There has been a great deal of authoritative research documenting the fact that students who do not continue to practice their skills over the summer lose ground academically. The following articles found on the web illustrate the importance of continuing to read over the summer, and the link between increased reading practice and improved reading ability.
Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions. ERIC Digest.
Author:
Cooper, Harris
Publication Date: 2003
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Champaign, IL.
Sponsoring Agency: Department of Education, Washington, DC.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-5/summer.htm
A research synthesis conducted by Cooper et al. (1996) integrated 39 studies examining the effects of summer vacation on standardized achievement test scores. The 39 studies included 13 that could be included in a meta-analysis (a statistical integration) of the results. The meta-analysis indicated that summer learning loss equaled at least one month of instruction as measured by grade level equivalents on standardized test scores—on average, children's tests scores were at least one month lower when they returned to school in fall than scores were when students left in spring.
Summer Reading Loss
Author(s):
Mraz, Maryann; Rasinski, Timothy V.
Source:
Reading Teacher, v60 n8 p784-789 May 2007. 6 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/15218
How does summer loss affect students’ reading achievement?
Summer reading loss refers to the decline in children’s reading development that can occur during summer vacation times when children are away from the classroom and not participating in formal literacy programs (Allington & McGill-Franzen, Issues and Trends in Literacy 2003). Far from being an intuitive perception in the minds of educators, the reality of summer reading loss is well documented. . .
Of all the activities in which children engage outside of school, time spent actually reading is the best predictor of reading achievement—the more students read, the better readers they become (Allington, 2006; Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988). The research indicates also that students, on average, spend pitifully little time reading outside of school—about 10 minutes (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding).
Summer Reading and the Ethnic Achievement Gap
Author:
Kim, Jimmy
Source:
Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, v9 n2 p169-188 Apr 2004. 20 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Similar to prior research on summer learning by Heyns (1978), Entwisle et al. (1997), and Phillips and Chin (in press), I found that the volume of summer book reading was positively related to fall reading achievement independent of prior reading and writing skills and student background characteristics. This finding also underscores a prominent line of work by reading researchers who have demonstrated strong and consistent links between reading books and gains in reading proficiency during the elementary grades (Anderson et al., 1988; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998; Greaney, 1980). . . In particular, reading four to five books had significantly larger effects than reading three or fewer books.
Summer Reading Antidote to Summer Learning Loss
by Linda L. Cornwell
http://mgrn.evansville.edu/summer.htm
The value of summer reading is well known. In Summer Learning and the Effects of Schooling, Barbara Heyns states reading is the single most effective summer activity in regards to summer learning. Heyns concludes that children who read as few as six books during the summer months gain or maintain reading skills achieved during the preceding school year, while students who do not read during the summer may fall back as much as a grade level in their skills.
Why does summer reading serve as an antidote to summer learning loss? The answer is simple: Practice makes perfect. When it comes to reading, practice contributes to the development of accurate, fluent, high-compensation reading. Studies consistently show that regardless of how the volume of reading was measured, there exists a powerful relationship between the volume of reading and reading achievement. (Allington,2001.)
The research on summer learning loss and the research on the volume of reading on reading achievement provide a strong rationale for summer reading programs. Summer is an ideal time for students to practice reading skills. Books can be good companions while enjoying the sun at the beach, riding in the back seat of a car, staying up late at night, or baby-sitting for younger siblings. They can be taken in a picnic basket or tucked away in a backpack. . . Books and reading should be as much a part of summer as working on a tan, hanging out at the mall, and eating ice cream.
Krashen’s Korner: Pithy Tidbits, Writings, and Comments on Reading and School Libraries
Stephen Krashen,. Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Education
University of Southern California
http://www.davidvl.org/KrashensKorner.html
24 Feb 2004
Research consistently shows that those who read more read better. They also write better, spell better, and have larger vocabularies.
How the Amount of Time Spent on Independent Reading Affects Reading Achievement
05/01/2004
S. Jay Samuels; Yi-Chen Wu
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Minnesota
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~samue001/ web pdf/manuscript 277-04.pdf
To provide experimental evidence that more time spent reading produces higher achievement, this study tested the effects of allowing more versus less time for independent reading for students who differed in reading ability. The control group spent 15 minutes per day reading books and the experimental group spent 40 minutes per day reading books. Data analysis found that more time spent reading had a significant effect on achievement compared to a control condition.
Time Spent Reading and Reading Growth.
Authors:
Taylor, Barbara M.; and Others
Source:
American Educational Research Journal, v27 n2 p351-62 Sum 1990
The effects of time spent on reading at school and at home on 195 intermediate grade students' reading achievement was assessed. A stepwise multiple regression analysis, in which prior standardized reading comprehension scores served as a covariate, revealed that time spent on reading contributed significantly to reading achievement.
The Effects of Independent Reading on Reading Achievement
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/in_read1.html
Research clearly shows that the reading of meaningful, connected text results in improved reading achievement (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988; Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkerson, 1985; Elley & Mangubhai, 1983; Ingham, 1981; Taylor, Frye, & Maruyama, 1990).
In one of the most extensive studies of independent reading yet conducted, Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding (1988) investigated a broad array of activities and their relationship to reading achievement and growth in reading. They found that the amount of time students spent in independent reading was the best predictor of reading achievement and also the best predictor of the amount of gain in reading achievement made by students between second and fifth grade.
Among the many benefits of independent reading are the following:
Builds Fluency
Independent reading builds fluency. There is substantial evidence that unless students can accurately and effortlessly deal with the word-identification demands of reading, difficulties will result in comprehension and overall reading achievement (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974). There is also evidence that unless children read substantial amounts of print, their reading will remain laborious and limited in effectiveness (Allington, 1984; Stanovich, 1991). Finally, evidence exists which shows that when students do read substantial amounts of text, their reading performance improves (Bridge, Winograd, & Haley, 1983; Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985).
Increases Vocabulary
Independent reading leads to increased vocabulary development. One of the best-established relationships in the field of reading is the very significant relationship between vocabulary development and achievement in reading (Baumann & Kameenui, 1991; Nagy, 1988). There is also evidence that shows that independent reading is probably the major source of vocabulary acquisition beyond the beginning stages of learning to read (Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987; Nagy, Herman, & Anderson, 1985). This same research shows that while the probability of acquiring the meaning of any specific word simply through reading it in the context in which it appears in independent reading materials is not high, students who read widely can learn the meanings of thousands of new words each year.
Builds Background
Independent reading builds background knowledge, or schema. Another extremely well-established research finding is that students' reading ability is dramatically influenced by the amount of interrelated information (schema) they have about the topic about which they are reading (Anderson & Pearson, 1984; Ausubel & Robinson, 1969; Bartlett, 1932). By reading widely, students are exposed to diverse topics and information which they can then use in future reading.
Independent Reading and School Achievement
Bernice E. Cullinan, New York University
Printed with permission from the U.S. Department of Education. This manuscript was commissioned as part of a national study, Assessment of the Role of School and Public Libraries in Support of Educational Reform, Westat, Inc., 1998–2000.
Research about the effects of independent reading on school achievement and programs planned to promote it demonstrates these common factors:
- The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to achievement in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. Students’ reading achievement correlates with success in school and the amount of independent reading they do (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988; Guthrie and Greaney 1991; Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993).
- Numerous surveys show that many students do not choose to read great quantities, nor do they choose to read often (Morrow and Weinstein 1986; Greaney 1980; Anderson, Fielding, and Wilson 1988).Wilson 1988).
this page last updated:
07-May-2008
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