Student Reading Instruction Preferences and Book Choice

Abstract

This qualitative study, conducted in a self-contained classroom in a rural school, examines how students choose books during independent reading, which type of reading instruction students prefer (basal reading program or classroom library based instruction), and how I planned my guided reading instruction using my classroom library as a source of texts. I collected data using interviews and a research notebook. After collecting data, I analyzed the data using the constant comparison method. The data showed that students choose books for independent reading for a variety of reasons ranging from text level to books by the same author. Most students preferred the classroom library based instruction because it offered more choice and gave the students more independence.