Effect of Book Review Writing Activity on School Students' Reading Competencies: A Study

Abstract

Reading a review is a necessity before selecting any book to read. Writing a book review is an activity that can result in the development of various skills. This paper discusses the impact of book review writing activity on the reading competency of school children. Action research of one year was carried out on 40 students from 5th standard of a CBSE school to assess the effect of writing book reviews on their reading competency. The action research contained detailed monthly planning and execution by noting regular observations and reflections of the researcher. The data was collected through book reviews written by students as an assignment for library-teaching periods for the research duration. The actions were modified according to the observations of the population. The findings identified that students became more involved readers when they wrote a review of their reading. The writing of book review stimulated the discussion about the content of the book, which further enhanced the reading habit. So, it was concluded that book review writing is one of the most important activities to develop students’ reading and writing competencies, as well as clarity of thought.