Reading enjoyment amongst non-leisure readers can affect achievement in secondary school

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate determinants of differences in leisure reading behavior and school achievement. We specifically examined reading enjoyment, mental imagery, and sex as predictors in a large, age-homogeneous sample of Dutch secondary school students (N = 1,071). Results showed that the prevalence of leisure reading was low in both the lower, pre-vocational track (19.5%) and the higher, pre-academic track (32.5%). Boys read even less than girls. Almost all leisure readers enjoyed reading and engaged in mental imagery, i.e., the propensity “to see images” of a written story in the mind’s eye. Overall, boys who did not like to read for leisure had the poorest school performance. Non-leisure readers who reported that they enjoyed reading got higher school grades in the higher educational track. In the lower track, this was the case for girls. Our study findings imply that reading promotion programs should take into account individual differences in sex, achievement level, and reading enjoyment when aiming to decrease the academic achievement gap.

The impact of books on social inclusion and development and well‐being among children and young people with severe and profound learning disabilities: Recognising the unrecognised cohort

“…The first is that pleasurable reading is so universally impactful that it is not necessary to consider specific cohorts such as those with learning disabilities. However, the prevalence of studies focussed on gender (Hochweber & Vieluf, ), age group (Mol & Jolles, ) and socio‐economic status (Chiu & McBride‐Chang, ) show this has not been assumed. The second is that effective practices to enable pleasurable reading are universal to all with no need to consider a special pedagogy specific to learning disabilities.…”

Lectura y rendimiento académico. Actuaciones desde la biblioteca universitaria

“…En los trabajos referidos a los estudiantes adolescentes se observa una relación directa entre su rendimiento académico y el hábito lector, entendido también como placer por la lectura y lectura voluntaria (Molina-Villaseñor, 2006;Mol;Jolles, 2014, Gil-Flores, 2011Gambrell, 2015;Howard, 2011;Hughes-Hassell;Rodge, 2007), mejorando su comprensión lectora y favoreciendo los aprendizajes en todas las disciplinas. No olvidemos que los informes PISA ya concluían que los jóvenes que leen diariamente por placer obtienen mejores resultados en estas pruebas.…”

Reading for pleasure: whose job is it to build lifelong readers in the classroom?

“…This connection between decline in reading attitude and motivation and apparent decrease in students' reading performance bears closer study, as research clearly shows how reading motivation and engagement can lead to increased learning (Teale & Gambrell, ). In a study done among 1,071 Dutch secondary school students, results reveal that those who did not like to read for leisure had the poorest school performance while those who claim to enjoy reading are found to have higher school grades (Mol & Jolles, ). These findings challenge the argument that “reading for pleasure is a ‘cuddly’ activity that some people like to indulge in but that is essentially without further merit” (Clark & Rumbold, , p. 5).…”