The Complex Relationship between Teachers' Instructional Practices and Students' Reading Amount

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop understanding of the relation between instructional practices and students' reading amount. As part of a larger mixed‐methods study of reading practices across the curriculum in Swedish compulsory school, a selection of 14 classes from Grades 6 and 9 were observed over a total of 59 lessons. The data generated were coded and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results reveal a great variation in teachers' instructional practices which is shown to have both direct and more indirect consequences for students' reading amount. By combining the results from quantitative and qualitative analyses in the light of Self‐Determination Theory, the study shows that most reading is done in classrooms where teachers manage to fulfill students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy while maintaining classroom structure and ensuring lesson time for reading. The findings are discussed considering previous research on instructional practices in relation to students' reading motivation and reading amount, adding to our understanding of what makes students read in everyday classrooms. Limitations of the study, directions for further research, and implications for practice are also discussed.