| Abstract: | There is plenty of research on teaching reading skills as well as on the prerequisites of literacy, but not so much on children's opinions on learning to read. Few know what a child thinks itself of his/her learning to read and ability to learn to read. The aim of this article is to reveal the children's (n?=?43) opinions on learning to read at the time they start school. A total of 43 children (23 girls and 20 boys), aged six and a half years, were interviewed and their level of literacy was measured before interviews. Children were divided into three groups: the literate ones (n?=?8), the ones who recognise words (n?=?16) and the illiterate ones (n?=?19). Data were analysed with the phenomenographic method. Learning to read appeared as a surprising and pleasant experience, but also demanding. School entrants showed strong belief and trust in their own abilities to learn to read and were careful and realistic when evaluating them. The conclusion of this article is that children with their skills and learning perceptions should be taken into careful consideration when instructing them with new methods and means in order to secure every individual's learning to read. |
