An Action Research to Improve 5th-Grade Students’ Reading Habits

Year 2025, Volume: 40 Issue: 3, 157 - 173, 20.08.2025

Cafer Çarkıt

https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2025.542

Abstract

Reading habit is an important skill that should be acquired from early ages and developed and strengthened throughout students' education. However, there is a noticeable gap in the literature on the use of effective strategies to develop this skill. The present study aims to implement an intervention designed to enhance the reading habits of students identified as having weak reading habits. The research adopted an action research design and was conducted with 26 fifth-grade students and their parents at a public secondary school in Kayseri, Türkiye. The data collection instruments included a personal information form, a reading habit attitude scale, student diaries, a researcher diary, interview forms, and letters written by both students and parents. The data obtained through these multiple sources were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. The findings of the study revealed a significant improvement in students' attitudes toward reading as a result of the intervention. Moreover, the process contributed positively to the development of students’ reading skills and their use of reading strategies. Feedback from both students and parents indicated that the activities implemented were well-received and that there was a desire for their continuation throughout the academic year. Based on the results, it is recommended that teachers design and implement reading activities that encourage the active participation of students in order to foster the development of reading habits. Furthermore, establishing strong collaboration among teachers, parents, and students is essential for supporting the development of sustainable reading habits.

Keywords

Reading , reading habit , secondary school students , action research

An Action Research to Improve 5th-Grade Students' Reading Habits

Abstract

Reading habit is an important skill that should be acquired from early ages and developed and strengthened throughout students' education. However, there is a noticeable gap in the literature on the use of effective strategies to develop this skill. The present study aims to implement an intervention designed to enhance the reading habits of students identified as having weak reading habits. The research adopted an action research design and was conducted with 26 fifth-grade students and their parents at a public secondary school in Kayseri, Türkiye. The data collection instruments included a personal information form, a reading habit attitude scale, student diaries, a researcher diary, interview forms, and letters written by both students and parents. The data obtained through these multiple sources were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques. The findings of the study revealed a significant improvement in students' attitudes toward reading as a result of the intervention. Moreover, the process contributed positively to the development of students’ reading skills and their use of reading strategies. Feedback from both students and parents indicated that the activities implemented were well-received and that there was a desire for their continuation throughout the academic year. Based on the results, it is recommended that teachers design and implement reading activities that encourage the active participation of students in order to foster the development of reading habits. Furthermore, establishing strong collaboration among teachers, parents, and students is essential for supporting the development of sustainable reading habits.

Keywords

Reading , reading habit , secondary school students , action research

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