Abstract:

The most important indication of reading culture in a society is that reading activity takes place among routines of daily life. If reading skill; which is gained through educational process, becomes the routines of daily life, it can be called as a reading habit. The possibility of a child of gaining a reading habit is directly proportional with the richness of reading environments. Along with many variables, it plays an essential role in gaining reading habit that children meet reading images around themselves and share their experiences of their parents or others. The illustrations related to texts in Turkish course books reflect various ways of daily life. It is possible to be prepared these illustrations -which has an importance in understanding texts –with characteristics that support reading culture. However, the striking point in Turkish course books is that the number of reading images in different reading environment is very small. The aim of this study is to explore to what extent the illustrations used in course books support reading culture and to discuss the qualifications of Turkish course books in order to enhance reading habits of students.

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