Exploring Attitudes and Possible Solutions to Aliteracy through Focus Groups and Interviews of Fifth Grade Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aldous Huxley stated that "Every man who knows how to read has in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full , significant and interesting." For young students learning to read and expand their minds, there is no better time than the present to gain a love of reading. Yet, so many students expend the energy to learn how to read, only to choose never pick up a book. This study serves to show one characteristic of reading: aliteracy. From the mouth of a fifth grade student, aliteracy is "when you spend a lot of time learning how to read, but you just never take the time to do it." After first conducting focus groups with fifth grade students at a public elementary school, the researcher focused on three distinctly different students who posed diverse sides of aliteracy. By conducting interviews with these students, a better understanding of aliteracy can be achieved. Through this understanding, positive changes in our schools and our reading programs can hopefully be achieved.

Notes

This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your thesis or dissertation, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by downloading and filling out the Internet Distribution Consent Agreement. You may also contact the project coordinator Kerri Bottorff for more information.

Thesis Completion

2005

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Education

Degree Program

Elementary Education

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Education; Education -- Dissertations, Academic; Books and reading; Literacy

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022738

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS