Why and what they read when they don't have to : recreational reading habits of gifted students in Singapore

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Type
Thesis
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Author
Yeo, Denise Sulyn
Supervisor
Bacsal, Myra Garces
Abstract
A survey conducted by the Gifted Education Branch in 2012 revealed that students in the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) do not spend much time reading and those who read do not necessarily choose high quality literature. As this was an informal survey that was conducted to facilitate the shortlisting of new books for units of literature in the curriculum, the findings were only shared informally with GEP English Language teachers and have not been reported formally. This study examines, by means of a questionnaire and five focus group discussions, the recreational reading habits of 125 primary four, five, and six GEP students in one of the nine GEP schools in Singapore. The students were also asked about the factors that influence their decision to read. The participants showed tremendous variety in their selection of reading material, both considered above and below their reading level, and in a wide range of genres, among which adventure, fantasy and mystery were the most popular. Most of the participants sought their reading material from public libraries, bookstores and home, rarely using the school library, the class library, or friends as a source for books. They preferred to select books independently, by browsing or searching on particular topics, rather than by relying on recommendations from parents, teachers, or librarians. While all participants indicated that they enjoy reading, 38% reported that they do not have enough time to read, with the majority citing academic-related assignments and activities as reasons for the lack of time for recreation reading. Results suggest that more can be done in the home and school settings to encourage recreational reading and suggestions are offered, from these students’ perspectives, for ways to encourage primary GEP students to spend more time reading for pleasure.
Date Issued
2014
Call Number
LC3993.5 Yeo
Date Submitted
2014