Reading Choices

 This study explores the relationship between the books students select for independent reading and their motivation to read. Instructional recommendations based on key findings are presented. To gather data, study participants completed the Motivation to Read Profile-Revised. They also shared information about the books they had selected for independent reading on the day they completed the MRP. Analysis of the data revealed significant, positive correlations between students' enjoyment of their chosen books and their motivation to read. Enjoyment was also significantly and positively correlated with students' perceived value of reading, their self-concept as readers, and the amount of time they reported reading during their free time.

Konrad, M. (2023). The Love of the Book: Students' Text Selection and Their Motivation to Read. The Reading Teacher.  https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2246

Reading for Pleasure Benefits Study

 Reading for pleasures is associated with improved outcomes for students, according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Program for International Student Assessment. Yet, data shows a decline in the number of those who report reading for pleasure, as well as potential downsides to consuming more information digitally versus in print.Young readers using simple, short texts have not seen a significant drop in comprehension, whether they were reading in print or online, while teenagers and adults, grappling with long-form and more complex texts, did find digital reading more challenging for comprehension and focus.

Kogar, E.Y. (2021). An Investigation of the Mediating Role of Various Variables in the Effect of Both Gender and Economic, Social and Cultural Status on Reading Literacy. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17(1), 376-391. doi: 10.29329/ijpe.2021.329.24

This study is discussed at:Sparks, S. (2022, Jan. 4). How to nurutre lifelong readers in a digital age. Education Week.

https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-to-nurture-lifelong-readers-in-a-digital-age/2022/01

See also Baron, N. (2021). How we read now: Strategic choices for print, screen, and audio. Oxford University Press. 

See also Merga, M. K., & Mat Roni, S. (2018). Children’s perceptions of the importance and value of reading. Australian Journal of Education, 62(2), 135-153. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0004944118779615?casa_token=0yUQ08K6i-cAAAAA:TO3HQNGDkKxkZDwasmj8lIZhXztkmFqshzVkdgCvcOgfcXMGFGSHMF_1m8IyBkSLdynPdg1wxByDBQ

 Merga, M. K., & Mat Roni, S. (2018). Children’s perceptions of the importance and value of

reading. Australian Journal of Education, 62(2), 135-153.

Youth's Leisure Reading Decline Study

 The shares of American 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis have dropped from nearly a decade ago and are at the lowest levels since at least the mid-1980s, according to a survey conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Among 9-year-old students, 42% said in 2020 that they read for fun almost every day, down from 53% in both 2012 and 1984. Among 13-year-olds, 17% said they read for fun almost every day, a smaller percentage than the 27% who said this in 2012 and roughly half the share (35%) who said this in 1984. It is unclear whether the pandemic may have changed these patterns.

National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2021). 2020 long-term trend reading assessment. National Assessment of Educational Progress. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/11/12/among-many-u-s-children-reading-for-fun-has-become-less-common-federal-data-shows/

Pleasure reading benefits study

Reading for fun has academic benefits for students, according to a recent study. The study found that students in elementary school often read for fun, but that changes in high school -- and that love of reading appears to decline. The study found significant differences between students who read for pleasure outside of class—immersing themselves in fantasy novels or spy thrillers, for example—and those who primarily read books to satisfy school assignments. Not only was there a powerful link between reading for fun and stronger language skills, but students who disliked reading frequently attributed their negative outlook to experiences they had in classrooms. Too much emphasis on analyzing the compositional nuts and bolts of texts and reading merely to absorb information came at a psychological cost, the researchers found, as students disengaged from voluntary reading.

Martin-Chang, S., Kozak, S., Levesque, K.C. et al. What’s your pleasure? exploring the predictors of leisure reading for fiction and nonfiction. Reading & Writing (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10112-7

Transforming Libraries to Better Facilitate a Culture of Reading

Drawing from one case study out of a larger dataset of six schools, this paper details how one Singapore school transformed its school library, making it a central place for reading within the school. Data collected provided evidence of the kinds of strategies, programs and design that works to encourage reading. This study found that factors for building a reading culture include: (1) curating the book selection for readers, (2) making books visible (3) creating programs to excite readers, (4) designing spaces for reading, and (5) building an ecology for reading.

Other important findings include:

-       It is not so much the number of books as the selection of books that contributes to student interest in visiting the school library.

-       The design and organization of space can shape learning behaviors positively. Designing a library by using relevant programs and policies can result in more productive use of library spaces to help encourage reading.

-       Teachers and librarians can engage in a form of evidence-based practice to track the effectiveness of their interventions at school.

Chin, E. L., Ellis, M., Paculdar, A. A., & Hao Wan, Z. (2017). Building a successful reading culture through the school library: A case study of a Singapore secondary school. IFLA Journal, 43(4), 335-347. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0340035217732069