Reading is a communicative activity that is pivotal in school and everyday life. In the Curriculum for the Slovenian language (2018), reading is also conceived as an opportunity to form a personal and national identity and as a process for broadening horizons. It is desired that students will perceive it as enjoyment in gaining new information. However, the process of developing reading is difficult to enjoy if students have difficulty doing so. They may also develop negative feelings about themselves, so their self-confidence and motivation are lower.
In the theoretical part of the master's thesis, we present reading as one of the communicative activities and factors that influence the development of reading, and the phases/stages in its development. We then identified elements of reading ability (reading technique and reading comprehension) and the motivation to read. Finally, we presented the characteristics of a therapy dog and its trainer, as well as the role of a professional in therapy. We also focused on the possibility of working with a therapy dog at school and presented the R.E.A.D. programme, which is the main example for our research.
In the action research, the results of which are presented in the empirical part, we included two 3rd grade students who have difficulty reading. With the presence of a therapy dog in their reading exercises, we wanted to influence the improvement of students reading technique and understanding of what was read, as well as their motivation to read, and increase their self-confidence and self-image. They attended eight meetings with a therapy dog and, with the help of an inclusive teacher, solved various reading tasks.
The results of the test before and after the reading meetings with the therapy dog show that their motivation to read increased, and that they improved their self-confidence and self-image. They also improved their reading technique – their fluency, accuracy and reading rhythm were better. Each of them progressed at their own pace. Both also improved their reading comprehension. In the interviews conducted, progress and positive effects were also noticed by the parents, teacher and dog trainer.
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