RESEARCH AND ARTS

The amount of approved funds for the operation is EUR 40,000.00, of which:

• EUR 20,000.00 from ARIS funds,
• EUR 10,000.00 from Ministry of Education funds, and
• EUR 10,000.00 from Ministry of Culture funds.

Project partners:

• University of Maribor, Faculty of Education, and
• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts.

Summary of the project:

Reading literacy develops throughout a person’s life, but especially intensively during their education. Among the key factors for developing reading skills and a reading culture in children and young people are adults who accompany their development and serve as reading role models. First and foremost, these are parents and guardians, but professionals in education and libraries are also extremely important promoters of reading habits among children, pupils, students, and other adults in the educational process.

In the project Reading Role Models: Reading Habits of Professionals in Kindergartens, Schools, Faculties, and Public Libraries , we will focus on studying and evaluating the importance and role, understanding, prevalence, development, and presence of reading habits among professionals in education and libraries. The project will identify reading habits (survey, focus groups), review existing research and theoretical approaches, and sensitivity to the issue, and present examples of good practices.

Project objectives:

The project will pursue seven key objectives: (1) it will provide insight into the reading habits of professionals in education and library activities; (2) it will provide insight into the purpose of reading among professionals, the proportion of reading for formal purposes (to prepare for the work process), informal purposes (for personal growth and development), and informal purposes (for entertainment and enjoyment); (3) answer the question of how different work environments encourage reading among professionals in education and library services; (4) provide insight into the systemic placement of reading incentives in formal educational programs for future professionals in education and library activities; (5) it will develop criteria for identifying good practices in the field of establishing, promoting, and developing reading habits among professionals in education and library services; (6) define possibilities for identifying good practices for establishing, promoting, and developing reading habits among professionals in education and library activities; (7) It will develop recommendations for establishing, promoting, and developing reading habits among professionals in education and library activities.

A very important expected result is the establishment of awareness of the importance of reading for professional development, (pre)awareness of one’s own reading habits, the importance of personal reading habits as an example and model for various participants in the educational and library environment, and the unconscious presence of reactions when involved in research on socially acceptable behavior. The results of the project will contribute to even greater awareness of the importance of reading, thereby helping to shape concrete social policies to strengthen reading literacy and culture. In today’s world, reading provides access to international sources of information and communication with people from other cultures, and promotes international trade and cooperation. Investing in education and the promotion of reading literacy is therefore essential for the development of science, society, and a successful economy.

More about the project