Reinvigorating Reading and Readers: An Independent Reading Framework for Secondary English Classrooms

• In Event: But What the Heck Is a Theoretical and Conceptual Framework?

Abstract

Objectives. Independent reading is essential for elementary and middle school classrooms but as enrichment for secondary students (Van Bergen & Vasalampi 2020, Kittle 2013, Jago 2019). The phenomenon of aliterate students—those who can read but choose not to is becoming increasingly frequent (Manuel 2012, Nielen 2016, Jago 2019). Young people who opt out of reading experiences do so for a multitude of reasons, and what motivates their choice to disengage matters in the context of how educators approach future literacy experiences. With the rampant aliteracy and readicide in schools today, teachers who employ independent reading with young adults can positively impact students' motivation to read and their identities as literate readers.

Author

• Maggie Bryant, Baylor University