Enhancing student reading engagement through the UTAS Books in Homes Program and Reading Mentor Program

Research has shown that exposing children to books in the home environment promotes a love of reading, which can lead to increased literacy outcomes. The University of Tasmania (UTAS) Books in Homes Program was implemented in early learning classrooms of three lower socio-economic status schools in Tasmania’s North, North West and South throughout 2015-2016, aiming to increase reading engagement for children in these schools by providing them with books of their choice throughout two school years. Adding to this program was the design and implementation of a Reading Mentor Program that linked UTAS pre-service teachers with a participating school, enabling them to engage with children in the reading process and act as positive role models. This paper explains how the UTAS Books in Homes Program started, shares its broad outcomes over two years at a participating school, and investigates perceptions of pre-service and in-service teachers who participated in the Reading Mentor Program at the same school in 2016.