THE MASS MEDIA HAVE HELPED STUDENTS learn language arts, social studies, math, science and other subjects for decades. This article presents an overview of the research on using newspapers in the classroom and gives examples of how newspapers may be incorporated into teaching methods at both the primary and secondary levels.

Formal instruction using newspapers began in the 1930s, when papers themselves began to promote the idea. Instruction continues today through both independent curriculum design and the Newspaper In Education program. More than 700 papers worldwide participate in NIE.

In his analysis of dozens of studies related to newspaper use in the classroom, DeRoche (1991) noted that
* NIE programs are on the rise, both among newspapers and in schools;
* teachers have positive attitudes toward instructional use of newspapers and report that their students enjoy such instruction; and
* evidence shows that newspaper use has a positive effect on students' reading habits, vocabulary development and political awareness. 

.
A Swedish study saw dramatic results for second-graders reading only newspapers in the classroom.

Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of the newspaper in the classroom. For instance, a study in Sweden brought newspapers into some classrooms on a daily basis. About 300 students used the papers as their only reading texts for 2 years. The younger children learned how to read, while the older students developed their skills. The experimental group in this analytic reading program saw dramatically better reading scores than some 7,500 students in the conventional reading program. In fact, by the study's end, second-graders were reading at levels 2 to 2.5 years above grade-level (Edfeldt, 1990).

In another experiment, researchers tested secondary students in writing performance as well as in reading vocabulary and comprehension. Those who received newspaper-related instruction showed much more improvement than did students who received either no related instruction or no newspapers. But even the group that had newspapers without accompanying lessons generally improved.

Further, researchers in that study asked the teachers involved to speculate on differences in students’ skills a little more than halfway into the 18-week study. Sixty-eight percent said students’ critical reading skills had improved (Palmer & Others, 1989).

An earlier study, involving a sample of 1,220 students, focused on critical-thinking skills and used writings based on actual newspaper material. After the lessons, the students were better able to distinguish between fact and opinion and between major and minor ideas (Wardell, 1973).

Reading isn't the only subject where newspapers can be an effective aid to instruction. Thanks to the wide range of topics and kinds of content, newspapers are a versatile tool for many disciplines.

Click on a door to find tips on that subject for using newspapers in both primary and secondary classrooms.

The tips above were developed from the author's original ideas and lesson plans from the AskERIC database, which contains more ideas not listed here.

The Newspaper In Education program is backed by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. Here you can find out if the newspaper in your area participates in NIE.

Crystal Nielsen
Graduate student in Educational Technology
San Diego State University