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Making a Difference: The 2006 “Guys Read” Book Club Summer Program for Boys Hennepin County Library

Making a Difference: The 2006 “Guys Read” Book Club Summer Program for Boys Hennepin County Library. A Report of a Collaborative Evaluation Project Partners : The Library Foundation of Hennepin County, Hennepin County Library Staff, and

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Making a Difference: The 2006 “Guys Read” Book Club Summer Program for Boys Hennepin County Library

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  1. Making a Difference: The 2006 “Guys Read” Book Club Summer Program for Boys Hennepin County Library A Report of a Collaborative Evaluation Project Partners: The Library Foundation of Hennepin County, Hennepin County Library Staff, and the University of Minnesota--College of Education and Human Development, Literacy Program Area Research Staff: Professors David O’Brien & Deborah Dillon & Research Assistants Scharber & Nichols February 15, 2007

  2. Does the HCL Guys Read Program make a difference in boys’ reading behaviors and attitudes? Results indicate a resounding “YES!” Boys (directly quoted via survey and interviews) say the following about the impact of the Guys Read program: “i'm reading alot more” “i read more books” “I am a exelent reader” “Discussing a book makes me feel more like I understand it.” “It helped me learn new words.” “Each time I read i get better at it” “Oh, yeah, I’m really interested in trying to continue that Among the Hidden series, so as soon as they come out with a couple of new books, I will be the first to read them.”

  3. Key Findings: Impact of The Guys Read Program • Boys reported that they read more • They were more likely to read • They had more positive perceptions about themselves as readers • They were less likely to view girls as being better readers than boys • They were more likely to view reading as a positive, socially constructed process

  4. Background Information: Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read (GR) Initiative The mission of Guys Read is to motivate boys to read by connecting them with materials they will want to read, in ways they like to read. Jon Scieszka’s goals for GR include the following: • Make some noise for boys.We have literacy programs for adults and families. GUYS READ is our chance to call attention to boys’ literacy. • Expand our definition of reading.Include boy-friendly nonfiction, humor, comics, graphic novels, action-adventure, magazines, websites, and newspapers in school reading. Let boys know that all these materials count as reading.

  5. Give boys choice.Motivate guys to want to read by letting them choose texts they will enjoy. Find out what they want. Let them choose from a new, wider range of reading. • Encourage male role models.Men have to step up as role models of literacy. What we do is more important than all we might say. • Be realistic. Start small.Boys aren’t believing that “Reading is wonderful.” Reading is often difficult and boring for them. Let’s start with “Here is one book/magazine/text you might like.” • Spread the GUYS READ word.Encourage people to use the information and downloads on this site to set up their own chapters of GUYS READ, and get people thinking about boys and reading.

  6. What are the Characteristics of the HCL Guys Read Program? Guys Read is a summer book club program, designed by the HCL for boys aged 9-11; the program is based on author Jon Scieszka’s “Guys Read” initiative. The program is: --available to boys in the greater Minneapolis, MN area (Hennepin County) --designed to encourage boys to read over the summer months and beyond --created to foster boys' positive attitudes/associations with reading and develop reading habits over time --developed to promote positive relationships between boys and male book club facilitators

  7. Description of 2006 Guys Read Summer Book Clubs Book clubs met at 16 different library sites between June and August • Clubs were facilitated by male volunteers trained by library personnel in how to lead a book club and facilitate the weekly discussions • Participants received free books throughout the program • Books were chosen based on several criteria: • topics of interest to boys • titles that could be easily read • books that engendered discussion

  8. How Do We Know that the HCL Guys Read Program Makes A Difference? Purpose of the Evaluation Project: To document the HCL Guys Read Book Club Program—who participates in the summer program, what it looks like in action, when and how it operates in particular settings, and the impact of the program on boys’ reading attitudes and practices. The overall goal is to determine what the program means to the participants (the boys & facilitators).

  9. Evaluation Questions 1. What do boys think about reading prior to, and after participating in the Guys Read book clubs? 2. What are boys’ perceptions about themselves as readers prior to and after participating in the Guys Read clubs? 3. What books/materials do boys read and what impact on reading habits and choices do the Guys Read clubs have?

  10. 4. What perceptions do boys have of other males as readers prior to and after participating in the Guys Read book clubs and interacting with male book club leaders/mentors? 5. What activities and structures associated with the Guys Read book clubs help boys find reading meaningful and worthwhile? What engages boys and supports their reading and completion of books over the course of the book clubs? 6. What characteristics of the Guys Read book clubs influence boys’ long-term reading preferences and habits after they participate in the program?

  11. Design of the Evaluation Project • Pre- and post-survey data were collected • Focus groups and individual interviews with boys and group facilitators were conducted • Book Club sessions were observed over time

  12. Data Sources and Analyses Data were collected as a naturally occurring part of the Guys Read Program Boys were asked to • complete online surveys (pre & post) • participate in focus groups (pre & post) In addition, several boys were interviewed and selected groups were observed as part of the evaluation project

  13. Participants • Sixteen (16) Guys Read Book Clubs were included in the evaluation sample • Total Enrollment: 194 boys • Total Number of Boys with signed permission forms: • 89 boys (45.8%) • Demographic Data • Survey respondents were predominately White males (84%) • and a few males of color ( 4% Native American, 3% Asian, 3% African American)

  14. On-line Survey Data Pre-survey data were collected through an online instrument (Zoomerang) from 76 of the 194 participants (39%) Post-survey data were collected in a similar manner from 36 of the 194 participants (19%) • The pre-survey included 32 items, the post-survey 19 items • forced choice items using likert-type scales • open-ended items with text fields allowing participants to write responses The survey constructs measured boys’ • reading attitudes and habits • perspectives about the role of gender and reading • perceptions about ability and self-efficacy as readers • perceptions about the Guys Read Book Club

  15. Focus Group Interviews We gathered pre-and post-focus group interview data at the initial and final meetings of the book clubs 12 book clubs completed both pre- & post- focus group interviews • 15 total pre-focus group interviews were conducted • 13 total post-focus group interviews were conducted

  16. Interviews We gleaned additional data about the boys' individual perceptions about reading and their experiences in the groups through individual interviews. We interviewed • 11 boys (individually), from 7 book clubs • 7 additional boys were interviewed in small groups We also interviewed 6 of 10 facilitators to obtain their perceptions of the book clubs

  17. Interviews and Focus Groups enabled researchers to: • obtain reactions and opinions from boys about the clubs, reading, and the books w/o influence from facilitators (e.g., favorite part of club, surprises, benefits, affect on reading; how much they read) • hear how much boys loved the clubs • understand events that we could not infer directly from observations • gather different information than surveys, which had low response rates • provide a place for boys’ opinions to be heard; a place where they could expand on their thoughts when they were not as willing to type their thoughts into the online survey

  18. Observations • We sampled from the corpus of discussion groups; 7 out of 16 sites were observed • 22 total book club meetings were observed across the beginning, middle and end of the program: • Club A: 5 times • Club B: 4 times • Club C: 3 times • Club D: 3 times • Club E: 3 times • Club F: 2 times • Club G: 2 times

  19. Scope of Data Collection Across Sites

  20. Survey Sampling Pre Post

  21. Results Organized by Research Questions Question #1: What do boys think about reading prior to, and after participating in the Guys Read book clubs?

  22. How much do you enjoy reading? (Pre-Survey N=76)

  23. Which of these are reasons you like to read? (Pre-Survey N=76)

  24. I like reading = 70% • What is clear is that the boys participating in Guys Read have selected the Guys Read club because reading is something they like to do. Guys Read provides a context for boys to • read with a group of their peers • meet other boys who may not go to their school • read materials which would not typically be part of a Language Arts curriculum • discuss topics that might not relate to the book, the lesson plan, or the interest of the teacher.

  25. Reading time • 47% read print materials 4 or more hours a week. • 22% read digital text 4 or more hours a week. • 25% read for homework 4 or more hours per week • 24% do not read any digital texts • 5% report not reading for homework • All of the boys read print

  26. Indications There is a greater trend towards reading text for enjoyment than there is for homework or reading digital text. • no boys who completed the survey indicated that they do not read • some boys stated that they do not read to complete homework. • some boys stated that they do not read digital texts

  27. Have you participated in book clubs or discussion groups with books before? yes No 41% 59%

  28. What are some things you do in your spare time other than reading? (Pre-Survey N=76)

  29. Question #2: What are boys’ perceptions about themselves as readers prior to and after participating in the Guys Read clubs?

  30. How well do you think you read in comparison to other people your age?(Pre-Survey N=76 Post-Survey N=36) 7% 14% 18% 30% 28% 30% 47% 31% 47% 31%

  31. How do you knowhow well you read in comparison to other people your age? (Pre-Survey N=76 Post-Survey N=36) 7% 11% 50% 42% 26% 26% 17% 22% Although the responses for this item were from different samples from different survey instruments, the item wording was identical, and in comparison, there is a similar pattern across the responses

  32. Which of these statements BEST describes what happens when you read? (Pre-Survey N=76 Post-Survey N=36) 5% 17% 12% 3% 3% 0% 45% 53% 8% 11% 5% 3% 22% 14%

  33. Why did you decide to participate in the Guys Read Summer Book Club Program? Pre-Survey N=76

  34. What do you think will be some important benefits of being in the Guys Read Book Club Program? Pre-Survey N=76

  35. Question #3: What books/materials do boys read and what impact on reading habits and choices do the Guys Read clubs have?

  36. How do you decide what to read? (Pre-Survey N=76 Post-SurveyN=36)

  37. Which of these types of books do you like to read? Select number 1 if it is your favorite type of book; select number 2 if you like it but it is not your favorite; select number 3 if you do NOT like this type of book. (Mark all items as either a 1, 2, or 3)

  38. Pre-survey data indicated the following: • That the public library is the preferred place to find books you might want to read (78%) • That the main criterion for selecting a particular book was that it was on a favorite topic (62%) • That book stores are a popular place to select books but not as popular as libraries (47%) • More than half of the respondents said they would read every book written by a favorite author (43%).

  39. Post-survey (N=36) data indicated the following: • That books were still selected by boys based on their favorite topic (58%) • But there was a shift toward the importance of friends’ recommendations in their choices (33%). • Again this indicated the influence of the social nature of the books clubs on book choices

  40. Question #4: What perceptions do boys have of other males as readers prior to and after participating in the Guys Read book clubs and interacting with male book club leaders/mentors? .

  41. Who do you think reads the most— Boys or Girls? (Pre-Survey N=76 Post-Survey N=36)

  42. Perceptions About Why Girls Read More than Boys: Pre-Survey Responses Girls read lot more because I see them doing it at school all the time girls are smarter and dont play as much sports as boys Girls because they have more spare time They are more into working on homework or doing other stuff like reading and reading like a girl in my class she read the harry potter series 3 times all 6 of them! Girls. I think boys like to play rough sports instead of read. Girls-They are obsessed girls becase they start reading earlyer than boys. Girls, because I think that they might not do as many activities as boys my mom reads a lot boys.because most boys read average or a lot and most girls read a lot or not at all Because I think that boys have more time to read.

  43. Perceptions About Why Girls Read More than Boys: Pre-Survey Responses Becase boys do a lot more thing than girl sorry if I afeaded anyone I believe both boys and girls read, but it was not a selection Boys, because they mostly have nothing i dont know it was hard to guess who to choose Girls have less stuff to do Because ussually boys like to play video games or play sports. And girls ussually talk or read books Boys like to read action books and mystery boys im a boy duh Girls are more academic I have seen a lot more girls read than boys BECAUSE I SEE GIRLS READING ALOT IN THE LIBRARY AND OTHER PLACES Because boys just don't seem like that type of person that reads books a lot and girls do boys because lots of the boys in my class read more than the girls

  44. Perceptions About Why Girls Read More than Boys: Post-Survey Responses sort of beacause most are not to active cause they do Dksvndk Nt really because I think they read about the same i dont now because girls are not in to sports as much boys but i think sometime boys read more, or the same as girls because a lot of boys say that don't read like my friends, and a lot of the people in my book club diddent finish the book because they diddnent like the book Boys like to read a lot too because ever body read the same amont Thay are more into it They dont play as many sports. becuase they usuely have less to do because there is a guys read and not a gals read

  45. Perceptions About Why Girls Read More than Boys: Post-Survey Responses I don't know. I'm not concerned about it they just seem to read more because some are better than some boys and some aren't when i did an advanced reading groups it always has like 3 boys and 7 girls. because i am a boy because they dont play video games so instead they read. Because we play a lot no Boys are usual more active with sports I think they read the same because my firends do not read much They have more time, their less intristed in sports I think they do because they have more time to and they like reading more.

  46. Question #5: What activities and structures associated with the Guys Read book clubs help boys find reading meaningful and worthwhile? What engages boys and supports their reading and completion of books over the course of the book clubs?

  47. Observation Details • Facilitators asking questions/boys responding • Ranged from very structured to non-existent • Wide variety of book club activities including • Boys pulling questions from bucket • Planned activities focused around a book • Game playing • Importance of Food

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