This study investigated the student-student interactions, attitudes toward reading and engagement during literacy events in a second grade classroom. The literacy environment and the teacher’s conceptualization of her role as a reading instructor were also part of this investigation. Five second grade struggling readers and their teacher, Miss Beckham, were part of this case study research. The classroom setting was observed for 36 mornings and 11 afternoons during the language arts, science, and social studies content classes during eight weeks of the 2010-2011 school year. Inductive analysis was used to analyze the field note, and student and teacher interview data. Metaphor analysis was used to further analyze the teacher interview data.
Analysis revealed three themes within this data set, which are literacy environment and the teacher’s influence, perceptions and attitude about reading and learning to read, and the when and why of student engagement. The theme of literacy environment and the teacher’s influence included an explanation of the physical environment, the routines of the classroom, and teacher actions that impacted the environments within the classroom. The students’ and teachers’ perceptions were explored using informal and formal interviews, which were guided by classroom observations. These interviews revealed a disconnect between the teacher’s views of the importance of student-student interactions and the students’ views of when and how often they were allowed to interact with their classmates about reading. The final theme of the when and why of student engagement was explored through classroom observation, and informal and formal student and teacher interviews. This data showed how constricting and confusing teacher expectations can be for students. Although the physical environment of sitting in groups and classroom routines like working in centers during the reading portion of the day, the teacher’s actions did not encourage interactions as much as her formal interview revealed she believed she did.
Implications for teacher preparation and professional development, teacher practice, school districts, and parents were discussed. Some suggestions for teacher preparation and professional development include helping pre-service and in-service teachers understand the importance of student-student interactions, the effect of the literacy environment on students learning, and the significance of content are reading in the primary classroom. Suggestions for teacher practice include promoting and explicitly teaching children how to interact appropriately through explicit instruction and guidance as well as reflecting on one’s own practice using a variety of methods to explore whether actual classroom practice aligns with personal views of what good practice entails. In order to promote student-student interactions in the classroom setting, school districts need to allocate resources, revise curriculum, and provide teachers with the needed support to make the needed changes that support student-student interactions. Suggestions for parents include interacting with their child while reading a book together and promoting positive attitudes towards reading in the home environment.
Suggestions for further research include additional research on student-student interactions within classrooms that are highly interactional so that we can learn how teachers incorporate allowing students to interact with each other regularly into their everyday teaching routine. There is also a need for further research on student attitude towards reading and how that attitude plays out in the classroom setting, including looking at students of varying ability levels. Because of the exploratory nature of this study, generalizations cannot be drawn, but practitioners and researchers can gain further understanding of how students learn and interact in the classroom setting.