Rationale
I have observed that many 4th grade students are unmotivated to read fiction novels that are appropriate for their reading level. A majority of the class either wants to read graphic novels or they read a few chapters of a novel and put it back. Sociability with others and conversations through book clubs can motivate students to read (Reister 2020). Parents have also given feedback indicating that their child was much more motivated to read while being in a book club and asked if the class could do book clubs more often. Therefore I want to see if reading with peers in a book club will help them stay intrinsically motivated to read and change their attitude toward reading. I also want to know what elements of the book club motivated or demotivated students. I will be completing this in my 4th grade classroom which includes all 25 students that have a variety of different reading levels and interests. There is a ‘moderate’ positive relationship between students’ reading motivations and their reading comprehension self-efficacy perceptions, and students with higher self-efficacy perception have greater success ( Bakkaloglu & Pilten 2023). The overall goal of this study is to increase student motivation to read while investigating the components of book clubs that lead to greater motivation, and possibly stronger readers.
Context
The research was conducted at Alexander D. Henderson University School, a developmental research school within Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. This public elementary school is part of the FAU Lab School District, and uses a lottery for admissions to reflect Florida’s population.
Participants of this study consisted of twenty-five 4th grade students during the 2023-2024 school year. There were twelve males and thirteen females in the class and the racial distribution was as follows: 76% Caucasian, 12% Hispanic, 8% Black, and 4% Asian. Only one student was identified as an English Language Learner.
Supportive Literature
While the focus for teachers is often on instructional reading strategies, there is a need for students, especially reluctant and struggling readers, to be motivated to read. Students that have greater reading motivation and interest have been shown to make greater comprehension gains than students with low motivation (Guthrie et. al., 2007). Therefore, finding the best ways to motivate students to read can be arguably just as important as finding the best instructional strategies. Reading comprehension self-efficacy in students is shown to be a motivating factor for students to read ( Bakkaloglui & Pilten, 2023) . In contrast, Guthrie et. al. (2007) found that reading comprehension did not predict motivation growth. Therefore it’s not completely clear that reading comprehension impacts motivation. A s students become more avid and motivated readers, we can hypothesize that it will increase their self-efficacy and comprehension, which will lead to a more successful reader.
The literature suggests that choice and social interactions are two methods for promoting reading engagement and motivation. Interest and choice is a motivating factor for reading as it gives students an increase in accountability and ownership of their learning (Baker, 2019). Research by Worthy et. al. (2010) addressed the challenges of students choosing a book and suggests that guiding students to a group of books while still allowing them to choose may be the most effective way to ensure that students are motivated by choice and reading books that fit their reading ability and interests. Book clubs can be used as a way to allow students to interact
and learn from their peers while utilizing strategies to help their comprehension. Miller (2010) found that writing about reading and discussing the book with classmates was helping some students to comprehend the text better. Therefore when students read in book clubs and can comprehend the text better, it can be predicted that their reading comprehension self-efficacy will increase, which can predict greater reading motivation (Bakkaloglu & Pilten, 2023).
Research Methods
This study was conducted using two cycles of action research over the course of six months. During the first cycle, students utilized book clubs by choosing their partner(s), books, and timeline that they wanted to finish the book. The second cycle involved teacher assigned book clubs during a historical fiction reading unit which is a part of our 4th grade reading curriculum. As the teacher, I assigned groups members and historical fiction books based on level and interest. At the end of cycle 2, each group created a movie trailer project which assessed their knowledge on story elements such as setting, plot, mood, and theme.
The study utilized a pre-survey/post-survey method for both students and parents. This allowed me to collect data regarding student reading habits, attitudes, and confidence before and after the book club intervention. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected by using a 5 point likert scale, multiple choice questions, and open ended questions. The purpose of this was to see the overall effects that book clubs can have on reading motivation, attitudes, and habits rather than collecting data on the book clubs themselves.
I maintained a research journal throughout the study where I recorded observations including student quotes and behaviors related to reading and book clubs. During cycle two, I recorded quotes from parents about their child’s thoughts on book clubs and any changes they noticed about their child’s motivation to read. I also conducted interviews at the end of the study
to gain insight on the overall implementation of book clubs. I felt this was an age appropriate way to ensure that I received the most accurate and comprehensive feedback from every student. Exit slip surveys were another tool for collecting data that I utilized throughout the study.
These surveys were designed to address the elements of book clubs that students found helpful, enjoyable, and/or frustrating. The questions in these surveys were slightly changed during the study as needed.
All surveys were conducted using Google forms and exported to Google sheets for further analysis. Pre and post surveys that used a five point likert scale were averaged and turned into bar graphs. Qualitative responses from interviews regarding the improvements that could be made to book clubs were manually analyzed using the following codes: nothing (no improvements), less social interaction, less due dates, more club meetings, more choice, and more projects.
Results
Increased student motivation, confidence, and enjoyment of reading
Book clubs had an overall positive impact on students’ reading motivation, confidence, and enjoyment of reading. The pre and post survey data analysis shows that the student average reading enjoyment, according to a 5 point likert scale, rose from 3.24 to 3.68. Additionally, a parent stated, “ This is the most I’ve seen my daughter wanting to read on her own in years.” The increase in reading confidence was measured by students self-rating their confidence on a 5 point likert scale ranging from “not confident at all” to “extremely confident.” In addition, 72% of students reported that they read more often and enjoyed reading more when they were in a book club. Based on the data, it can be concluded that book clubs had a positive impact on reading habits and attitudes, and therefore increased their motivation to read.
Book clubs should involve choice, social interaction, and projects
Students were motivated by choice, social interaction, and displaying their knowledge in creative ways such as projects or jamboards. When asked about their favorite part of book clubs, 32% of students said choosing their book and partner, 32% enjoyed the project/jamboards, and 28% enjoyed working with classmates the most. Therefore those components should be embedded in a book club program. After implementing one research cycle with choice book clubs and a second cycle with assigned book clubs, 56% of students enjoyed choosing their book club groups and books, 28% preferred to be assigned clubs, and 16% couldn’t decide. This shows that a majority of students prefer to choose, but even assigning book clubs can be an effective way for students to enjoy reading and be more motivated. One student reported, “It's better (to choose book clubs) because I picked my friends and it's easier to cooperate with them because I know them better and it was more fun.” Another student said that they were surprised by how much they enjoyed their assigned book.
Data on the students’ least favorite parts of book clubs were also collected and analyzed. When asked how book clubs could be improved, 44% of students said that they wouldn’t change anything. However some students reported that they wanted more book choices, more frequent club meetings, more time during meetings, and no due dates. I observed multiple disagreements about the amount of pages a group would choose to read, as some students wanted to read a lot while others did not.
Implications
The data from this research suggests that teachers can implement book clubs in their class to increase student engagement and motivation. These clubs should provide ample opportunities for social interaction where students can read the book together, talk about the book, or create a project or display to keep track of the story elements. Giving students autonomy over their learning experience by allowing them to choose their book or group members is another component that can help students stay motivated.
One of the biggest challenges that I encountered was a lack of books and multiple copies that could be used for book clubs. When students were able to choose their partners, the reading levels sometimes varied, resulting in a book that may have been too challenging or too easy for some students. The data also showed that students wanted to have different weekly reading goals and meet more often. Perhaps holding short book club meetings everyday, making smaller reading goals, and grouping students by their reading habits or level would alleviate this challenge. This is something that should be explored in future research. This study was also limited to finding the impacts on motivation. However the majority of students in my study reported that they were able to understand their text better when they talked about it with their book club members. Therefore future research should be conducted to identify the impacts of book clubs on comprehension and overall reading ability.