Reading is one of the basic skills that pupils learn during their first years of life. It enables us to communicate with others, to acquire information and it represents a way of relaxation. A big challenge for pupils is to learn how to read in a foreign language, among which English is the most common in Slovenia. The success of reading in English is influenced by many factors, both internal and external.
The main purpose of the master's thesis was to explore the relationship between the achievement of reading comprehension in English as a foreign language and the external factor of accessibility to English reading material. In this regard, we have studied both the availability of English texts in printed as well as in electronic form. The latter is especially actual, because of the massive use of electronic media and the possibility of access to the world network. The research took place in the region of Posavje in Slovenia, where similar research was not done yet. It involved 24 English teachers, 81 pupils of the 6th grade and 4 school librarians.
We have found that most students in the selected region do not have access to books in English or have very few books (up to five). They even do not have much access to English magazines and newspapers at home. But almost all pupils have access to electronic devices and the network, so it is not surprising that the results have shown that children spend more time reading English texts in electronic rather than in printed form. The research shows that the average achievement of pupils in reading comprehension in English is higher among pupils who could access to more books in English at home and in the classroom, although data analysis with the SPSS program did not show statistically significant differences. However, we found statistically significant differences in the average achievement in reading comprehension among pupils who claim to spend more time reading English texts in printed and electronic form. We also found that teachers and pupils mostly have positive attitudes towards reading corners/bookshelves with English books in the classroom.
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