It is a well-supported fact that students who have an internalized motivation to read will engage in literacy-related practices throughout life. Because of this, teachers must strive to help students develop intrinsic desires to become avid readers. However, this is not always a simple task, especially when concerned with intermediate-level students who face the impending “fourth-grade slump.” The encouragement of avid reading requires implementation of fundamental aspects of motivation: choice, access, and self-selection of literature.
This study focused primarily on the self-selection strategies utilized by third and sixth grade students attending a nearby intermediate school. Little is known about how self-selection methods alter as students age. To avoid the decline in motivation that most students encounter around fourth grade, educators must be aware of how students choose texts to provide them with appealing literature, successful selection strategies, and guidance to promote autonomy.
To determine how third and sixth grade students choose recreational literature, participants responded to a 12-question survey. A variety of questions were used to collect information related to students’ reading habits, preferences, and self-selection processes. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed to determine the degree to which age is a factor in the self-selection processes exercised by students in intermediate grades.
The findings of this study indicate that no methodology of choosing literature is specific to a certain grade level. Despite this, it was acknowledged that both third and sixth graders were likely to implement a variation of the same three steps first when choosing texts: reading the title, identifying the author, and surveying the cover design. Although there were similarities found between the surveyed age groups, it was concluded that age is a factor in relation to the number of steps students take when choosing a book, the degree of importance related to a book’s topic, and the frequency to which each strategy is used. Despite whether age has an impact or not, evidence from this study indicates that students need continuous support from both the school and home to encourage the development of successful self-selection strategies that will lead to life-long reading.