Improving young learners' attitudes towards reading in English

Abstract

The aim of this research work was to foster positive attitudes towards English reading in pupils in a Year 2 class. Thus, an intervention programme consisting of enjoyable English reading lessons was created and implemented. The lessons were delivered twice a week over a period of two months by the class teacher. The effects of such lessons on both the pupils and the class teacher were observed and recorded. After each lesson, the teacher was given an evaluation sheet to complete, and the pupils completed a group-administered questionnaire regarding the levels of enjoyment and difficulty of the lesson. Throughout the study, the four case study pupils who had a negative attitude towards English reading were closely monitored so that signs of improvement in attitude could be detected. Finally, a comparison of the attitudes of the case studies before and after the intervention programme was drawn, so as to verify whether pupils' attitudes towards reading in English could be improved through the application of games and other enjoyable activities during reading lessons. The findings indicate that the children enjoyed the intervention programme lessons, and that their attitudes towards reading in English had improved as a result of the fun element, together with a positive classroom atmosphere and the encouragement they received from the teacher, included in all lessons.