The term ‘reading for pleasure’ is often used reciprocally with the term ‘reading for enjoyment’ and can involve a variety of text, ranging from text in novels, magazines, comics and non- fiction Cremin (2014). The key aspect of reading for pleasure is the reader’s volition, which describes their desire to read and their agency to read. Moreover, reading for pleasure encompasses the gratification readers gain through their experience of reading and their positive interactions discussing literature with peers thereafter. Similarly, Ross et al. (2006) characterised it as ‘recreational reading’ which mirrors Cremin’s definition of ‘reading for enjoyment’. This is time that has been allocated to read, ultimately for the personal satisfaction of …show more content…
Clark and Rumbold (2006) Therefore, it can be conceived that promoting reading and encouraging an environment to enjoy reading can have a positive impact on children with many emotional and social consequences. In support of this, Clark and Douglas (2011) found evidence suggesting that there is a positive correlation between reading frequency, reading enjoyment and overall attainment in Primary school pupils. Interestingly, the enjoyment of reading has been reported as more significant for children’s educational achievement than their family’s socio-economic status (OECD, 2002) Twist et al (2007) highlighted that there is a direct relationship between positive attitudes towards reading and the scores related to reading assessments. As such, international evidence reinforces these findings. Research undertaken in the US established that independent reading; reading which is executed voluntarily in or outside or school with minimal assistance from adults, is the most powerful indicator of reading attainment (Anderson, Wilson and Fielding, …show more content…
Intrinsic motivation describes the desires which incite an individual to read independently at their own volition. Children who lack this motivation are typically indifferent towards reading, which is coupled with negative attitudes to the activity. Furthermore, it has been suggested that due to a continued period of failure and a reduced sense of competency, many children question their abilities (Pressley, 1998). In view of this, in a survey conducted by the NLT found that young people reported that they would read more if they enjoyed the activity, had more time to read, if reading material were more affordable or related to topics that were if personal interest (Clark and Foster,
In the article “Reading and Thought” the author Dwight MacDonald provides criticism and disagreement with Henry Luce’s idea of “functional curiosity”. Luce developed the term “functional curiosity” defining it as an eagerness of people to know the latest news happening around the world. On the other hand, MacDonald concludes that functional curiosity only strengthens reader’s practice in reading rather than in providing invaluable information. He underlines that literature nowadays is deficient and insubstantial since there is no deep meaning in the texts. Modern printed literature is simply being skimmed through by the reader as the reader nowadays tends to avoid too much information resisting thinking in such a way. Because of the new nature of the printed materials, MacDonald considers today’s reading behavior and the way people think as flimsy and indifferent. I agree that our thought has definitively changed since we are paying less time to serious critical thinking losing connections with society and awareness of it.
Pearson UK (n.d.) stated “Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every day not only perform better in reading tests than those who don’t, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures. In fact, reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a child does well at school than their social or economic background.”
Each year as I grow old, I tend to discover and learn new things about myself as a person as well as a reader, writer and a student as a whole. My educational journey so far has been pretty interesting and full of surprises. Back in Bangladesh where I studied until high school, my interest for learning, reading or writing was so very different compared to how it has become over the years. I could relate those learning days to Richard Rodriquez’s essay “The lonely Good Company of Books”. In the essay the author says, “Friends? Reading was, at best, only a chore.”(Rodriguez, page 294). During those days I sure did feel like reading was a chore for me and how I was unable to focus and I could never understand what all those jumbled up words ever meant. It was quite a struggle for me in class when the teachers used to assign us reading homework. I felt like reading a book was more difficult or painful than trying to move a mountain. Just like how moving a mountain is impossible, trying to find an interest in reading was
On October 10th, 2017 at Springhurst Elementary School, I conducted a “Reading Interest Survey” and the “Elementary Reading Attitude Survey.” These surveys were conducted on a 1st grade student, Jax, to determine what his feelings are towards reading in different settings, what genres he prefers to read, and interests. It was found that Jax doesn’t mind reading, but prefers a few different topics. This was evident through his raw score of 30 on recreational reading, and a raw score of 31 on academic reading.
With such high numbers of adolescents falling below basic in reading, illiteracy is a battle that must be fought head on. The largest dilemma with the struggle is the number of variations that cause adolescents to become reluctant, unmotivated or struggling readers. Fortunately, a large number of strategies exist to encourage and strengthen readers of all ages, proving that adolescence is not a time to give up on faltering students. Rather, it is a time to evaluate and intervene in an effort to turn a reluctant reader into an avid one (or near enough). Ultimately, educators must learn to properly assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses (Curtis, 2009) and pair them with the proper intervention techniques. If one method does not work, countless others exist to take its place.
When we encourage kids to read the things they want, they tend to enjoy it better. As Pam Allyn, an advocate for literacy, says, "You tend to get better at something you love to do. " If society needs good readers, it is important that youth are passionate about reading. When we let children have a choice, they learn just how much they like reading and are more likely to continue. Kyle Good from Scholastic Corp. believes that
While I believe every child is a reader, I do not believe every child will be enthralled with reading all the time. All students have the capability to read and enjoy reading, but just like any other hobby, interest will vary from student to student. The students in my classroom will be encouraged in their reading, be provided with choice, taught how books can take you into another world but, my students will not be forced to read. This paper will illustrate my philosophy of reading through the theories I relate to, the way I want to implement reading and writing curriculum, and the methods I will use motivate my students to read and help them become literate.
So as students, my friend group and I often took beach trips to La Jolla to escape the stressors our school gave us. With this, being in a new space led me to many new hobbies. One of which included reading. In high school, I wasn’t very fond of it, as I felt I did enough of it in class. But in college, I began to learn the pleasures of reading and literature.
Reading develops imagination from the earliest stages of childhood, fosters empathy, and establishes the foundation for lifelong learning. Reading habits are vital in shaping perception of the world, fostering imagination, and fostering a sense of self. In addition to storytelling, these colorful and imaginative stories provide a child with a solid foundation for learning language and developing cognitive skills. As children, we are often shaped by the stories we encounter, the characters we meet, and the worlds we explore within the pages of books. Our reading habits during these formative years can reveal significant insights into our interests, values, and even our future paths.
For example, a child whose parents read her a chapter from a children's book such as Harry Potter before bed each night will likely foster an eagerness toward reading and writing, while a child who has an English teacher who is unapproachable and inaccessible in her teaching methods might develop anxiety around being asked to read or write. The child who enjoys reading and writing will read in her free time and may even create short stories for herself, while the child who has trouble with literacy in the classroom will avoid reading and writing outside of school. It is important to note that a person's literacy and disposition on reading and writing can shift drastically over time due to positive and negative impacts brought on by varying literacy sponsors, as is my
Growing up I didn’t have any interest in reading. All throughout elementary school I was placed in the lowest reading level and I took that position as a sign that I wasn’t good enough to read, so I didn’t enjoy it. Why did people read for fun? What was fun about reading?! I didn’t find any kind of interest in reading until fairly recently so today, I’ll share my journey with reading with you.
The real purpose of reading is not just to be entertained or amused by fulfilling our various temptations, but to challenge ourselves to be a better person in every possible way. There is no doubt that as a
Reading has been a part of my life from the second I was born. All throughout my childhood, my parents read to me, and I loved it. I grew up going to the library and being read to constantly. Especially in the years before Kindergarten, reading was my favorite thing to do. I grew up loving fairy tales and thriving on the knowledge that I could have any book I wanted, to be read to me that night. Having no siblings, my only examples were my parents, and they read constantly. Without a family that supported my love of reading throughout my childhood, I wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much as I have and do now.
When I was younger, I didn’t like reading much at all. I always questioned my teachers what was the purpose of reading; I never got an answer from either teacher until I was in the seventh grade. Starting junior high school was different from elementary. In seventh grade, we were in our reading class for two hours a day. I asked the teachers why didn’t we have the privilege to stay in our other classes for two hours; I never received an answer from my teachers.
Literature has an enormous impact on a child’s development during the early years of his or her life. It is important for parents and teachers to instill a love of reading in children while they are still young and impressionable. They are very naive and trusting because they are just beginning to develop their own thoughts, so they will believe anything they read (Lesnik, 1998). This is why it is so important to give them literature that will have a positive impact. Literature can make children more loving, intelligent and open minded because reading books gives them a much wider perspective on the world. Through reading, children’s behavior can be changed, modified or extended, which is why books are so influential in children’s lives while they are young (Hunt, 1998). Literature has the power to affect many aspects of a child’s life and shapes their future adult life.