Beginners’ reading development: The patterns of beginners’ reading development in one class the first two years in elementary school

Abstract

The research dealt with in this article covers two years of reading development among 20 pupils in one particular primary school class in Reykjavík. The research was conducted during the period 2006 – 2008 and is intended to improve knowledge of reading development among pupils in 1st and 2nd year classes in an Icelandic primary school. Similarly to various aspects of human development reading is not an inborn talent. Reading is a cultural learned activity and the act of reading is a skill which develops with maturity at a personal level and evolves in the individual over a long period. Language comprehension and vocabulary are the foundations on which reading progress is based. Literacy and reading evolves in childhood and the first five years of life are particularly important in this process. In an environment which stimulates literacy and reading during the first years of life, most children develop certain cognizance of written language and become aware of the purpose of letters and words in a written text. Children who commence Icelandic primary school in their sixth year of life have, at that time, obtained a rich and varied experience of reading, both at and away from home. Such knowledge and experience benefits them when compulsory reading lessons begin in primary school. Being able to read a text based on the graphemes of the alphabet and their corresponding phonemes requires an awareness and integration of complex aspects of language and comprehension. Those aspects develop and thrive in childhood years, but remain, for the most part, at a subconscious level to the children, even at the stage when they enter primary school. Being able to read comprises having acquired the necessary understanding and skill to master the technique of deciphering writing and understanding text. Most children need organised teaching to become proficient readers, although there are significant individual differences. Some children learn to read, automatically, as it were, before they commence primary school. Most children, however, need more time in their first school years to acquire the skill. Then there are those who have problems in learning to read and may even never attain this ability. Attaining solid reading skills from the beginning is important, because a successful start in learning to read shows promise of later success in studies. Research, both Icelandic and from abroad, illustrates this (Aarnoutse, Van Leeuwe, Voeten and Oud, 2001; Amalía Björnsdóttir, Jóhanna T. Einarsdóttir and Ingibjörg Símonardóttir, 2013; Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, Ingibjörg Símonardóttir and Amalía Björnsdóttir, 2011). Enhanced knowledge relating to the topic of reading identifies important areas of emphasis. The alphabet occupies a prominent position in learning to read and phonological awareness carries considerable weight. Correct and confident reading is the hallmark of fluency which impacts comprehension of the material being read. Vocabulary, both in spoken and written language, constitutes the foundation of a child’s understanding. The objective of reading is to understand the text concerned and the road towards this achievement is marked by milestones during the years in school and upgraded through life. The research outlined in this article concerns two-year results in the reading of beginners in primary school. The types of tests used are scanning tests and reading tests. The pupils were regularly tested during the first two years in school.The scanning tests involve basic aspects of literacy development and comprise: attitude, language, reading, writing and comprehension. The reading tests comprise: reading confidence and skill, correct reading and comprehension. The results of the reading tests are assessed in accordance with certain rules and timing criteria. The conclusions of the research indicate that during the first two years in school the reading of all pupils in the class develops to such an extent that they improve their overall performance from the commencement of schooling. Furthermore, the conclusions show that scanning tests and reading tests indicate a pupil’s overall reading performance, but do not explain each pupil’s individual divergences in reading development. The conclusions reveal that test measurements are useful to teachers, but do not, on their own, constitute a satisfactory assessment tool for evaluating success in beginners’ reading development.