Student Perceptions of Reading Engagement: Learning From the Learners

This article presents the results of qualitative research into how middle school students experience school reading. Students from grades 4 through 8 from four different schools were asked individually to draw and then to talk about specific times of their choice when they were and were not engaged in learning. The combined method of drawing and talk encouraged deep reflection on the part of the students. The results indicated why students generally found silent, independent reading to be motivating and engaging and offered evidence that, for the most part, students disliked oral reading, not only because of qualms about audience but also because it hindered their comprehension. The students did not perceive that there was much instruction in reading strategies in school. The reading these students perceived as school reading differs from recommendations in the literature. In addition to considering these differences in the implications we draw for educators, we include suggestions about the usefulness of inviting students to draw and talk about the process of reading and to talk about their experiences of school reading.