee Member

Jamie Colwell

Abstract

This dissertation describes a study that investigated the degree to which a Schoolwide Silent Reading Initiative (SSRI) impacted high-school students’ motivation, attitudes toward, and amount of time spent reading for pleasure both in and outside of school. Multiple methods were used to collect and analyze data, however the data collection window was drastically shortened and unexpectantly closed due to Covid-19. Close analysis of the limited student data available revealed that some adolescents find reading self-selected material enjoyable and spend some of their free time doing so, while most teens report they don’t find reading to be a pleasurable activity and spend very little time engaged in RfP. Additional data showed that all the staff members interviewed believe giving students consistent time to read self-selected materials during the school day led to more overall reading by the students, more interest in reading, more background knowledge to apply to other reading tasks and higher levels of engagement during class discussions. These findings suggest that an SSRI impacts students’ motivation, attitudes toward, and amount of time spent reading for pleasure both in and outside of school. Further research is warranted to better understand the ways an SSRI is implemented in order to obtain the maximum benefit for students.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/kspp-vj75

ISBN

9798460435722

ORCID

0000-0002-7148-0860

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