The Effects of Literature Circles on Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension and Reader Responses: A Mixed Method Study

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the effects of literature circles on reading comprehension and reading fluency and to reveal readers’ responses in this process. The model of the study was conducted in a mixed embedded experimental design. Literature circles method was applied in the quantitative dimension of the research, and reader responses to the books they read were revealed in the qualitative dimension Applications were carried out in two separate classes on the fourth grade of primary school one of which was the experimental group and the other was control group.     Multiple choice reading comprehension test was used to determine the students’ reading comprehension and multidimensional fluency scale was used to evaluate reading fluency as data collection tools. Reader responses were reveaked through an open-ended questionnaire. In the study, it was conclueded that the literature circles method had positive effects in terms of reading comprehension. On the other hand, it hs been observed that the literature circles method has positive effects in terms of reading speed in the narrative and informative texts. According to the findings obtained from the reader responses to the books they read, it is understood that the answers of the students to the books they read were mostly reader-centered in the qualitative dimension of the research. From the first literature circle to the last literature circle application, it seen that the reader-centered responses increased and text-centered responses decreased in each literature circle during the research.