Childrens reading of informational texts. A study of school librarians and teachers perspective of childrens reading and understanding of informational texts.

The aim of this Masters thesis is to analyse school librarians and teachers perspective of childrens reading and reading progress, the impact of informational texts on childrens reading and how school librarians and teachers work/teach to improve their students understanding of informational texts. We also intend to study what consequences school librarians and teachers believe that childrens reduced understanding of informational texts can have in the long run and how this could be improved. The theories applied encompass different literature-pedagogical strategies, theories about reading purpose and direction of the reading process together with a theory that shows the school librarys function in the education. The empirical material has been collected through interviews with one school librarian and one teacher at three different schools. The material has then been analysed and interpreted from theories and earlier research. The major findings are that the school context affects the school librarians and teachers perspective of reading and literature. Informational texts are mainly associated with knowledge acquisition and are used as an investigating working method to collect facts. Education in reading comprehension of technical texts is mainly done in connection with an investigating way of working. The methods span over basic skills in reading and information seeking to deeper understanding of the text connected to personal experiences, with focus on the first. The school librarians think that it is the teachers responsibility to work with understanding of informational texts. The consequences of reduced understanding of informational texts are alarming and the main measure to deal with the problem is, according to the informants, increased reading of fiction.Uppsatsnivå: