Do Resources Matter? Effects of an In‐Class Library Project on Student Independent Reading Habits in Primary Schools in Rural China

Abstract

It is commonly believed that reading challenges should be addressed early to reduce the likelihood that developmental delays will impact students over the long term. However, students in developing countries often have limited access to reading resources. In this study, the authors used a randomized controlled trial of 11,083 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students in 120 primary schools in rural China to examine the causal effect of an in‐class library program on student reading outcomes and academic achievement in schools with poor reading resources over an eight‐month period. An in‐class library was installed in each of the selected classes in the 40 treatment schools. The authors found that the program significantly improved student affinity toward reading and student reading habits, and in these regards, it narrowed the gap between male and female students, between low‐ and high‐performing students, and between left‐behind children and children living with parents. However, the authors found no overall effect of the program on reading and academic achievement and a negative effect on student confidence in reading. There was also no effect on student, teacher, and primary caregiver perceptions toward the effect of independent reading on academic achievement, nor any effect on whether teachers and primary caregivers provided reading instructions to students. The authors propose three possible explanations for these findings: a lack of reading instruction from teachers and caregivers, a lack of reading materials specifically tailored to local needs and interests, and the relatively short duration of the intervention.

Reading for pleasure among Jordanian children: a community‐based reading intervention

“…Our results showed a small but significant positive effect of the WLR programme on children's reading attitudes and practices. This finding is consistent with an intervention approach in rural China where an in‐class library programme significantly changed fourth‐grade and fifth‐grade students' reading habits (Yi et al, 2018). Nevertheless, providing books alone may not be sufficient.…”

The effects of a summer reading program for migrant children in migrant schools: First-year results from a randomized experiment

“…In addition, neither teachers nor parents received any training in supporting the students' reading in this study. It has been found that the intervention impact tends to be smaller for children in the books only condition than for those in the books plus teacher or parental scaffolding condition (Gao et al 2020;Kim and White 2008;Yi et al 2019). Future research may supplement the intervention with training for teachers or parents so that they can scaffold children's reading.…”

“…However, these interventions rarely targeted at elementary schoolers in early grades and did not focus on reading skills (e.g., Bai et al 2017;Li et al 2017;Loyalka et al 2013;Mo et al 2013;Yi et al 2015). Some exceptions are evaluations of the effects of book corners on the reading skill development and academic performance of 3rd-to 6th-graders in rural China (Gao et al 2018;Yi et al 2019).…”

I Want to Teach in the Regional Areas: A Qualitative Study about Teachers’ Career Experiences and Decisions in Regional Australia

“…According to some previous studies (Petrin et al, 2014;Weiner, 2012;Weiner & Jerome, 2016), although urban, suburban and rural school systems face the same shortages of registered teachers and school professional staff, rural school systems often struggle to recruit due to the remote locations involved and the lack of essential support for teachers' families and teaching strategies. In fact, many teachers are willing to move to regional and rural communities for work (Halsey & Drummond, 2014), but those with families face the same problems for their children, particularly the lack of teaching and learning support (Yi et al, 2018). As most of the participants were single individuals and fresh university graduates, many do not need to consider such matters.…”