In the present Master thesis, we research the relation between the reading literacy and its components and the reading self-concept in grade 6 elementary school students. Sixth grade students were chosen because they are partially taught by class teachers and because we assume that they are already familiar with the reading comprehension technique and have a more-or-less stable reading self-concept. In the theoretical part, we present the importance of functional literacy and of other types of literacy in the modern society, which are all built upon reading literacy. Special focus is given to the reading literacy (factors, development, reading literacy in the curriculum, research findings). We also define the notion of self-concept, reading self-concept and its components (perception of own reading competences, attitude towards reading, perception of reading difficulty) and underline the importance of reading self-concept for reading and learning achievements. In the empirical part of the Master thesis, we researched the reading literacy and reading self-concept of grade 6 students, using a reading literacy test prepared especially for this study and the Chapman and Tunmer questionnaire on reading self-concept. We wanted to see whether the students’ results on the reading literacy test are in any way related to their reading self-concept and its components. The results of the study show that there is a positive correlation between reading self-concept and reading literacy, and that the most and the least successful readers show different reading self-concept in all its aspects, but especially in their attitude to reading. The Master thesis aims to show the importance of encouraging positive self-concept in students (with a focus on developing a positive attitude towards reading) when developing reading competences in school and at home.
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