XXV Международный конкурс научно-исследовательских и творческих работ учащихся

Старт в науке

Чтение как инструмент личностного роста

• Авторы
• Руководители
• Файлы работы
• Наградные документы

Зайцева И.В. 1

---

1МАОУ "Гимназия 2"

Королева Л.Д. 1

---

1МАОУ "Гимназия 2"

Работа в формате PDF

1 MB

Автор работы награжден дипломом победителя I степени

Диплом школьникаСвидетельство руководителя

Introduction

When choosing a topic for his research work, the author proceeded from his own priorities of personal growth. In order to be able to successfully write an All-Russian verification work at the end of the year and to pass the General State Examination and the Unified State Exam in the future the author decided to analyse his ability to work with text reading and develop important skills that will be useful in further study and life. Having studied the English language examination materials, the author came to conclusion that reading is an integral part of the educational process and personal development and that the ability to work with a text is a key aspect of successful comprehension of information.

This work will examine how reading affects personal development and what aspects of reading are the most significant for the formation of a person's inner world. The author will also analyse

• what difficulties pupils face when learning foreign languages

• how reading can become a catalysing factor in learning foreign languages

• how reading can affect the way of thinking.

The author proceeds from the fact that reading is a tool and one of the leading factors of personal growth as it promotes the development of critical thinking and broadening of horizons. It also contributes to the formation of value orientations such as: emotional, structural, meaning, social, pragmatic and cognitive formation. Let us consider cognitive reading as an approach to reading that focuses on the process of processing information, understanding and analysing a text. This method involves the use of various cognitive strategies and skills that we see as essential to mastering the top 15 most in-demand occupations. (Appendix 1)

Thus, the study of reading as a tool for personal growth will provide a deeper understanding of its importance in life of each person and formulate practical recommendations for those who seek self-improvement through cognitive reading.

The relevance of the author's work is to identify the impact of reading skills on personality formation and to adapt the knowledge gained to achieve high performance.

Purpose of the study: To examine the impact of reading on personal growth and development, to identify the main aspects that contribute to this process and to determine how reading can influence the formation of personality traits, skills and worldview.

The subject of the study is reading,

The following tasks were set in the work:

1. To study the literature on the subject.

2. To answer the research questions.

3. Formulate and systematise tips for building skills in working with a text.

Theoretical analysis of the problem allows us to formulate the hypotheses of the study: reading fosters the development of key personal qualities such as critical thinking, empathy and creativity, which in turn leads to significant personal growth for the individual.

Research methods: data collection, data analysis, generalisation of the material.

Chapter 1: Theoretical part.

1.1 The history of the emergence of reading.

Reading is a set of practices and procedures of working with a written text and the process of working with the text itself, aimed at extracting information from it, at perceiving the text and understanding it. [1]

Together with the emergence of writing as a form of fixing the meanings expressed in language, reading as a part of communication, separated from the situation of interaction ‘here-and-now’, appeared as the reverse side of writing. Initially, the main spheres of application of reading were the sphere of economic activity (accounting and control), in which reading consolidated the system of power relations, the sphere of religion, where ‘sacred texts’ presupposed selective reading (at special times, by special people) as one of the main components in cult practices, and the sphere of literature, which presupposed reading the text in variously ritualised spaces.

Reading is not reduced to linking written signs with corresponding sounds. It is a complex cognitive process in which higher mental functions are directly involved. The process of reading includes both phonetic process and semantic process, i.e. reading comprehension, while the translation of written speech into oral speech depends on the writing system, differing significantly for alphabetic, logographic and ideographic writing. Reading is one of the means of language acquisition, communication, exchange of information and ideas. It is a complex interaction between a text and a reader, formed on the basis of prior knowledge, experience and the reader's relationship with the linguistic community, culturally and socially conditioned. In addition, reading requires creativity and critical analysis. There are no laws in reading. Nothing restricts a reader in reading. It helps to explore texts during interpretation.

Reading enters the sphere of communicative activity of people, one of the types of speech activity, and provides a written form of communication.

Skills and habits in working with books, including the choice of topics and specific books to read and the ability to find them, interaction with libraries, bookstores and other sources of literature, the degree of systematicity and consistency of reading, the use of special techniques to assimilate what has been read, transfer and discuss the knowledge gained (outlining, writing reviews, etc.) constitute theculture of reading. [2]

In today's world, functional literacy helps to cope with the large amount of information.

Functional literacy is a person's ability to use knowledge and acquired skills to solve a wide range of life tasks. It includes mastering key competences that form the basis of readiness for successful interaction with the changing world and further education. This is the level of education that can be achieved during schooling, which implies the ability to solve life tasks. The ability to act effectively in non-standard life situations and use various forms of communication to successfully perform practical tasks and achieve their goals in various spheres of life. [3]

Reading literacy is a basic skill in functional literacy. Reading literacy is the ability to interpret texts, analyse and search for hidden meaning and significance. It includes the skills of analysing and understanding texts, the ability to articulate and express one's thoughts, and the ability to apply what one has learned to one's social and personal life. It also means the ability to assess the validity and reliability of information sources, to distinguish between opinions and facts, and to analyse and synthesise information. Reading literacy is an integral part of a person's general literacy and has both personal and social aspects. [4]

Formation of functional literacy of students (ability to solve learning tasks and life problem situations on the basis of formed subject, meta-subject and universal ways of activity), including mastery of key competences that form the basis of readiness for successful interaction with the changing world and further successful education. Reading requires attention and analysis, and this is what makes it an important tool for personal and professional growth. A person reads to develop intelligence, emotional intelligence, improve communication skills, strengthen memory and concentration, stress resistance and self-improvement. Thus, the relevance of reading skills persists and adapts to modern conditions. Reading continues to be an important part of people's lives, enriching their knowledge and experience.

Chapter 2: Reading and an individual.

2.1 The impact of reading on personal development.

The importance of reading is great. It serves to broaden a person's understanding of the world, to familiarise him with things, nature, everything that surrounds him. No doubt, the first books influence the formation of his preferences and reading tastes. Systematic reading develops an understanding of the structure of the work and logical thinking. Thanks to reading, we learn to compose sentences correctly, expand our vocabulary and develop our imagination.

From childhood, reading books actively develops a person's thinking. A book awakens both thought and imagination. Reading teaches one to be diligent and develops skills of independent work, makes one think, analyse and anticipate. These qualities are important to cope with life's problems and concerns, to find solutions to the most difficult problems. Reading books shapes worldview, values, beliefs, personal philosophy. All of these have an impact on the standard of living. If children see reading as a source of information, all the knowledge accumulated by mankind will be open to them.

2.2 Personal growth

Personal growth is the process of developing and improving one's qualities, skills, knowledge and emotional intelligence. It involves recognising one's strengths and weaknesses, working towards personal goals and striving for self-improvement.

Under personal growth all the actions of a person aimed at improving himself, creating a person he would like to see and, as a consequence, developing some of his personal qualities or abilities for this purpose are understood.

Self-development is an independent process that is always carried out in every person. It makes the formation of an adequate self-esteem of the subject possible, which allows making the right decisions in case of encountering a certain obstacle in life. The process of self-development is the analysis of oneself, the creation of new strategies to achieve individual goals and the fulfilment of all the requirements necessary for their implementation in life.

Self-development and personal growth are inextricably linked, representing the main meaning of every person's life. Only thanks to these two processes, a person makes some development, moves to a new turn. If they are not carried out for any reason, there is a reverse process, called degradation. [5]

In psychology, it is common to identify several factors that can stimulate a person to grow as a person. These factors include:

• A person's dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in one or another area of his or her life;

• A person has a clear goal that he or she needs to achieve;

• The presence of circumstances that push a person to develop certain qualities or abilities;

• Person's acceptance of responsibility for his or her own life and the realisation of the need to fundamentally change his or her personality.

Let us consider the impact of functional literacy on these two processes.

A functionally literate individual is a person who thinks and acts with a high degree of independence and responsibility, who is able to acquire the knowledge he or she needs and who is able to use it freely to solve vital tasks.

A functionally literate person is able to make competent and responsible decisions in a situation of uncertainty. He is considered to be flexible as well as having a positive attitude to problem solving.

It is functional literacy that helps to solve learning tasks and life problem situations on the basis of formed subject, meta-subject and universal ways of activity. The data of the following studies confirm the importance of developing functional literacy starting from school age.

International rankings of the quality of education systems are based on data from the PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA surveys (table 2)

Table 2

Drawing on this evidence, a fundamental model of the skills of the 2020s has been developed (report ‘Future Skills for the 2020s. A New Hope’) (table 3)

Table 3

Thus, the author concludes that personal growth is necessary for:

1. Improving quality of life: Personal growth helps people become happier and more satisfied with their lives.

2. Increasing confidence: Developing skills and knowledge improves self-esteem and self-confidence.

3. Improving relationships: Working on yourself can help you build healthier and more harmonious relationships with others.

4. Adapting to change: Personal growth helps to better cope with challenges and changes in life.

5. Achieving success: Developing personal and professional skills contributes to success in career and personal life.

Personal growth is an ongoing process that can bring significant benefits in a variety of aspects.

Chapter 3: Practical part.

Based on what has been said earlier, it is worth considering how prepared the author and his classmates are to take the exams. The author decided to conduct a survey among his peers and analyse the results, identify problems and adjust the preparation for the upcoming exam. (Appendix 2)

After obtaining the data, the author analysed the results.

Results:

Results of the first question: « What difficulties do you have in reading the text?»

Results of the second question: «What difficulties do you have with the «True, false or not stated» task?»

Results of the third question: «What difficulties do you have with the task «match the title to the text»?»

Results of the fourth question: « What difficulties do you have with the «insert missing words in the blanks» task?»

The author summarised the results of the survey and concluded for himself that «the author's difficulties match those of the peers surveyed».

Having summarised the results, the author decided to actualise the recommendations for working with the text to achieve high results in the exam.

Some practical tips of working with tests

1. Pre-reading.

Pre-reading is the first phase of the reading process, when the text is perceived, its content and meaning are discovered, a kind of decoding, when individual words, phrases and sentences form the overall content.

In this case, reading includes browsing, establishing the meaning of words, finding correspondences, recognising facts, analysing the plot and storyline, reproduction and retelling.

The pre-reading stage includes the perception of the text, discovering its content and meaning. Individual words, phrases, sentences form the overall content.

At this stage, the reading includes:

• browsing;

• establishing the meanings of words;

• matching;

• recognising facts;

• analysing the plot and storyline;

• reproduction and retelling.

2. During the reading.

During reading is the second phase of the productive reading process, which aims at perceiving and understanding the text, creating a reader's interpretation (interpretation, evaluation) of it.

The elements that comprise this stage are:

1. Primary reading of the text. Independent reading in class or reading-listening or combined reading (at the teacher's choice) in accordance with the features of the text, age and individual capabilities of students. Identification of primary perception - coincidence of initial assumptions of students with the content and emotional colouring of the read text.

2. Rereading the text. Slow ‘thoughtful’ re-reading (of the whole text or parts of it).

3. Text analysis. Using the following techniques: dialogue with the author through the text, commented reading, discussion on what has been read, highlighting key words, sentences, paragraphs, semantic parts and so on. Asking a clarifying question to each semantic part.

4. Talking about the content of the text. Summarising what has been read, posing generalising questions to the text, referring (if necessary) to separate fragments of the text.

3. Post-reading.

Post-reading is the third phase of the productive reading process, which aims to adjust the reader's interpretation according to the author's meaning.[6]

The elements that comprise this stage are:

1. Reflection: Thoughts on what have learnt from the text. Main ideas and themes of the text read.

2. Discussion: Discussing what you read with others. Discussion can help see the text from different perspectives and deepen understanding.

3. Analysing: Analysing the structure of the text, the author's style, the literary devices used. This will help to better understand how the text works.

4. Evaluating your emotional response: Recognising what emotions the text evoked in you and why. This will help better understand your preferences and interests.

To get better results in teaching reading, the author decided to create a creative game for primary school students. The goals of the author's game will be:

1. Integrating functional literacy development into the English language teaching process.

2. Activation of speech and thinking activity of students.

The course of the creative game

The game is intended for junior school students. The form of the game: work in pairs. During the game lapbooks (in pairs) are used as a visual form of systematisation of the material. A lapbook is not only a powerful reference tool and a special form of organising educational material, it is, first of all, a basis for partnership project activities between adults and children. In this case, the teacher creates the basis of the lapbook and supplements and improves it together with the children.

Lapbooks help to quickly and effectively assimilate new information and reinforce the material learnt in a fun and playful way. These thematic aids have a bright design and a clear structure, so the author has chosen a lapbook for a literacy game for primary school children. The duration of the game is 40 minutes.

Annex 1

Task 1. My Family

Read the text

Ted’s family

Hi! My name is Ted. I’m 10. I am from Folkston. I’m a pupil. My family is big. There are 7 of us in it. My mother is Pamela. She is 40 years old. She is a doctor. She works in a hospital. She is kind. My father is Greg. He is 41. He is an engineer. I’ve got two sisters and two brothers. My sister Jane and my brother David are older than me. Jane is 14 and David is 12. They are pupils. My sister Stella and my brother Steve are younger than me. They are tweens. Stella is 1 and Steve is 1, too.

My aunt and uncle live near us. My aunt is Helen. She is 35. She is a teacher. My uncle is John. He is 37. He is an officer. We visit them a lot. I’ve got two cousins. They are Jerry and Kate. Jerry is 8 and Kate is 7. They are pupils. I play with my cousins after school. We have great fun.

My granny doesn’t live in Folkston. She lives in the country. Her name is Rosy. She is 63. She is on pension. She likes to visit us. She always brings tasty cakes. She likes to cook and she is good at cooking. We like to play games with her and she often tells us interesting stories. My granny has got a cat Kitty. She likes to play with Kitty in the garden. My granny doesn’t like to watch TV. She is very active. She likes to grow flowers in the garden and it is her hobby.

Fill in the table

Annex 2

Task 2. Appearance

Read the texts

Match the description of appearance to the picture

Annex 3

Task 3. Trip

M y father has got a younger brother. His name is Victor. He lives in Perm now. He is a student and studies at university. Victor has got a wife. Her name is Olivia. She is a student, too. She studies medicine. In summer we go to Russia, Perm to visit Victor and Olivia.

We go to the airport and have

I go to Russia with my father, mother , Jane and David. We buy 5 tickets from London to Moscow and 5 tickets from Moscow to Perm. The ticket to Moscow is 15000 roubles. The ticket from Moscow to Perm is 7000 roubles. We fly to Moscow at the weekend ay 8p.m.

T he weather is

in Russia. We take dresses, jumpers, trousers, socks, T-shirts, shoes, coats, umbrellas, jeans, shorts and shirts. We are happy to see Victor and Olivia.

Choose the right answer

1. My father has got a brother/sister.

2. He is a wife/cousin.

3. He lives in Brazil/Russia.

4. We go to Russia with my friends/family.

5. In the airport we buy 15/10 tickets.

6. We go to Russia by car/plane.

7. We go from London to Perm/Moscow.

8. The tickets from London to Perm are 32000/23000 roubles.

9. We go to Moscow by plane/car.

10. We go to Moscow on Saturday/Wednesday.

11. We go to Moscow in the evening/ morning.

12. The weather in Russia is hot, rainy and cold/stormy.

13. When the weather is cold I put on a coat/T-shirt.

14. When the weather is hot I put on jeans/a dress.

15. When the weather is rainy I put on a raincoat/shorts.

16. My family is sad/happy.

Annex 4

Task 4. Make up a story

hi my name is ben in from Liverpool my family is big

there are 8 of us in the family my mum pamela

she is an actress you can see her on tv my father ben he is 42 he is a pilot

he flies to many countries I have three brothers and two sisters

they all go to school so we are very busy

my grandmother and grandfather live in france we visit them every summer

the weather is hot in france in summer we play on the beach and swim in the sea

we fly to france by plane my mum buys tickets the tickets are £100

my grandparents have a big house with a garden we can play games in the garden

my drandfathers dog lives in the garden it is cute in the evening we drink tea with

biscuits my mother cooks tasty biscuits we are a friendly family

(Appendix 3)

Keys:

Task 1 Ted’s Family

Task 2. Appearance

Left to right. First row of pictures: 6 1 2

Second row of pictures: 3 5 4

Task 3.Trip

1. A brother 2. A cousin 3. Russia 4. Family 5. 10 tickets 6. By plane

7. Moscow 8. 23.000 roubles 9. By plane 10. On Saturday

11. In the evening 12.hot, rainy and cold 13. A coat 14. Jeans

15. A raincoat 16.happy

Task 4. Make up a story

Hi my name is Ben. I’m from Liverpool. My family is big.

There are 8 of us in the family. My mum is Pamela.

She is an actress. You can see her on TV. My father is Ben. He is 42. He is a pilot.

He flies to many countries. I have three brothers and two sisters.

They all go to school. So we are very busy.

My grandmother and grandfather live in France. We visit them every summer.

The weather is hot in France in summer. We play on the beach and swim in the sea.

We fly to France by plane. My mum buys tickets. The tickets are £100.

My grandparents have a big house with a garden. We can play games in the garden.

My grandfather’s dog lives in the garden. It is cute in the evening. We drink tea with biscuits. My mother cooks tasty biscuits. We are a friendly family.

Conclusion

In conclusion of the scientific research work it can be confidently stated that reading does contribute to the development of key personal qualities such as thinking empathy and creativity. These qualities, in turn, are the basis for significant personal growth and successful adaptation in modern society. 

The results confirm the hypothesis that regular reading not only enriches a person's inner world but also develops his intellectual abilities, which is especially important in the context of preparation for exam tasks. In the course of a year of training, the author noticed a significant improvement in his results in the All-Russian verification work:

Initial tests showed results in the range of 75% - 85% while the latest work showed 100% success rate. In the process of working with the texts to improve the results, the author applied an algorithm developed by him, which included all stages: pre-reading, during reading and post-reading. The pre-reading stage helped the author to reveal the content and meaning of the text. The following stages during reading contributed to deep understanding and perception of the read material. The post-reading stage allowed the author to adjust his interpretation in accordance with the author's meaning. This indicates that systematic reading has a positive effect on the quality of learning and critical thinking ability. 

Thus, reading can be considered not only as a source of knowledge but also as a powerful tool for the development of personal qualities necessary for achieving high results in learning activities and life in general. We recommend to continue the practice of reading as an important element of the educational process and personal growth.

Bibliography:

1. Reading - article from the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology // Edited by A. Reber: in 2 vols: Vol. 1. / Per. from English Chebotarev E. Yu. - M.: Veche AST, 2003. - 592.

2. Culture of reading - article from the Pedagogical Dictionary // Kodjaspirova G. M., Kodjaspirov A. Yu. - M.: Publishing Centre ‘Academy’, 2003. – 176 с.

3. https://znanierussia.ru/articles/%D0%A4%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C

4. https://znanierussia.ru/articles/%D0%A7%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C

5. https://psy-consults.ru/samorazvitie/

6. http://wiki.tgl.net.ru/index.php/%D0%A1%D0%BC%D1%8B%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5

Appendix 1:

Table 1

Appendix 2:

Questionnaire:

What difficulties do you have in reading the text?

1. lack of knowledge of vocabulary

2. emotional perception

3. other reason

4. no difficulty

What difficulties do you have with the «True, false or not stated» task?

1. lack of knowledge of vocabulary

2. inability to determine whether information is true or not presented in a text

3. inability to find information in the text

4. lack of practice

5. inability to make cause and effect connections

6. no difficulty

What difficulties do you have with the task «match the title to the text»?

1. lack of knowledge of vocabulary

2. inability to find information in the text

3. lack of practice

4. difficulty in relating the content of the text to its main idea

5. other reason

6. does not cause difficulties

What difficulties do you have with the «insert missing words in the blanks» task?

1. lack of knowledge of vocabulary

2. lack of knowledge of grammar

3. lack of practice

4. contextual dependence (some words can have more than one meaning and the correct choice depends on the context).

5. other reason

6. does not cause difficulties

Appendix 3:

T able 4