Creating enjoyable reading materials for children

Abstract

Abstract The study was carried out in an attempt to investigate how different aspects of reading materials developed for children could be used to arouse enjoyment in reading. This is in a bid to motivate children to read further. It was based on an action research model and was done in two parts. The first and major part of the study involved the production of reading materials based on information derived from organisations and professionals working with children s literature for classroom use in Uganda as well as theoretical perspectives on the development of suitable reading materials for children. Evaluation of the materials developed was carried out in out in a semi-urban primary school in Kampala District in Uganda, using pupils of Primary Two as subjects in a type of quasi- experimental design. The main method for collection of data was observation and to supplement the findings, a class group interview and informal conversational interviews were carried out. Results from the study seemed to indicate that use of pictures and familiarity of the content of the reading material positively influenced enjoyment of reading and that the layout and readability of the text contributed to enjoyment and affected the accessibility of the material.