I wanted to think further about the article by Linda Teran Strommen and Barbara Fowles Mates (2004), “Learning to love reading: Interviews with older children and teens.” There was only so much that I could explore within the abstract, and the study was really interesting and insightful.
In this study, kids were put into two groups: the Readers and the Not-readers. The kids who participated in the study had some very different backgrounds in terms of reading. The Readers’ characteristics were as follows:
· They remember loving certain books that their parents read to them over and over
· They mention frequent visits to bookstores and libraries
· Conversations and discussions about reading frequently taking place with other readers
· Friends, parents and/or other family members are also avid readers who share books
· They had a bedtime ritual of reading that never ended
· They read every day
Another important statement that was made about the Readers is, “The Readers we interviewed said they love to read because reading stimulates their imagination; takes them to new places; and introduces them to new ideas, events, and elements of human emotion” (p. 196).
The Not-readers characterized reading as boring, and said that they didn’t really understand what the authors were trying to say. Reading was also looked at as a purpose and not a pleasure (p. 198).
The research notes that there seems to be a change in the reader once they were between the ages of 9 and 11. They remember reading frequently before that age, but then recalled a time period where they simply stopped and lost interest in reading. This is a time period where most kids really develop strong independent reading skills. Once these children acquired the skills necessary to read independently, they seemed to have lost interest in reading. Is this because their parents no longer felt it necessary to read to their child or encourage continued reading? Did they think that once they acquired the skill, the learning ended? They felt now that their children could read that they no longer needed to work on that skill by continuing to read?
It is interesting that even one of the Not-readers had parents who were readers, and although they modeled reading by engaging in it, they didn’t verbally encourage their daughter to read. The girl, a ninth grader, stated “It’s just not something I have motivation to do. My parents never really thought it was that important, basically” (p. 195). It seems that modeling is not the only significant action, but in order to create readers, kids must be encouraged to read by siblings or parents that can also discuss books with them as well. There needs to be interaction with books, and although the actual reading itself is usually solitary, kids need an outlet to discuss or tell someone about what they are reading. I also found it interesting that many of the Not-readers mentioned parents who encouraged them to read in order to become smarter or do better in school. It is significant that some individuals seem to see reading as a means to an end instead of as a leisurely activity, a way to use our imaginations, an activity that makes us think, or simply a process of learning.
This study clearly displays that reading has to be a social activity for kids, and that is why the Not-readers stopped reading. They had no encouragement to read, no discussion or book recommendations from others (outside of teachers), and because of this they lost interest. There is no sharing or interaction going on so they don’t see reading as an exciting and pleasurable activity. And let’s face it, when we read something that we have really enjoyed, don’t we recommend it to others? Don’t we ask other readers what they thought of it? Discussing our thoughts and feelings on something we have read makes it real for us and in some ways, don’t we crave that validation in our reading? It’s clear that the social aspect of reading and being readers has a significant impact on the activity of reading itself. Although this study only represents a small group of students, it is obvious that the students who enjoy reading and can’t imagine not spending time doing it are living in environments where they are encouraged and supported to read by other readers. Modeling is everything, but the Not-readers have demonstrated that even that is simply not enough to get them to read.
Strommen, Linda Teran. (2004). Learning to Love Reading: Interviews with Older Children and Teens. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 48(3), 188-200. Retrieved from EBSCO.
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