Reading for pleasure: A research overview

Christina Clark and Kate Rumbold
National Literacy Trust
November 2006

The path of a reader is not a runway but more a hack through aforest, with individual twists and turns, entanglements andmoments of surprise. (Holden, 2004)© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure2

Many thanks to the Thomson Corporation whose generous
contribution has made this research possible.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure3

Table of contents
1. Setting the context ..................................................................................................5
2. The story so far .......................................................................................................9
The benefits of reading for pleasure ........................................................................9
Reading for pleasure – some statistics ..................................................................10
A decline in reading enjoyment?............................................................................12
Reasons for reading ...............................................................................................14
Reading preferences ..............................................................................................15
3. Delving more deeply .............................................................................................16
Introducing reading motivation ...............................................................................16
Reading motivation and its link with reading enjoyment – a closer look ...............17
Good versus evil?...................................................................................................19
The question of rewards – a brief digression .........................................................20
The importance of choice.......................................................................................21
Reading for pleasure – a motivational chart ..........................................................22
4. The way forward ...................................................................................................24
References.................................................................................................................29© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure4

1. Setting the context
This paper explores reading for pleasure1, its importance, and its impact on literacy
attainment and other outcomes. Reading is an important gateway to personal
development, and to social, economic and civic life (Holden, 2004). It allows us tolearn “about other people, about history and social studies, the langue arts, science,
mathematics, and the other content subjects that must be mastered in school” (Lyon,
1997). As noted by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2003), “people
cannot be active or informed citizens unless they can read. Reading is a prerequisite
for almost all cultural and social activities”. According to the International Reading
Association (Moore et al., 1999, p. 3):
Adolescents entering the adult world in the 21st century will read and write morethan at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels ofliteracy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct
their personal lives. They will need literacy to cope with the flood of information
they will find everywhere they turn. They will need literacy to feed their
imaginations so they can create the world of the future. In a complex andsometimes even dangerous world, their ability to read can be crucial.

A debate has been rife in the UK over the past few years as to how best to teachchildren to read, which culminated in an Independent Review of the Teaching of Early
Reading (DfES, 2006) led by Jim Rose in 2005. Although this review recommended
that children are taught synthetic phonics at the first instance, it also placed phonics
teaching firmly within a language-rich framework that fosters positive attitudes
towards reading and a love of books. Unfortunately, this context was lost in thesubsequent press coverage. It therefore seemed important to the National Literacy
Trust to collect evidence that furthers our understanding of the value of reading forpleasure and to provide information that will enable parents, teachers andpolicymakers to promote reading motivation and wider reading. Indirectly, the aim
was also to challenge the view that reading for pleasure is a “cuddly” activity thatsome people like to indulge in but that is essentially without further merit.
It is important to note that the research described in this paper relates mostly tochildren. This focus has been deliberate. The National Literacy Trust is dedicated tobuilding a literate nation and stresses the importance of reading for pleasure as one
way to advance literacy attainment in children.
What do we mean by “reading for pleasure2”? Although we use the phrase
frequently and liberally in everyday or even our working life, it is surprisingly hard__________________________________________________________________________In this paper the terms “reading for pleasure”, “reading for enjoyment” and their derivates are used interchangeably.
It is also frequently referred to, especially in the United States, as independent reading (Cullinan, 2000), voluntary reading(Krashen, 2004), leisure reading (Greaney, 1980) , recreational reading (Manzo & Manzo, 1995) or ludic reading (Nell, 1988).
1
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to define3. Reading for pleasure refers to reading that we to do of our own free will
anticipating the satisfaction that we will get from the act of reading. It also refers toreading that having begun at someone else’s request we continue because we areinterested in it4. It typically involves materials that reflect our own choice, at a timeand place that suits us. According to Nell (1988), reading for pleasure is a form ofplay that allows us to experience other worlds and roles in our imagination. Holden(2004) also conceived of reading as a “creative activity” that is far removed from thepassive pursuit it is frequently perceived to be. Others have described reading forpleasure as a hermeneutic, interpretative activity, which is shaped by the reader’s
expectations and experiences as well as by the social contexts in which it takes place(e.g. Graff, 1992).
But reading for pleasure is so much more than just a form of play or escapism – it isalso a way of connecting with text. According to Pullman (2004), writing on thefeatures that make reading pleasurable:
Consider the nature of what happens when we read a book…. It isn’t like a lecture: it’s
like a conversation. There’s a back-and-forthness about it. The book proposes, the reader
questions, the book responds, the reader considers.
And we are active about the process… We can skim or we can read it slowly; we canread every word, or we can skip long passages; we can read it in the order it presents
itself, or we can read it in any order we please; we can look at the last page first, or
decide to wait for it; we can put the book down and … we can assent or we candisagree.
Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD, 2002) showed that reading enjoyment is more important for children’s
educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. Reading for pleasure
could therefore be one important way to help combat social exclusion and raise
educational standards. According to Krashen (1993, p. 85), who is a major
proponent of the value of reading for pleasure:
When children read for pleasure, when they get “hooked on books”, they acquire,
involuntarily and without conscious effort, nearly all of the so-called “language
skills” many people are so concerned about: they will become adequate readers,acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex
grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good (butnot necessarily perfect) spellers. Although free voluntary reading alone will not
ensure attainment of the highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an
acceptable level. Without it, I suspect that children simply do not have a chance.

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3 This is our attempt at defining “reading for pleasure”. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any thoughts orsuggestions.
4 The way that reading can become a pleasurable activity is addressed later in this paper.

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Although the cornerstone for lifelong reading is laid in the early years, we also
know that it is never too late to start reading for pleasure (Sheldrick-Ross,
McKechnie & Rothbauer, 2005).
Given the importance of reading to personal well-being and development, it iscomforting to note that it is a popular activity in the UK. In 2005, we bought 218mbooks (Nielsen Bookscan, 2006). Indeed, there is evidence that the market is growing
fast. Figures by Book Marketing Limited (2000) show that books sales have risen by
30% since the mid 1990s and that fiction and non-fiction together are read in 90% of
the nation’s households. A 2006 BBC survey of 4000 adults on reading habits in the
UK showed that 82% of adults enjoyed reading. Reading was rated as more
important than sex (well, for women at least) and watching TV but lagged behindspending time with friends and family, and listening to music.
If we already seem to love reading, then why focus on reading for pleasure? Most
research activities and policy developments have primarily focused on the cognitive
aspects of reading, such as word recognition and comprehension. However, it has
become increasingly apparent that purely cognitive accounts of reading areincomplete − just because someone is able to read does not mean that he or she will
choose to do so.
This is especially true with students who are thought to be at risk of reading failure(Snow, Burns & Griffin, 1998). Children who read very little do not have thebenefits that come with reading (see below), and studies show that when struggling
readers are not motivated to read, their opportunities to learn decrease significantly(e.g. Baker, Dreher and Guthrie, 2000). This can lead to strong negative feelings
about reading and create a vicious circle in which poor readers remain poor readers(Juel, 1988). According to Alvermann (2001, p. 680) ,“the possibility that as a culture
we are making struggling readers out of some adolescents who for any number ofreasons have turned their backs on a version of literacy called school literacy is asobering thought”.
Furthermore, as will be shown later in this paper, research is accumulating thatsuggests that a growing number of young people do not read for pleasure.
Similarly, a number of studies have shown that boys enjoy reading less andtherefore read less than girls (e.g. Clark & Foster, 2005), while children from lower
socio-economic backgrounds read less for enjoyment than children from moreprivileged social classes (e.g. Clark & Akerman, 2006).
As already mentioned above, comparatively few studies have focused on readingfor pleasure or its derivates. Section 2 of this paper − “The story so far” − outlines
evidence about the importance of reading for pleasure and the extent to which weread for pleasure in the UK, and addresses the issue as to whether or not there is a
decline of reading for pleasure in this country.

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Due to the paucity of the research in this field, and in order to do justice to thecomplexity of the issue, we found it necessary to explore other underlying issues,
such as reading motivation and choice. Section 3 − “Delving more deeply” −therefore broadens the discussion and introduces the concept of reading motivation.
Two elements of reading motivation – namely extrinsic and intrinsic motivation –are outlined in more detail, while the issue of rewards/incentives is also briefly
discussed.
Section 4 − “The way forward” − briefly outlines the importance of home andschool influences in shaping reading for pleasure and concludes with a discussion of
the implications of this research in the field of reading for pleasure and reading
promotion.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure82. The story so far
Education and reading are circular – the more a person has of one, thebetter the development of the other (Chall, 1996)

The benefits of reading for pleasure
Becoming a lifetime reader is predicated on developing a love of reading (Sanacore,2002). Although reading for pleasure has not been a research priority, studies areaccumulating that emphasise the importance of reading for pleasure for botheducational as well as personal development5. These studies show that promoting
reading can have a major impact on children/young people and adults and their
future. For example, research with children6 has shown that reading for pleasure ispositively linked with the following literacy-related benefits:
•

•

•

•
•
•

reading attainment and writing ability (OECD, 2000) for reading that is done
both in school and out of school (Krashen, 1993; Anderson et al, 1988; but also
see Taylor et al., 1990);
text comprehension and grammar (Cipielewski & Stanovich, 1992; Cox &Guthrie, 2001), even after a variety of health, wealth and school factors were
statistically controlled for (Elley, 1994);
breadth of vocabulary (Angelos & McGriff, 2002), even after other relevant
abilities such as IQ or text-decoding skills are controlled for (Cunningham &Stanovich, 1998);
positive reading attitudes (Guthrie & Alvermann, 1999), which are linked toachievement in reading (McKenna & Kear, 1990);
greater self-confidence as a reader (Guthrie & Alvermann, 1999);
pleasure reading in later life (Aarnoutse & van Leeuwe, 1998).

The above relationships hold for first and second language acquisition, and forchildren and adults (Krashen, 2004). Correlational studies have also consistently
shown that those who read more are better readers. Indeed, reading amount andreading achievement are thought to be reciprocally related to each other – asreading amount increases, reading achievement increases, which in turn increases
reading amount (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998). According to Pressley (2000, p.
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5 It should be noted that the majority of these studies are based on correlational research and would benefit from a more
rigorous approach.
6 The strong connection between reading for pleasure and literacy achievement has been established largely by research into
children’s reading. Direct research into the effect of reading for pleasure on adult literacy is scarce. This is perhaps because
reading for pleasure is less quantifiable than other influences on a non-reading adult’s quality of life.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure956), “the frequent admonition for children to ‘Read, read, read’ makes sense in that
extensive reading promotes fluency, vocabulary, and background knowledge.”
There is also evidence that reading for pleasure not only impacts on reading
achievement but also increases:• general knowledge (e.g. Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998);• a better understanding of other cultures (Meek, 1991);• community participation (e.g. Bus, van Ijzendoorm & Pellegrini, 1995);• a greater insight into human nature and decision-making (Bruner, 1996)
Events focusing on reading for pleasure can also promote or enhance social skills inchildren (e.g. Allan, Ellis & Pearson, 2005; The Reading Agency, 2006). It has also
been shown to combat feelings of loneliness in adults (Rane-Szostak & Herth, 1995).
Overall, when individuals read for pleasure frequently, “they experience the valueof reading as efferent and aesthetic processes. Thus, they are more likely to readwith a sense of purpose, which further supports their developing reading habit”(Sanacore, 2002, p. 68).

Reading for pleasure – some statistics
Given the benefits of reading for pleasure, what do we know about the extent ofreading for pleasure in the UK? Reading for enjoyment, its frequency and scope has
been investigated by a number of studies for a few decades now. This section briefly
outlines some of the findings.
Whitehead and colleagues (1977) explored children’s reading habits and found thatchildren aged 10+ read an average of three books a month, with 13% not having
read a book in the month preceding the survey. They also found that the amount ofreading decreases with age. By age 14+ children read an average of 1.9 books permonth, while the percentage of pupils who had not read a book in the preceding
month had risen to 36%.
A survey of school children for World Book Day in 2002 found that 15 to 16 year
old boys spent 2.3 hours a week reading for pleasure, compared to 9 hours a week
playing computer games or 11 hours watching television. Girls spent considerably
more time reading, namely 4.5 hours a week. However, when boys were reading
they did so because they enjoyed it. Specifically, 81% of 11 to 12 year olds and 76%
of 14 to 16 year olds reported reading for pleasure.
A Nestle Family Monitor (2003), which surveyed 914 11-18-year-olds attending
state and public schools across England and Wales, reported that four in five (83%)
of young people read books in their spare time, with 16% reading books everyday.
Only one in ten (11%) said that they never read books outside school hours. Overall,© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure1040% agreed with the statement that books are important to them. However, a third
also agreed with the statement that they have better things to do than read books,
while a quarter agreed that they would be disappointed if somebody gave them abook as a present. This survey also reported that girls read more books for pleasurethan boys. More specifically, one in five boys (16%) said that they never read in theirspare time compared with 7% of girls. Overall, two-thirds (65%) of young people
reported that they find reading enjoyable, with 21% also claiming that it is very
enjoyable.
Some research shows that whilst reading skills have improved in the UK, there isevidence that this improvement has not been reflected in children’s enjoyment ofreading. For example, an international study of reading and literacy, the Progress inInternational Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS; Twist et al., 2003), which compared
10-year-olds from 35 countries on a variety of literacy-related measures, foundEngland to be third in the study of reading achievement, following behind Sweden
and the Netherlands. However, the same study also showed that primary school
children in England were less confident about their reading ability and enjoyedreading less. More specifically, 13% of students disliked reading, compared to aninternational average of 6%. Similarly, when asked how confident they were about
reading, only 30% were highly confident about their ability, compared to aninternational average of 40%.
Similar findings have also been made by PISA (OECD, 2002), which explored thereading habits of 15-year-olds in 32 countries. In this study, UK students cameseventh in terms of mean performance, below Finland, Canada, New Zealand,
Australia, Ireland and Korea. Overall, 72% of students said that they read forenjoyment on a daily basis: 12% read for more than one hour a day on average, 23%
for between 30 minutes and one hour, and 36% for up to half an hour. Those who
were high achievers in reading literacy were much more likely than low achievers toread for enjoyment: 87% compared with 55% said they did so. Girls were much
more likely than boys to read for enjoyment: 78% of girls, compared with only 65%
of boys, said they did so on a daily basis. At all levels of achievement in reading
literacy, girls were significantly more likely than boys to read for enjoyment. Amongthe 25% of students who were most proficient in reading literacy, 90% of girls,
compared with 84% of boys, read for enjoyment every day. Among the least
proficient 25% of students, however, the difference was much more marked: 64% ofgirls, compared with only 48% of boys, did so.
The Scottish analysis of PISA data (2004) showed comparable results. 33% of
Scottish pupils never or hardly ever read for pleasure, with 22% feeling that it is awaste of their time, and 40% stating that they only read if they have to (incidentally,
these figures are higher than the UK averages of 29%, 19% and 35% respectively).
Only 29% of Scottish 15-year-olds said that reading is one of their favourite hobbies.
When asked how much they read, 30% reported reading for up to 30 minutes a day
for pleasure, 22% read for between 30 to 60 minutes a day, 11% read for between 1
and 2 hours a day, and 3% reported reading for more than 2 hours a day for© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure11pleasure. This analysis also showed that those 15-year-olds who never or hardly
ever read for pleasure tended to have the lowest reading ability. Yet, a lot of reading
does not necessarily equate with better literacy scores. For example, those who readfor more than 2.5 hours a day for pleasure were outperformed on reading tasks bythose who read for shorter periods. Overall, those reading a large amount of fiction
tended to score highest on the reading tests, while pupils reading non-fiction orreading from the internet also tended to perform well above average.
A survey for the Reading Champions initiative (Clark, Torsi & Strong, 2005) inSpring 2005 found that the majority of pupils (61%) enjoyed reading quite a lot orvery much. In line with the above studies, girls were significantly more likely to
enjoy reading than boys. This study also found that reading enjoyment declinedwith age. Pupils generally thought positively about reading. Most pupils agreed
that reading is fun and important. However, there was a minority of pupils whobelieved that reading is boring and that they cannot find books that interest them.
Boys and secondary pupils were more likely to believe that reading is boring, thatthey find it hard to find interesting books and that they only read at school. Overall,pupils with positive attitudes towards reading tended to report greater reading
enjoyment and higher reading proficiency.
Similar findings were also made by the Reading Connects survey (Clark & Foster,2005), which surveyed over 8000 primary and secondary pupils. This study foundthat half the sample enjoyed reading either very much or quite a lot. The majority ofreaders also said that they read outside school every day or once/twice a week.
Girls reported greater reading enjoyment and were likely to do so more frequently
than boys. Primary pupils tended to enjoy reading more and to read outside school
more frequently than secondary ones. Pupils also tended to agree with thestatement that reading is important, that they read outside school and that theywould not mind receiving books as presents. They tended to disagree withstatements that reading is a female activity, that reading is boring and hard, thatthey cannot find any books that interest them, and that they do not read as well asother students in their class. Boys and secondary pupils tended to hold morenegative attitudes towards reading than girls and primary pupils.
In sum, these studies show that the majority of pupils enjoy reading. Girls tend toenjoy reading more than boys. However, reading for pleasure is not only related togender but also to age: it decreases in the teenage years and early adulthood but
increases again later in life (e.g. Nestle Family Monitor, 1999).

A decline in reading enjoyment?
There has been a frequent murmur in recent years that fewer pupils now read forenjoyment. So, are children spending less time reading than they used to? This is asurprisingly hard question to answer. Surveys, such as the ones described above,© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure12

typically ask about reading frequency in different ways, which makes comparisonsof different survey data near impossible. However, these problems have beenrecognised and steps have been taken by a number of researchers to begin collecting
meaningful longitudinal data.
Given these considerations it is perhaps unsurprising that the existing evidence of
whether children now spend less time reading than previously is inconclusive. For
example, a survey of nearly 8,000 children by researchers at Nottingham University(Hall & Coles, 1999) found that reported book reading has increased for 10-year-olds
over the last two decades. More specifically, on average, children surveyed in 1994-5
had read 2.52 books each in the month before the survey, compared with 2.39 in
1971. Yet, the amount of reading among 14-year-old boys had declined over thesame period.
However, a couple of studies indicate that children now read less for pleasure thanthey used to. A UK survey – Children’s Attitudes to Reading (Sainsbury & Schagen,2004) – indicates that children’s reading enjoyment has declined significantly in thelast five years, especially amongst older children (a similar decline in reading
enjoyment over time has been reported in US children by McKenna et al., 1995).
Although a substantial majority of children still like to read stories and are confident
about their reading skills, the study showed that the percentage of engaged readers
has declined between 1998 and 2003 from 77% to 71% among Year 4 pupils andfrom 77% to 65% amongst Year 6 pupils.
There is also evidence that the decline in enjoyment over the last five years has been
more pronounced among boys than girls. Among Year 6 pupils, the percentage ofboys who say that they enjoy reading has declined from 70% in 1998 to 55% in 2003.
By contrast, the percentage of girls who say that they enjoy reading has declined
from 85% in 1998 to 75% in 2003. Furthermore, this research found that children
were less likely to enjoy going to a library and more likely to prefer watching
television to reading than they were in 1998.
Another study by the Schools Health Education Unit (2004) found that the
proportion of 10-year-old boys who read books at home nearly halved during thefirst five years of the National Literacy Strategy (NLS). The report said that thepercentage of Year 6 boys who read during dinner-time, play-time, or in the evening
dropped from 29% in 1997 to 17% in 2002.
What are the possible causes of a decline in reading enjoyment? A number ofchildren’s authors (Powling et al., 2003) have argued strongly that the NLS andnational tests have discouraged children from reading for pleasure. For example,
Pullman (2003) observed that enjoyment was not a priority in the Primary andSecondary Strategies:
I recently read through the sections on reading in Key Stages 1 to 3 of thenational literacy strategy, and I was struck by something about the verbs. I wrote© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure13

them all down. They included “reinforce”, “predict”, “check”, “discuss” … andso on: 71 different verbs, by my count, for the activities that come under theheading of “reading”. And the word “enjoy” didn’t appear once.
Sainsbury and Schagen (2004), who compared children’s responses in 1998, whichwere sampled before the NLS, to those in 2003, which had received five years ofteaching according to the NLS, also surmised that the drop in reading for pleasuremight be connected to the introduction of the strategy. However, she also concedesthat advances in technology and other cultural changes may have caused thischange in reading attitudes. For example, Livingstone & Bovill (1999) found thatyoung people’s households have more televisions than books. To explore the link
between reading for pleasure and policy or technological advances further, a survey
will be repeated every few years to track changes in the future.
It should be noted, however, that in the absence of any consistent longitudinal data,
the above arguments remain speculative.

Reasons for reading
When children, young people and adults read, why do they read? According to
Benton & Fox (1985, p. 15):
stories provide the possibility of educating the feelings and can offer their readers
potential growth points for the development of a more subtle awareness of humanbehaviour.
A handful of studies have explored this issue, which have yielded comparable
results. For example, the Nestle Family Monitor (2003) asked 11-18 year-olds why
they read. 55% of these young people stated that books help them understanddifferent people/cultures, 40% wanted to learn more about new subjects, and 33%
stated that books encouraged them to try new hobbies. When asked how theywould describe reading, half of the respondents described it as relaxing, while athird described it as fun. Two in five also described reading as educational, while aquarter believed it to be informative or for school/learning. Older pupils inparticular were more likely to mention the educational value of reading. However, aquarter also described it as boring.
Dungworth and colleagues (2004) also asked pupils why they liked reading andfound that the most popular reason for reading was emotional and related to theway reading made them feel. Pupils also stated that they read for enjoyment andbecause it was relaxing. Others viewed reading as educational and informative.
Similar questions were also asked in a recent Reading Connects survey (Clark &Foster, 2005), which showed that the majority of pupils emphasised skills-related© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure14

reasons. More specifically, half the pupils read because it is a skill for life andbecause it will help them find what they need/want to know. Reading as a fun
activity was the third most frequently chosen reason. Fewer pupils read because it
helps them understand the world, teaches them about other people and helps themunderstand about themselves. More boys than girls reported that they read because
it will help them get a job or because they have to, while girls indicated reading
because it is fun, it teaches them how other people live and because it gives them abreak.

Reading preferences
Finally, what do children and young people read? This has been an area of interest
to researchers, teachers, librarians and other interested parties for more than acentury and many studies have attempted to answer it. Researchers have studied
children's reading interests and preferences using a variety of methods, such as
surveys and interviews. However, there still is no definitive understanding of whatchildren prefer to read and when these preferences develop. Research findings arealso likely to present only a temporal snapshot of children’s and young people’s
reading preferences.
However, what studies show time and again is that children and young people reada diverse range of materials outside class, incorporating materials not traditionallyregarded by schools as acceptable reading matter. For example, the Reading
Connects survey (Clark & Foster, 2005) showed that when pupils were asked whattypes of materials they were reading outside class, magazines, websites, text
messages, jokes and books/magazines about TV programmes emerged as the mostpopular reading choices. Over half the pupils also indicated reading emails, fiction,
comics, while newspapers were also popular choices. When asked specifically about
what type of fiction, if any, they preferred reading, adventure, comedy andhorror/ghost stories were the most frequently chosen types. Only 5% of pupils did
not read fiction.
Yet, an Ofsted report (2004) noted that too few schools have given sufficient thought
to promoting pupils’ independent reading or have built on pupils’ reading interests.
Although reluctant readers may need guidance in recognising their readinginterests, pupils can be shown a number of selection criteria, including looking at
the book cover, reading the reviews in the blurb or the back cover and reading
sections of the book (Primeaux, 2000). Results from surveys such as the one
described above show that schools and families need to ensure they tap into thisrichness in pupils’ reading, which is not necessarily print-based, in order to hookchildren into reading.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure15

3. Delving more deeply
To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains ofhistory, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.
(A. C. Grayling)

Introducing reading motivation
So, why do some people choose to read for pleasure while others do not?
Researchers and practitioners have become increasingly aware of the importance ofreading motivation in explaining literacy behaviour. Cramer & Castle (1994) evensuggested that attention to the affective aspects of reading, such as motivation, may
help combat the increasing disaffection from reading.
Indeed, motivation for learning is thought to be one of the most critical
determinants of the success and quality of any learning outcome (Mitchell, 1992),
and it is therefore likely “that motivational processes are the foundation for
coordinating cognitive goals and strategies in reading” (Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000, p.
408). According to Baumann & Duffy (1997, p. 6), “motivation to read and reading
ability are synergistic, mutually reinforcing phenomena”. Many teachers also
acknowledge that a lack of motivation causes many of the problems they face inteaching (O’Flahavan, Gambrell, Guthrie, Stahl & Alvermann, 1992).
Motivation to read is also thought to mediate the so-called “Matthew effect”(Stanovich, 1986), which refers to the circular relationship between practice andachievement that was described earlier. Better readers tend to read more because
they are motivated to read, which leads to improved vocabulary and better skills.
As a result, the gap between good and poor readers grows over time. The same
circular relationship holds for other areas in literacy, including writing andspeaking/listening skills.
So, what is reading motivation? Reading motivation is defined as “the individual’s
personal goals, values and beliefs with regard to the topics, processes, and outcomesof reading (Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000, p. 3). According to Guthrie and Wigfield(2000), reading motivation is a multifaceted construct that includes reading goals,
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy7 and social motivation for reading.

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7 Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities. Self-efficacy beliefs influence the choices people makeand the courses of action they pursue. Individuals tend to engage in tasks about which they feelcompetent and confident and avoid those in which they do not.

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Two related aspects of reading motivation are reading attitude and reading interest.
Although these three terms are frequently used interchangeably, the constructs that
underlie each are different (Mazzoni, Gambrell & Korkeamaki, 1999):•••

Reading attitudes refer to the feelings and beliefs an individual has withrespect to reading
Reading interest relates to people’s preferences for genres, topics, tasks orcontexts andReading motivation, as outlined above, refers to the internal states that makepeople read.

Research has repeatedly shown that motivation to read decreases with age,especially if pupils’ attitudes towards reading become less positive (McKenna,
Ellsworth & Kear, 1995). Thus, if children do not enjoy reading when they areyoung, then they are unlikely to do so when they get older.
There is some tentative evidence that reading for pleasure at home and reading forschool are predicted by different variables. For example, Cox & Guthrie (2001)
found that motivation was affected by reading for enjoyment over and above otherfactors, such as past reading achievement and cognitive strategy use, such asquestioning . By contrast, motivation did not predict amount of school reading inthis study, which was only significantly related to the use of cognitive strategies
when all other variables were controlled for statistically. Thus, amount and breadthof school reading in this study was primarily determined by the extent to which
pupils used cognitive strategies in reading, while reading enjoyment was primarily
determined by motivation.
According to Cox & Guthrie (2001), these results are in line with a socio-cognitive
perspective, which suggests that different variables predict reading depending on
the social context (e.g. Scribner & Coles, 1981). As a result, “the socially constructed
practices in a particular setting (e.g. the classroom) are associated with forms ofexpertise that are relatively distinctive to that setting” (p. 128). The school context,
with its emphasis on assignment and assessments places particular demands on
cognitive competence and strategy use. With reading for enjoyment, however,individual interests prevail and reading amount is determined most strongly by
motivation.

Reading motivation and its link with reading enjoyment – a closer
look
As outlined briefly above, reading motivation is a complex construct (for a full
outline of reading motivation, see Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000). Since the fullcomplexity is beyond the scope of this brief review, this paper focuses more closely© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure17

on two aspects of reading motivation that are based on different reasons or goals
that give rise to an action – namely intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
According to Ryan and Deci (2000), intrinsic motivation refers to engagement in an
activity that is based on personal interest in the activity itself. Readers who are
intrinsically motivated are more likely to find a variety of topics that interest themand to benefit from an accompanying sense of pleasure (Hidi, 2000). Studies havelinked intrinsic reading motivation to:••••

Greater reading frequency and greater breadth of reading (Hidi, 2000)
Greater reading enjoyment (Cox & Guthrie, 2001; Wang & Guthrie, 2004)
Greater retention of key information (Guthrie et al., 1998)
Greater persistence in coping with difficulties, mastering the required skills
and becoming self-determined in reading tasks (Deci, 1982).

Wigfield and Guthrie (1997) reported that several aspects of intrinsic motivation
predict breadth of reading and reading comprehension: importance, curiosity,
involvement and challenge. These can be described in more detail as follows:••••

Importance of reading refers to the belief that reading is valuable
Curiosity is the desire to learn about a particular topic of personal
interest
Involvement refers to the enjoyment of reading certain kinds of literary
or information texts
Preference for challenging reading is the satisfaction of mastering or
assimilating complex ideas in text.

By contrast, extrinsic motivation involves engagement in an activity in response toexternal values and demands (Ryan & Deci, 2000). For example, when children readto avoid punishment or to meet teachers’ or parents’ expectations, they are
extrinsically motivated because their desire to read is controlled externally (Hidi,
2000). Extrinsically motivated pupils may therefore not read because they areinterested but because they want to attain certain outcomes (e.g. recognition fromothers or good grades; Deci et al., 1991). Wigfield and Guthrie (1997) reported thatextrinsic motivation was made up of three aspects: recognition, grades andcompetition. According to Wigfield (1997, pp 22-23), these aspects can be defined asfollows:•••

Reading for recognition is the pleasure in receiving a tangible form ofrecognition for success
Reading for grades refers to the desire to be favourably evaluated by
the teacher
Competition in reading is the desire to outperform others in reading.

Is there any evidence that intrinsic and extrinsic forms of motivation are
differentially related to literacy outcomes? Several studies have shown that both

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure

18

forms of motivation predict amount and breadth of reading, but that therelationship is stronger for intrinsic motivation (e.g. Wigfield & Guthrie, 2001).
Research has also shown that intrinsic but not extrinsic motivation predicts readingfor pleasure (e.g. Cox & Guthrie, 2001; Wang & Guthrie, 2004). For example, in
Wang and Guthrie’s (2004) study, children who were intrinsically motivated readfiction at least once a week, and in some case almost daily. By contrast, extrinsic
motivation was negatively associated with reading for pleasure, suggesting thatchildren who read for the outcomes of reading are less likely to get enjoyment frombooks.
The literature also indicates that the two forms of motivation have different
relationships with text comprehension. Wang & Guthrie (2004) reported that
intrinsic motivation was positively related to text comprehension after othervariables, such as extrinsic motivation and reading amount, were controlled for.
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, was negatively associated with text
comprehension in this study. Indeed, there is some indication in the literature that
pupils who are extrinsically motivated readers are more likely to use strategies atsurface level, such as guessing and memorisation (e.g. Pintrich & Schrauben, 1992).
In general, the different forms of motivation have also been associated with different
learning strategies and different qualities of learning. Intrinsic motivation has
typically been related to learning that leads to conceptual understanding and higher
level thinking skills (e.g. Kellaghan, Madaus & Raczek, 1996), while extrinsic
motivation tends to lead to “surface” rather than “deep” learning (e.g. Crooks, 1988;
for a detailed review of the association between motivation and learning styles see
Coffield et al., 2004).

Good versus evil?
Reading the above section one would be forgiven for typecasting intrinsic
motivation as ‘good’ and extrinsic motivation as ‘bad’. However, there is evidence
that children are motivated to read by both intrinsic and extrinsic aspects. For
example, to satisfy their own reading interests and to comply with school demands,
pupils may show intrinsically as well as extrinsically motivated reading behaviour(Lepper & Henderlong, 2000). Also, intrinsic motivation has been found to behighly correlated with extrinsic motivation in numerous studies (e.g. Wang &Guthrie, 2004). Indeed, Guthrie and colleagues (1999) showed that children’s
reading amount was explained better by both intrinsic and extrinsic purposes thanby either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation alone.
Furthermore, recent studies have shown that to view the two forms as antagonistic
to one another is unproductive and that extrinsic motivation can be harnessed tobring about intrinsic motivation. According to Ryan and Deci (2000, p. 55):

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure

19because many tasks that educators want their students to perform are notinherently interesting or enjoyable, knowing how to promote more active andvolitional … forms of extrinsic motivation becomes an essential strategy forsuccessful teaching.

The question of rewards – a brief digression
How could extrinsic motivation be harnessed to bring about reading enjoyment?
There is a long standing controversy as to whether rewards such as money or tokens
can be used to develop or harness motivation to read or whether they undermine
children’s motivation for reading. The concern is that rewarding children forengaging in an activity that they enjoy may lead them to infer that they participatedbecause of that extrinsic reason, which may lead them not to participate in theactivity in the future when the reward is not present (Kassin & Lepper, 1984).
However, the empirical evidence is inconclusive.
Several studies have shown that incentives do not significantly affect motivation toread. For example, Edmunds and Tancock (2003) compared reading motivation andthe number of books read in three conditions: 1) no rewards, 2) reading-related
rewards, and 3) non-reading-related incentives. They reported that there were no
significant differences in reading motivation and reading amount between pupils
who received incentives and those who did not. Similarly, in an early meta-analysis
of intrinsic motivation in both children and adults, Cameron and Pierce (1994)
investigated the effect of verbal (e.g. praise) and tangible (e.g. tokens)reinforcements on motivation to carry out a task. They concluded that rewards do
not negatively affect intrinsic motivation, even after such reinforcement is removed.
However, it should be noted that most of the studies reviewed in this analysis
contained studies that had focused on tasks that the children already enjoyed and it
is uncertain whether the same would apply to tasks that children do not findenjoyable (Collins & Matthey, 2001).
By contrast, a later meta-analysis of 128 studies of the effects of extrinsic rewards on
intrinsic motivation showed that such rewards undermined motivation across a
range of populations, activities and types of rewards (Deci, Koestner & Ryan, 1999).
Again, the conclusions of this study were challenged by Hidi (2000) who
commented that the studies contained in this meta-analysis had focused mainly on
activities that were interesting. According to Hidi and Harackiewicz (2000, p. 159),
The effects of external rewards may depend on the complexity of the activity andthe length of the involvement. More specifically, a combination of intrinsic
rewards inherent in interesting activities and external rewards, particularly
those that provide performance feedback, may be required to maintainindividuals’ engagement across complex and often difficult – perhaps painful –periods of learning.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure

20Overall, McQuillan (1997) concluded that the available research did not provide
clear evidence that incentives were of benefit and that, therefore, money should bespent on books rather than rewards. This suggestion is backed up by Marinak (2003)
who found that literacy-related rewards (e.g. books) did not undermine intrinsic
motivation to read, while rewards unrelated to reading (e.g. tokens) did. A goodcompromise would therefore be for parents to reward children for reading with abook of their own (Gambrell, 1998). Indeed, there is some evidence that a rewardthat is linked to a desired behaviour will increase intrinsic motivation to carry outthat behaviour. For example, Gambrell and Marinak (1997) argued that:
The appropriate use of incentives lead learners to engage in reading and can leadto the internalization and integration of the value of reading. When incentives
are linked to the desired behaviour and promote engagement in the desired
behaviour, motivation can become self-determined and can foster high-quality
learning. Further, appropriate incentives offered for goal-oriented, challenging
reading performance can enhance intrinsic motivation to read.
It therefore appears that literacy-targeted rewards, such as books or book
vouchers, are more effective in developing reading motivation than rewards
that are unrelated to the activity.

The importance of choice
In addition to motivation, another important factor in fostering lifelong readers is
choice. Indeed, encouraging and respecting reading choices are important steps
toward helping children, young people and adults develop a sense of ownershipand self-determination (Sanacore, 1999). According to Krashen (1993), students whochoose what they read and have an informal environment in which to read tend to
be more motivated, read more and show greater language and literacy
development. Similarly, teachers like to provide choice in the classroom because
they believe that it increases motivation, effort and learning (Flowerday & Schraw,2000).
Investigating the role of choice in reading, Schraw and colleagues (1998) found that
there was a positive relationship between choice and affective aspects of reading,such as motivation. Gambrell (1996) also found that when pupils were asked whichbook they had enjoyed most, 80% of them said that the one they had enjoyed mostwas the one they had selected themselves.
Choice can also be linked to achievement. According to Hunt (1996/1997), a reader“who finds a really good book … that has ideas he truly wants to learn about,frequently will outdo his own instructional level of performance.” Indeed, “somebooks may be very difficult to read, but because they are so interesting students
decide to read them anyway” (Tompkins & McGee, 1993, p. 278).

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure

21

Moss and Hendershot (2002) investigated reading motivation in Year 6 students
when choice and non-fiction texts were employed in their classroom. They foundthat choice was a key motivator to read. Furthermore, the provision of non-fiction
texts enabled students to begin to view non-fictional texts as a source of reading for
personal pleasure.
As mentioned earlier, struggling readers may need help when selecting appropriatematerials. “Helping students locate materials of interest and at desired levels ofdifficulty is a key aspect to improving their level of immersion in available printed
materials” (Johns & VanLeirsburg, 1994, p. 96).

Reading for pleasure – a motivational chart
In his work on pleasure reading, Nell (1988, p. 8) drew up the following flow chart(see Figure 1), which exemplifies the points made above. It is based on the basic
premise that unless individuals experience reading as a pleasurable activity, they
will stop reading and choose more enjoyable alternatives. It charts the motivational
forces that determine whether an individual reads for pleasure, finds it rewarding
and will continue reading.
The first part of the chart outlines the antecedents of pleasure reading, such as
reading ability and book choice. The second part relates to the actual reading
process, which includes comprehensional aspects. Finally, the third part contains
the consequences of reading for pleasure, such as the cognitive outcomes. It further
shows that there are “reinforcement comparators” that pitch the continuation ofpleasure reading against other available alternatives (Nell, 1988, p. 8-9).
While this model highlights the individual components that lead to reading forpleasure, recent models recognise the need to consider the role of social interaction
and, to a lesser extent, the role of the immediate social context (e.g. Guthrie &Wigfield, 2000). However, little work in the area of reading motivation andengagement has examined motivational issues from all three relevant dimensions:the individual (cognitive), social–interactional, and cultural–historical level. The
next section will outline some of the social factors that impact on reading forenjoyment levels.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure

22

Figure 1: Motivational flow chart of the antecedents and consequences ofreading for pleasure

Antecedents
1. Reading ability
2. Positive expectations
3. Correct book selection

Antecedents
adequate

No

Pleasure reading

1. Reading processes
2.
Attention

3.
Comprehension

Go toalternative
activity
Consequences of pleasure reading
1. physiological changes
2. cognitive changes

Yes

Pleasanter
thanalternative?

No

Based on Nell (1988, p. 8)© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure23

4. The way forward
This paper has shown that reading for pleasure offers numerous benefits and thatencouraging a love of reading and intrinsic motivation to read is a desirable goal.
This section highlights the fact that if reading is to become a lifelong habit thenpeople must see themselves as participants in a community that views reading as asignificant and enjoyable activity (Strommen and Mates, 2004). Indeed, the gift ofreading can best be given by another reader who models what it is like to getpleasure from reading (Sheldrick-Ross, McKechnie & Rothbauer, 2005). It istherefore important that parents, teachers and literacy consultants examine thefactors that may influence children’s literacy lives at home or at school (Chen, 2005).
Parents and the home environment are essential to the early teaching of reading andthe fostering of a love of reading. 84% of pupils in a survey for Reading Connects
indicated that it had been their mother who had ‘taught them to read’. Parental
involvement in their child’s literacy practices is a more powerful force than otherfamily background variables, such as social class, family size and level of parental
education (Flouri & Buchanan, 2004). Surveys repeatedly show that parents areaware how important it is to read to/with their children. However, the Reading
Connects survey also showed that a fifth of pupils felt that their mother did notencourage them to read at all, while a third also felt that their father failed toencourage them to read.
A survey by YouGov (2005) similarly showed that only 40% of parents of 0-12-yearolds read to their child every day/night. More specifically, 53% of parents of 0 to 4year-olds, 37% of 5 to 8-year-olds and 21% of 9 to 12-year-olds respectively statedthat they read to their children every day/night. What is quite clearly needed issome information for parents to help translate knowledge into actual behaviour
most effectively. What is also needed is some recognition that the importance ofparental involvement in their children’s reading habits does not decrease justbecause they enter school.
This is particularly important in the light of research that has shown that differencesin the degree to which parents endorse the view that reading is pleasurable isrelated to differences in children’s literacy activities at home, their motivation andreading achievement (e.g. Sonnenschein, Baker, Serpell & Schmidt, 2000). For
example, Sonnenschein and colleagues (2000) found that children brought up in ahome that viewed reading as a source of entertainment had greater reading-relatedcompetencies than children raised in homes that placed greater emphasis on theskills-related aspects of reading. Furthermore, these researchers found that parents
who believed that reading is a source of entertainment also tended to provide more
opportunities in the home for children to acquire this perspective themselves thanparents who believed that reading is a skill. It has also been shown that children
and young people who choose to read in their leisure time see themselves as
members of a reading community that interacts socially around books and shares a© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure24

love of reading with at least one family member (Strommen & Mates, 2004). Taken
together, such studies show that a critical mechanism in the intergenerationaltransmission of literacy is enjoyment and engagement (Snow, Burns & Griffin, 1998).
Overall, research has shown that:
•
•

•

•

•

•

Children who know adults who read for pleasure take it for granted thatreading is a valuable and worthwhile activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991)
Children whose home experiences promote the view that reading is a sourceof entertainment are likely to become intrinsically motivated to read (Baker,
Serpell & Sonnenschein, 1995)
The home environment exerts a significant effect on academic motivation,
which is over and above that predicted by socio-economic status (Gottfried,
Fleming & Gottfried, 1998). Thus, children whose home environment is morecognitively stimulating have higher academic motivation than children
whose home is lacking such stimulation
The beliefs held by children’s parents about the purposes of reading and how
children learn to read relate to children’s motivations for reading. Morespecifically, parents who believe that reading is a source of entertainment
have children with more positive views about reading than parents who only
emphasise the skills aspect of reading (e.g. Sonnenschein et al., 2000)
Children of parents who believed that reading is a source of pleasure hadgreater reading motivation scores in primary school (Baker & Scher, 2002)
andChildren are more likely to continue to be readers in homes where books andreading are valued (Baker & Scher, 2002).

Baumann and Duffy (1997, p. 22), highlighted the following five factors that help
children become readers:
1. A print-rich environment, where they are read to and given opportunities toread, where they see their caregivers read, have opportunities to engage inpretend play, are encouraged to interact with environmental print and visit
the public library
2. A language-rich environment, where they are encouraged to havediscussions with their caregivers
3. A knowledge-rich environment, where they learn about the world throughsuch media as television and computers, and where they interact with theoutside world by taking trips and talking with people about topics of interest
to them
4. A nurturing environment, where they interact with a variety of people who
believe that one purpose of literacy is to entertain
5. A home environment, where they make connections with their schools.
Provision through various media therefore needs to be made to help guide parents
to provide a literacy-rich and stimulating environment. Since not all parents realise
the importance of their role in supporting their children’s literacy, or have the© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure25

resources or capabilities to do so, it is important that the agencies in contact withthem are able to offer them appropriate support. This may well help such agencies
meet their own targets, because of the positive effect that increased parental
involvement can have on child outcomes. The Family Reading Campaign(http://www.familyreading.org.uk) is a partnership campaign working to ensurethat the importance of encouraging reading in the home is integrated into theplanning and activity of all the key organisations concerned with education, health,libraries and parenting.
The national school curriculum includes a focus on the reading of a range of texts toencourage reading and discussion. This not only leads to engagement in reading but
also facilitates drawing on the interests that pupils bring to reading. We know thatcertain elements promote a love of reading, which include freedom to choose
reading materials; a print-rich environment; access to a variety of texts; time forreading in school; encouragement to readers; and quiet, comfortable places to read.
Other relevant factors have been succinctly summed up by Sanacore (2002, p. 83),
Determining students’ attitudes toward reading, giving them experiences withdifferent texts, providing them with opportunities to select resources and to read themin school, and helping them to connect skills and strategies to interesting andmeaningful contexts, are only a few of the ways that support the lifetime reading
habit... Other important considerations include building resilience in literacy learners,
finding time to engage children in pleasurable reading across the curriculum, making
picture books acceptable and respectable for older students, guiding students to solve
authentic problems through reading, conducting book talks, encouraging different
interpretations of text, supporting a variety of projects and outcomes, and promoting
leisure reading at home.
To explore what activities could be set up in the classroom to promote reading forpleasure, pupils in the Reading Connects survey (Clark & Foster, 2005) were asked
which activities they would like to do to help themselves and others read more. We
found that designing websites/magazines, meeting authors/celebrities and readinggames were the most frequently chosen reading promotion activities from a list of
12 possible choices. For the sample as a whole, rating books and writing bookreviews were the least frequently chosen activities. Girls were generally moreenthusiastic about reading promotions than boys. More girls than boys indicatedthat the following might motivate them to read more: designing websites/magazines, helping younger children read, meeting authors/celebrity readers,reading for prizes, reading groups with friends, reading for charity and talking
about their favourite reads. Primary pupils were generally also keener on reading
activities than secondary pupils. In particular, primary pupils were more likely thantheir secondary counterparts to state that reading groups with friends, talking about
their favourite reads, reading games, helping choose stock for the library, helping
younger children with their reading, reading for charity, reading for prizes, andmeeting authors/celebrity readers would make them want to read more.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure26

It should by now be clear that we need to create a culture in which all pupils areencouraged to be enthusiastic readers. This is not an easy goal. Teachers need tocatch and sustain engagement with reading in students with different interests andability levels within the same class. Indeed, an Ofsted report (2004) showed that
schools do not adequately connect to the pupils’ reading interests and that schools
seldom use the broader range of material pupils read at home as a starting point tofurther their reading in school and improve their motivation. The report alsostressed the importance of giving pupils the freedom to choose their own bookswith the appropriate level. Recent research by Hurd and colleagues (2006) also
showed that schools should spend more money on books. They found that higher
book spending at primary schools, which can be used to support independent
reading and learning, translates into higher pupil performance at age 11, even whenother key factors have been taken into account. Yet, they also found that
expenditure on books has declined in primary schools.
In order to reap the benefits that reading for pleasure can bring schools need to
implement a reading promotion programme that will make reading an experiencethat is actively sought out by students. Schools therefore need broad-ranging
approaches to consult with students in order to learn of their interests and to ensurethat the range of reading materials available in school reflects those interests. They
need to recognise that a diverse range of reading materials will encourage students
to read, and they will need to engage children in the planning and delivery ofreading and library activities, offering them the opportunity to select and purchasereading materials for their use. Promoting positive reading habits and the modelingof reading by parents, teachers, and friends can further encourage reading
enjoyment in reluctant readers (see also Krashen, 1999). Guidance and hints can befound on the Reading Connects website (http://www.readingconnects.org.uk),
which is a DfES-funded National Reading Campaign initiative that seeks to support
schools in building their own reading culture.
It is encouraging that the importance of reading for pleasure has been recognised by
the government and that a number of policy initiatives have been launched topromote wider reading and reading enjoyment in the UK. The DfES published astrategy for primary schools “Excellence and Enjoyment” (2003), which stresses theimportance of raising standards in primary schools while also making learning
enjoyable. According to this strategy, primary schools should combine excellence inteaching with enjoyment of learning. In addition to placing reading in the context ofa language-rich environment, the Rose Review (2006) stressed the importance ofteaching pupils a love of reading, and of schools promoting the view of reading as
fun, by including play-based approaches to reading. It is encouraging that such
recommendations were considered in the DfES’s recent consultations on the literacy
and numeracy strategy reforms.
This is clearly needed. An Ofsted report (2005) on the national literacy andnumeracy strategies indicated that although many teachers have started considering
more creative and flexible ways of managing the curriculum, such as more cross-© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure27

curricular work, schools’ focus on the literacy hour and numeracy lessons had been
unaffected. Research consistently also shows that one of the most effective strategies
for fostering reading is the creation of a classroom library (e.g. Neuman & Celano,2001). Findings show that classroom books from a variety of genres and covering a
multitude of potential areas of interest increase pupils’ literacy-related activities,
and promote phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and writing.
A lot more needs to be done for all children to reap the benefits that reading canbring, but together we can do it.
•••

Parents are one of the most important literacy teachers. Indeed, the DfES
encourages parents to read to/with their children. Reading together is alsoa central element of early years’ programmes, such as Sure Start. We would
therefore urge schools to capitalise on and encourage reading that is done
at home, by providing guidance on how to build on materials used atschool while also engaging their children with reading for fun.
Pupils can become reluctant readers for a variety of reasons, includingboredom, low self-esteem, or an inability to keep up with their peers. We
must therefore address the possible issues that make an individual areluctant reader and use creative solutions to combat this disengagement.
But most importantly, we must see reading for pleasure as an activity thathas real educational and social consequences.

© National Literacy Trust - Reading for pleasure28

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