REAP Reading Corner Sub

Extracurricular Reading

Bringing books into the classroom

The importance of reading

Researchers have long agreed that extracurricular reading is important for fostering intellectual confidence and motivation to learn. However, leisure reading is almost absent in rural areas.

Reading ability and literacy are not the same thing.

Literacy rates in China are very high, but rates of reading comprehension and reading confidence in rural China are among the lowest in the world. Parents and teachers alike fret leisure reading distracts from prep time for tests.

Classroom reading programs help student educational outcomes.

We found that library-based reading programs led to significant improvements in student reading skills, as well as exam scores in standardized math and Chinese language. This shows skeptical parties reading programs help, not hinder, students.

Turning the Page

We have joined with Shoulder Action, a Chinese education non-profit, to provide schools with reading corners and training for teachers on how to implement reading curriculum in their classrooms in Jiangxi and Gansu provinces. These reading corners and teachers will help foster an environment of independent reading among the students, which we will examine for improvements in their math, reading, and Chinese exam scores.

Additionally, we have found that reading corners also help promote a variety of other student outcomes. As we continue our research over the years, we will also be examining:

Student self-efficacy/self-esteem
Attitudes towards reading
Attitudes towards school
Motivation to learn
Motivation to read