Mentors are the key link in the Reading Badge movement in that they lead and prepare it. They help pupils find pleasure in reading books and build a long-term motivation to read. Their task is to create an environment that encourages pupils to read which can be achieved through a positive reading experience. Mentors support pupils in book selection and guide their reading experience. The Reading Badge allows more freedom in selecting books than regular Slovene lessons. The present thesis explores how mentors prepare for the Reading Badge activities, whether they know and use the help offered to them in various forms (teacher’s handbook, seminars etc.), how the books are being selected, how they check the reading and finally, how often activities not including only reading or checking the reading list are carried out. By means of a questionnaire, a research was conducted among the teachers of Slovene in the third triad of the nine-year primary education and school librarians who are the Reading Badge mentors. The research was limited to the Central Slovenia Region. The questions were closed-ended with the possibility of adding one’s own answer, were the given options not sufficient. A number of 120 mentors participated in it. The research gives an insight into the work of mentors. According to the results, they usually prepare for the Reading Badge in their school collective; less than a half uses the above-mentioned teaching tools. Most of them check the reading, and some also help organize other activities. The majority gives children a free hand to select books but if mentors prepare a reading list or suggest books, they pay close attention to the topic of the books and whether these are included in the handbook of quality youth literature. The usual way of checking the reading is a direct conversation with a pupil. One of the common accompanying Reading Badge activities is a school visit from an author. Most participants answered that activities are organized once a year.
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