Children tell about reading : Reading experiences in library, home and school

The purpose with this essay is to study how children in the fifth grade experience reading in three different reading cultures; library, home and in school. The children’s experiences from reading are compared to expectations from library and school. Data, to this study, is collected through qualitative interviews in two focus groups and analyzed by using an idea analysis. The INSU-model, Information Needs, Seeking and Use, and Aidan Chambers reading circle in combination with a triangle of the three reading cultures are used as a theoretical framework. The analysis shows that children are using reading for different purposes in different reading cultures. Children use reading in the school library and at home in a way it was attended to be used in the public library, to get experience. Reading in school is primarily used to learn, as an example to solve tasks and improve reading skills. The study also shows that children don’t use the public library, but if they have a school library available they will use it. One conclusion from this study is that the children don’t use the school library for educational purposes, as intended by the School inspection. Children uses reading in the school library to learn, but not for academic use, they read books that they are personal interested in outside school hours, such as books about horses and pottering. Also the children mostly read fictions from the school library and rarely non-fiction books. Another conclusion is that reading at home has become a social meeting place rather than the library or the school. At home the children tend to use more different social media, as an example Skype, and reading together with family members and friends as compared to the library or school. At home and in school reading are used to gain knowledge, in school to solve tasks and at home to get more information of personal interest. Regardless if the children are reading at home or in school they prefer to read fiction, although the purpose of reading varies. At home they read to enjoy the book while in school reading is primarily to improve the reading skill