Multilingual book clubs: Reading in your heritage language at school

Reading skills and motivation in Dutch adolescents are rapidly declining, but reading interventions typically focus solely on the school language, neglecting multilingual students' heritage languages. This study examines the impact of a multilingual book club intervention, where 12- to 13-year-old students read and discussed books in their heritage language during Dutch language classes. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed how students perceived the book clubs and reading in their heritage language, and whether the (multilingual) book clubs led to increased intrinsic reading motivation and more positive reading attitudes. While quantitative results show no improvements in reading motivation or attitudes, qualitative findings highlight the value of social interaction and acknowledging students’ multilingual literacy. The study suggests that integrating multilingual literacy in education may foster student engagement, inclusivity and awareness of linguistic diversity.