Easy language books helping differentiation in teaching in lower secondary schools

The follow-up data for the evaluation study consisted of questionnaires completed by 9th-graders and their teachers at three measurement points, as well as interviews with students and teachers. In addition, supplementary cross-sectional data by questionnaires were collected from 7th–9th-graders and their teachers from different parts of Finland.

Teachers' assessments of the importance of book donations for the lower secondary school students’ reading motivation and reading skills were consistently positive. In the final survey, over 80 percent of teachers evaluated that the donated books had supported the students interest in reading and reading skills to at least some extent. The assessments of subject teachers, special education teachers and Finnish as a second language -teachers were similar, and no significant changes were observed in their views during the project. 

The majority of teachers had had some experiences using easy language books before the project, but they reported that the book donation increased their use of books and  they planned to utilize them in their teaching in the future. The books were used in teaching in a variety of ways, especially to support differentiation in teaching. Typically, the books were read by students who had challenges in reading or learning, but some teachers also reported using the books when teaching the whole class. Most teachers considered the books to be suitable for all lower secondary school grade levels. Based on the results, the book donation was warmly welcomed, and the use of the books in teaching will likely increase further in the coming years, as teachers have had more time to integrate the books into their teaching.

Easy language books open new pathways to reading 

The students’ opinions of the donated books were mainly positive. In particular, the students who found their reading to be slow, reported reading the donated books more often and found them more interesting than on average. This suggests that easy language books met the needs of the students whose reading was slow and therefore challenging. Girls reported being slightly more interested in the donated books than boys, but no gender differences were observed in the number of books read. The books reached native Finnish speakers and those whose native language was something else almost to the same extent. In the interviews, students described easy language books as a good option and a meaningful complement to their other reading.

Based on the preliminary results of the evaluation study, it can be stated that the easy language books donation seemed to enrich lower secondary school instruction. The books can offer students additional paths to reading and teachers relevant material to incorporate in  their teaching for students' with varying levels of reading skills and motivation. 

The research data from the Selkopolku project will be utilized in several articles and doctoral dissertations in the future.

More information:

Selkopolku – selkokirjoja yläkouluihin -hankkeen arviointitutkimus (in Finnish)

Finnish Cultural Foundation: Plain-language books to secondary schools