Effects of reading circle method on reading comprehension achievements, reading motivations and reading attitudes of primary school third grade students

This study aimed to reveal the effects of the literature circle method on the reading comprehension achievement, reading motivation, and reading attitudes of third-grade primary school students. The research was conducted for 12 weeks with 50 third-grade students studying in a public school in a district of one of Türkiye's western provinces during the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. An explanatory sequential design, a mixed method design, was used in the study. The quantitative dimension of the study was designed as a quasi-experimental model with a pretest-posttest control group, while the qualitative dimension was designed as a case study. The participant group from which the quantitative data would be obtained was selected as two classes from the third grade of the research school using the cluster sampling method. The participant group from which the qualitative data would be obtained consisted of nine students selected from the experimental group using the criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods. The teaching process was enriched with the literature circle method in the experimental group, while the control group was limited to the reading activities of the current Turkish curriculum. The "Reading Comprehension Achievement Test," "Attitude Toward Reading Scale," and "Reading Motivation Scale" were used to obtain quantitative data. The obtained quantitative data were analyzed using ANCOVA and independent samples t-test. Qualitative data were obtained using the "Experimental Applications and Individual Development Evaluation Form" and analyzed through content analysis. The literature circle method was found to have a positive impact on third-grade students' reading comprehension, had no impact on their reading attitudes, and increased the compliance sub-factor of their reading motivation. According to the findings from the qualitative data, students reported an increase in their reading frequency, felt a sense of enjoyment during their active participation, and developed higher-order thinking skills such as responsibility and creativity.