Abstract of

Teaching Tips
What Makes a “Good” Reader? Asking Students to Define “Good” Readers

Jill Caton Johnson

This article shares a simple questionnaire that can be used with students to ascertain their understanding of good readers and the strategies they use. Responses from a questionnaire administered in January and August in one fourth-grade classroom are categorized and shared. The responses show the students' belief that good reading is done by both adults and children. The survey also showed students had an increased awareness that multiple and varied strategies were used by good readers. Students articulated more comprehension-focused strategies in January than in August. More students felt they were good readers in January than in August. Vocabulary was overlooked by all students as an important component of reading. Extensive reading was used less often to describe a good reader in January than in August. The author encourages teachers to analyze students' perceptions of good reading to inform reading instruction and adapt instruction if necessary. Teaching students to read like proficient readers can only work if students have an accurate picture of what strategies good readers use.

Abstract from Johnson, J. (2005, May). What Makes a “Good” Reader? Asking Students to Define “Good” Readers. The Reading Teacher, 58(8), 766–770. doi: 10.1598/RT.58.8.6