Reader identity in the shadow of COVID

ABSTRACT

Reader identity has long been associated with reading success and is based on social interactions happening in conjunction with reading tasks. Social feedback, observational comparison, and progress are three of the sources of self-perceptions that inform reader identity. During the COVID pandemic, schools employed various safety protocols, including learning online or in a hybrid format, and social distancing and wearing masks when in school. These safety measures inhibited social interaction and communication (both verbal and non-verbal). Since reader identity is informed by social interactions, this descriptive research explored the state of reader identity among middle school students in the wake of safety protocols that limited social interactions. Eighty-nine students completed a modified version of the Reader Self-Perception Scale-2 (Henk, Marinak, & Melnick, 2012) to identify how students view their own reader identities. Contrary to what was expected, reader identity has not altered much throughout the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)