Abstract:

Linguistic abilities are a means of expressing human thinking, learning, and communication. In order for children to succeed in social and cultural life, it is important to ensure their progress through the development of language skills. The effectiveness of reading activities depends on the frequency of reading, interest in reading and the development of the ability to reflect on the texts read. In this way, reading is used for a variety of purposes and problem-solving. The research problem is based on statistical indicators, i.e. data from international and national surveys that reveal average or low reading skills among young people (PISA, 2019). Therefore, to stimulate children's reading motivation, one option is to use independent reading inside or outside the classroom, where children read books of their own choice, periodicals aimed at children, as well as search for various information on the Internet and other sources. The study aims to reveal trends in independent reading among today's children and to identify the ways/methods of independent reading used by pedagogues.

Research methodology:
The qualitative approach to the study was adopted - a content analysis of 64 reflective essays of 64 pre-primary and primary/elementary teachers working in Lithuanian comprehensive education schools. The participants represent the country's large, medium-sized (79.4%), and smaller towns and villages (20.6%). The research was carried out from September 2022 to February 2023. The content of the reflective essays was transcribed in separate protocols. The content analysis has been conducted by consistently analysing the content of a text, dividing the content under investigation into analytical units, i. e. categories, and sub-categories.

Results:
The study revealed two types of trends in independent reading of today's children: children's willingness to read, which is conditioned by positive parental influence, teacher's authority, the possibility of independent choice of a book, and the content of the book that interests them; the positive role of reading in promoting self-confidence, wisdom, and development; and the large choice of books (meeting the needs of the child). As a counterpoint, the reluctance of children to read independently is revealed to be due to the assignment of independent reading as a task and to mechanical reading at school; the low parental attention to reading at home; the low popularity of reading; and the lack of time for children's reading due to the severe shortage of time. Today, reading is being replaced by digital tools, fast-paced film/audio viewing, social networks, phones, and other digital technologies. Educators highlight the later age of reading initiation in children and the lack of motivation to read. Teachers use a variety of methods and techniques to motivate children to read independently: reading aloud in role-play, reading in the evening with parental involvement, picture books, rhyming books, 'star' books, discussions/forums, quizzes, book reading diaries, book reading competitions, guest in class, letter to a character/writer, reading group, living history through acting/drawing.

Keywords:

Independent reading, reading motivation, trends, methods, content analysis.