Classroom Book Clubs: A CRISP Framework to Motivate High School Readers Who Struggle

There is currently an epidemic of high school readers who struggle; many are considered below-level readers, according to standardized tests, and they are not choosing to read for pleasure. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate whether a pedagogical framework called CRISP (choice, relevance, interest, success, and peer interactions) would impact the motivation of readers who struggle, which was investigated through the use of book clubs containing all five CRISP elements. The stories of five 10th-grade readers are presented in this study, each of whom was enrolled in an English course at the same Midwestern high school. Students completed a pre- and post-reading motivation survey, and levels of motivation were also evaluated through the use of book club discussion observations and audio recordings. After finishing their books, the participants joined a focus group to candidly discuss their thoughts about the book club experience and CRISP. All meetings utilized the video conferencing site Zoom, and meetings varied from students being fully remote to hybrid. Recommendations are provided for teachers, administrators, pre-service teachers, and parents. Further research is recommended to study CRISP, such as using the framework for in-person book clubs, for longitudinal affects, for CRISP in content areas, and for readers with other ability levels. Results from this study indicate that when students participate in communities of practice, such as book clubs featuring CRISP, they will have an increase in self-efficacy, engagement, and reading motivation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]