6.9.2024
Doctoral Thesis on the importance of read-alouds in pre-primary education
M.Sc. Sofie Tjäru’s doctoral thesis in Education will be put forth for public defence at the Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies at Åbo Akademi University.
The thesis is entitled Bokstunden som institution i förskoleundervisningen – Förskollärares syn på lärande och iscensättning.
The public defence of the doctoral thesis takes place on Friday, 13 September at 1PM in auditorium Bruhn, Academill, Rantakatu 2, Vaasa. You can also follow the defence online. Professor Trude Hoel, University of Stavanger, Norway, will serve as opponent and Professor Mia Heikkilä, Åbo Akademi University and Stockholm University, Sweden, as custos.
Summary
In most pre-primary groups, read-alouds are a recurring element. Both researchers and teachers often emphasize two important ingredients of these sessions: the teacher reading children’s books aloud to the children, and the discussion and conversation between the teacher and the children about the books. The results of this dissertation show that the read-alouds hold an almost self-evident place in pre-primary education. The pre-primary teachers who participated in the study associated read-alouds with language development, knowledge about the world, as well as versatile skills such as thinking, concentration, communication, and social skills.
Even though the books are central to the read-alouds, few teachers associated them with teaching the children about books and literature. Instead, the teachers primarily saw read-alouds as a means to support other types of learning. Additionally, many of the teachers viewed the read-aloud as an element that creates calm and a pleasant atmosphere during the pre-primary day.
The teachers in the study read aloud almost every day and chose books according to the children’s needs and interests, but also based on the quality of the books. The themes of the books often aligned with the current topics in pre-primary education, although few teachers reported that they integrate the read-alouds with other activities focused on the children’s learning. Despite the national curriculum’s emphasis on holistic education, the read-aloud appears to be an isolated activity that follows certain given patterns.
Currently, in Finland, there is active, ongoing work to support children’s and young people’s interest and skills in reading. Considering the results of this study, it is important to also discuss what the curriculum guidelines and pre-primary teacher training should emphasize. By emphasizing not only other forms of learning but also learning about literature itself as well as the importance of variety in read-alouds, we can ensure that pre-primary education offers children rich literary experiences.
Sofie Tjäru can be reached by phone 050 542 5762 or email sofie.tjaru@abo.fi.
The doctoral thesis can be read online through the Doria publication archive.
Click here for a press photo of the doctoral student.
Instructions for following the doctoral defence remotely:
To follow the defence, you need the Zoom software or the Google Chrome browser. You do not need to create a Zoom account to follow the defence. If you install the application, you participate by clicking on the meeting link, after which you should allow the link to open in the Zoom app.