learning to love reading: interviews with older children and teens

© 2004 INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION (pp. 188–200) doi:10.1598/JAAL.48.3.1

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Linda Teran Strommen, Barbara Fowles Mates

Learning to love reading:Interviews with older children and teens

Learning to love reading: Interviews with older children and teens

Students in sixth and ninth grades were

surveyed to determine attitudes toward

reading and identify factors

associated with the development

of a love of reading.

Certainly, learning to read is valued bymany cultures, and the ability to readis regarded as the most fundamentalgoal of education. However, thoughmost children in the United States do learn toread, many leave school unable to read beyondthe most basic functional level. The degree towhich schools are effective purveyors of readingeducation and the methods used to teach readinghave become subjects of controversy. However,factors that foster a child’s love of reading have,for the most part, been left out of the debate.

Many studies of the early stages of readingacquisition have shown that the home environ-ment and support from a parent or other adultmay be essential to encouraging literacy develop-ment (Adoni, 1995; Bissex, 1980; Bloom, 1970,1973; Cambourne, 1995; Clark, 1984; Durkin,1966; Fader, 1983; Forester, 1986; Hall & Moats,2000; Harste, Burke, & Woodward, 1982; Morrow,1983; Neuman, 1980, 1986; Taylor, 1983; Teale,1984; Yaden, 1986). Although such studies largelyfocused on the acquisition of reading skills, morerecently McKenna, Kear, and Ellsworth (1995)

surveyed children’s attitudes toward reading andconcluded that children’s views of recreationaland academic reading are tied to reading ability

as well as to community norms andbeliefs. Their work documented achange in children’s attitudes towardreading that typically evolves fromenthusiasm to comparative indiffer-ence by the end of the elementaryschool years. A meta-analysis of re-search on reading (National Instituteof Child Health and HumanDevelopment, 2000) listed no recent

studies that address the love of reading or its rela-tion to reading achievement.

The preponderance of research findingssuggest that few children, skilled readers or not,choose to devote their leisure time to reading.Surveys of schoolchildren’s reading practices(Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985;Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988; Himmelweit& Swift, 1976; Lyness, 1952; Moffitt & Wartella,1992; Neuman, 1980, 1986, 1995) have shownthat young people across all age groups devotevery little time to recreational reading, and thishas been true since the 1940s. While studies thatsurvey the reading practices, leisure time use, andacademic achievement of older children andteens (Anderson et al., 1988; Greaney & Hegarty,1987; Greaney & Neuman, 1983; Lewis & Teale,1980; Long & Henderson, 1973; Neuman, 1981,1986, 1995) revealed patterns of behavior andsuggested that children’s perceptions about

Strommen is an educationconsultant. She may becontacted at 30 SmithStreet, Glen Head, NY

11545, USA. [email protected].

Fowles Mates teaches atthe C.W. Post Campus ofLong Island University inBrookville, New York.

reading influenced this behavior (Neuman,1995), they did not explain the genesis of atti-tudes about reading. Teens spend even less timereading than younger children (Moje, Young,Readence, & Moore, 2000), despite the fact thatthey also spend less time watching television.Kubey and Csikzentmihalyi (1990) reported that“the average American teenager watches morethan 21 hours of TV each week but devotes only5.6 hours a week to homework and a mere 1.8hours to pleasure reading” (p. 24). Nevertheless,several investigators (Greaney, 1980; Neuman,1986, 1995; Searls, Mead, & Ward, 1985) havefailed to find a significant relationship betweentime spent reading and time spent watching tele-vision for any age group.

Nell’s research into the psychology of read-ing for pleasure (1988) documented factors thatcontribute to a book’s readability and made a sig-nificant contribution to our understanding ofhow reading can be emotionally satisfying.Additionally, Moore, Bean, Birdyshaw, and Rycik(1999) posited that “vicariously stepping into textworlds can nourish teens’ emotions and psychesas well as their intellects” (p. 102). However, littlein the research literature on reading addresses thefactors that lead some young people to embracethe satisfactions afforded by recreational reading.This is true despite the fact that a recent positionpaper on teen literacy (Moore et al., 1999) notedthat a desire to read is an important cornerstoneof adolescents’ literacy achievement.

Smith (1988) has argued that we learn toread, and become literate in the process, simplyby reading. In The Power of Reading (1993),Krashen explored research findings that support-ed Smith’s idea and the role reading for pleasureplays in a child’s literacy development. Krashenstated that

the relationship between reported free voluntary read-ing and literacy development is not always large, but itis remarkably consistent. Nearly every study that hasexamined this relationship has found a correlation,and it is present even when different tests, different

methods of probing reading habits, and different defi-nitions of free reading are used. (p. 7)

Krashen concluded that children who frequentlyread for pleasure

will become adequate readers, acquire a large vocabu-lary, develop the ability to understand and use com-plex grammatical constructions, develop a goodwriting style, and become good (but not necessarilyperfect) spellers. Although free voluntary reading alonewill not ensure attainment of the highest levels of liter-acy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level. (p. 84)

Those who do not develop the habit of readingfor pleasure may have “a very difficult time read-ing and writing at a level high enough to dealwith the demands of today’s world” (p. x). Withthis view in mind, we sought to determine factorsthat contribute to and support a child’s learningto love to read.

ProcedureWe wished to identify older children and teens forwhom reading extended texts is a significant,pleasurable, recreational activity and consistentpart of daily life, hereafter identified as Readers, aswell as a comparable group who seldom or neverchoose to read for pleasure, hereafter called Not-readers. (We chose this term, rather thanNonreaders, in order to avoid the inaccurate im-plication that children and teens in this grouplack reading skills.) To make these identifications,we designed, pilot-tested, and distributed ques-tionnaires to a cross-section of sixth-grade stu-dents attending a suburban middle schooloutside a large northeastern U.S. city and toninth-grade students in the same school district.The questionnaire was administered by classroomteachers who followed a specific set of instruc-tions we provided.

The students who completed the question-naire represented the available spectrum of aca-demic achievement, including remedial and honorsstudents. The participants were heterogeneously


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grouped sixth-grade students in four core(English/social studies) classes (n = 65), and ninth-grade students in five homogeneously groupedEnglish classes (n = 86), including one remedialand one honors group. A total of 151 students re-sponded to the written questionnaire. A numericalidentification system was used to protect theanonymity of all students. The language spoken athome, reading ability, and level of academicachievement were not controlled.

The questionnaire—presented as a survey ofleisure time use by students—included, in addi-tion to basic demographic information, a broadrange of questions in the following categories:

1. Activities engaged in outside of school (studentswere asked to estimate time per day spent at activi-ties such as sports, music lessons, leisure activities,media use, reading for pleasure, homework, andchores).

2. Self-perceptions and attitudes (likes and dislikes,self-description).

3. Reading practices and materials (novels, informa-tional books, magazines; reading compared withother leisure activities; reading practices of familymembers and friends; availability of reading materi-als in the home).

We included this broad range of items to mask

our specific objective and to help us place reading

activities in the context of students’ lives.

Embedded within the 10-page questionnaire

was a seven-item Literacy Index, which was de-

signed to identify both Readers and Not-readers.

On the basis of interviews conducted as part of a

pilot study, we had concluded that time spent

reading books was a more reliable indicator of a

love of reading than time spent reading shorter

print texts. The content and scoring for these

items is indicated in Table 1.

The questionnaire yielded only a small

number of Readers whose answers to the index

questions clearly distinguished them from the

rest of the respondents. Four sixth-grade students

and 8 ninth-grade students (12 students in all,

out of a total of 151, or approximately 8% of the

students) met all of the criteria as listed in Table 1

and were identified as Readers. It should be em-

phasized that we sought to identify those young

people who read extended texts as a form of en-

joyable recreation, not those characterized by ex-

cellent reading skills alone.



Ta b l e 1L i t e r a c y i n d e x i t e m s

Reader response Not-reader response

1. I enjoy reading a good book. Selected this item Did not select item

2. Favorite leisure activity? Named reading Named other activities

3. Books read in past three years. 20 or more 0–5

4. Novels read in past year. Several (not None

school assigned)

5. I prefer to read. Selected this item Did not select item

6. Time spent reading for 30 minutes or more No time spent

pleasure on a typical

weekday.

7. Describe a “perfect” day. Included a period of No reading

reading

Of the sixth-grade Readers, three were fe-male and one was male. One sixth-grade Readerparticipated in a special remedial reading pro-gram. Of the ninth-grade Readers, two were maleand six were female. One ninth-grade Reader wasdesignated as having a learning disability and twoninth-grade Readers were honors students.

The greatest number of students surveyed atboth grade levels fell into our Not-reader catego-ry. Not-readers were also distributed across reme-dial, general, and honors classes. A small numberof students gave one or two answers on the indexthat fell into the Reader category, but becausethey otherwise most resembled Not-readers theywere grouped with the latter. Our primary inten-tion was to identify a group of young people whoclearly loved to read.

It is interesting to note that reading skill andacademic achievement (as characterized by stu-dents in subsequent interviews) were not defini-tive factors in distinguishing Readers fromNot-readers. Several Not-readers were honorsstudents, while a few Readers claimed to strugglewith reading and writing assignments.

In response to items on the questionnaire,all of the students in both groups indicated thatliteracy materials such as newspapers and refer-ence books were available in their homes. Manystudents had computers at home, and all had ac-cess to computers in school. There were no no-table differences in students’ reported televisionviewing habits, with Readers and Not-readersalike reporting three to four hours of televisionviewing per day (though most said the TV wasoften “just on” while they pursued other activitiessuch as completing homework, looking at maga-zines, or chatting online with friends). In addi-tion, there was no noteworthy difference in thenature and number of extracurricular activitiessuch as music lessons, sports, clubs, or time spentwith friends. Readers did not prove to be less so-cial or less occupied with activities than Not-readers, though general studies ninth-gradeNot-readers did report being less involved in or-ganized activities than their classmates.

The questionnaire proved to have validity asa tool for identifying Readers and Not-readers. Inall cases, students who were later interviewedconfirmed their preliminary classification asReader or Not-reader. Each readily agreed withour characterization of them as either a personwho enjoys reading and does so often or as onewho does not enjoy reading and never readsbooks for recreation.

All students identified as Readers and anequal number of Not-readers were invited by let-ter to meet with one of the principal investigatorsfor a one-on-one interview that focused on theirleisure-time reading practices. Interviews wereapproved by parents and arranged by a schoolstaff member. These took place at the schoolsduring the student’s free period.

Because of scheduling difficulties, only five ofthe eight ninth-grade students identified asReaders could be interviewed. All four of the sixth-grade Readers were interviewed. Four sixth-gradeNot-readers and five ninth-grade Not-readers wereselected who, insofar as possible, matched theReaders in terms of gender and academic tracking.We had anticipated some reluctance on the part ofNot-readers to be characterized as such, but thisdid not occur.

Interviews were informal, following a proto-col of guided, open-ended questions. The inter-view questions were derived from the followingresearch questions:

1. Are there consistent attributes of the social environ-ment of Readers that appear to maintain readingactivity?

2. Are there consistent early childhood and ongoingexperiences that promote interest in reading?

3. Do students who identify themselves as Readers dis-play similar ideas and attitudes about the appeal ofreading?

4. Are these ideas and attitudes different from those ofNot-readers?

All interviews were audiotaped, with the permis-sion of the student, and transcribed in full by the



interviewer. A sample of interview questions islisted in Table 2.

FindingsThe methods we used to examine the interviewdata were determined by the size of the sampleand the intensive nature of this research. The twoinvestigators independently studied each recordedinterview to search for important features that re-curred in interviews with Readers and were largely

absent from those of Not-readers. The identifiedfeatures were extensively discussed and clarified.The resulting list of features was then used to re-examine each interview protocol to ensure that itwas broadly characteristic of Readers alone. At thistime, we chose examples that typified each featureamong Readers as well as examples from Not-readers to help illustrate our findings.

The clear differences between Readers andNot-readers that were indicated in the surveydata were confirmed under the closer scrutiny of



Ta b l e 2S a m p l e i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s

Questions for Readers Questions for Not-readers

Your responses to the questionnaire Your responses to the questionnaire

show that you enjoy reading. Do you show that you dislike reading. Do you agree?

agree? Why do you like to read? Why don’t you enjoy reading?

How do you decide what to read? Do you ever feel like reading a book or magazine

article? Internet info or chat? Why?

Where do you get the things you read? What things to read are in your home?

Do you ever talk about things you read Do other family members talk about things

with family or friends? they read?

If your friends told you about a great story that Same as for Readers. Also: If your friends told you

was available on film and book, would you see about a great book, would you give it a try?

the movie or read the book? Why?

What is it about reading that makes What is it about reading that makes you not want

you want to spend time reading? to read?

Is there anything that your parents Is there any experience that you remember that may

did that contributed to your enjoyment have contributed to your dislike of reading? What?

of reading? What?

Do you remember any of the first books Same as for Readers.

read to you? Which were your favorites?

Do you think your parents like to read? Same as for Readers.

What makes you think they do or don’t?

Do you think it’s important to be a reader? Why? Same as for Readers.

Do your friends (or a best friend) enjoy reading? Same as for Readers.

Why do you think they do or do not?

Do you think people need to be able to Same as for Readers.

read well? Why?

one-on-one interviews. When we analyzed the in-terviews in light of our research questions, severalsignificant themes emerged. Profiles of individu-als who were classified as Readers or Not-readersrevealed unique features of each student’s experi-ences, but also a number of clear commonthreads within each of the two groups. We foundthe following commonalities to hold across theage groups. All student names are pseudonyms.

Readers regularly interact around books withother members of their social circle who love toread. All of the Readers interviewed reported dis-cussing what they read with other interestedreaders. These conversations, which regularlytook place between the Reader and a familymember or close friend, were characterized byReaders as simply “what we do.” Discussionsabout books allow young people to draw uponthe reading experiences of other members oftheir social circle and to see reading as part oftheir social life.

Mark, a ninth grader, was typical of theReaders interviewed. Mark recalled that, when hewas quite young, his mother would readily dropeverything to read to him at his request. Now thathe is a teen this interaction has evolved. He andhis mother and younger sister, who is also an avidreader, recommend books to one another anddiscuss them later. Mark commented that hismother “put me on to Agatha Christie. She alsoreads the books I’m reading. It gets annoyingsometimes. I’ll put a bookmark in and come back10 minutes later and my mom’ll be reading it.”

All three share a love of Agatha Christiemysteries, which they swap and discuss. Marklaughingly remarked that he and his sister “usebooks as a threat, like ‘if you don’t take your plateoff the table, I’ll tell you who did it!’—becausethey’re usually murder mysteries—so both of ushave to put our dishes in the dishwasher.”

Recounting stories, or talking about charac-ter and plot with another enthusiastic reader, wasan important element of Readers’ experiences.Anne, a ninth-grade Reader, described how

stories from books enhanced her interest in read-ing and also provided her with material to sharewith friends and family:

We tell each other stories [from books]. I read booksand then tell her [her mother], and she reads mybooks. She tells me stories of her books and I readhers. So we go back and forth. Sometimes, I share sto-ries with my friends. If it has to do with a topic we’retalking about, I’ll bring up the book that I read andtell them the situation.

Though Readers extended this interaction totheir peers, the pattern was always establishedwithin the family. Ken, a sixth-grade Reader, saidhe is most likely to talk about books with his dad,who recommends action and mystery books, andwith his two best friends. Ken told the interviewer,

I mean, we don’t set aside time to book chat like onOprah. But we’ll talk about books, and we’ll see ifthere’s anything that none of us have read before andif it’s just the same old. And we’ll talk about mysterieswhere the person you least expect, like the old granny,is the one who did it.

Nicole, a ninth-grade Reader, explained howher cousins conveyed their love of reading to herand thus played a role in building her own interest:

My older cousins told me about books. They’d tell methese great stories and say, “try reading this and you’llfind the more detailed story.” In elementary schoolmy cousins would tell me about other novels they hadread when they were my age. Also, I have somecousins who are my age and they’re big readers....They would tell me about this book and I would try tofind it and read it.

Readers learned from family, or other mem-bers of their social circle, that reading can be anentertaining, diverting, enjoyable, sociable, and,therefore, worthwhile activity. Anne, a ninth-gradeReader, said that her mother’s love of reading

encouraged me because also it seemed fun. She likedthe books that she read, she would tell me about them,and it seemed interesting. I was just like, “Why is



reading a book so much fun?” So I decide to try it, andit is fun.

Peer-group approval was not a big issuewith Readers, even in adolescence. Most Readershad many friends who did not choose to read forpleasure. None were judgmental about this, butmost believed that by choosing not to read theirfriends were missing out on a good thing.

In contrast to Readers, Not-readers’ familyreading experiences were more variable, did notcontinue beyond early childhood, and did notevolve to include discussions about the charactersor events in books. The older sibling of one Not-reader had suggested books for her to read buthad not done so regularly. Several Not-readersmentioned that their parents said they shouldread more because reading would make themsmarter. Jessica, a ninth-grade Not-reader, saidthat talking about books was “not really a bigpart” of family discussions, which tended to be“about current events but not about books.”

This lack of family discussions about booksmay account for our finding that over half of ourNot-reader subjects claimed to have enjoyedreading until between 9 and 11 years of age. Atthis point, they told us, they lost interest in child-hood favorites and found no alternative readingmaterial that appealed to them. Mary, a sixth-grade Not-reader, told the interviewer, “I readGoosebumps every night. Maybe I gave up read-ing because I phased out of the Goosebumpsbooks.” Jake, a ninth-grade Not-reader, com-mented, “I had a time—like when I was 8 or 9—when I liked Ramona Quimby and the BeverlyCleary books that I could read. And that stoppedwhen I was about 10.” Apparently, these studentsdid not have the support of a family member whoenjoyed reading to suggest and share appropriatebooks.

Readers see being an active member of a com-munity of readers as an important part of theiridentity. An important attribute of each Reader’senvironment is that it includes others who readfor pleasure. Mark, a ninth-grade Reader, said, “I

was surrounded with it. There were always bookslying around the house. They [his parents] werealways reading.” Both parents of Ken (a sixth-grade Reader) are also avid readers who, accord-ing to Ken, read the newspaper “cover to cover,each day” and, by his estimate, several books aweek. Ken, who sees himself as a Reader in a fam-ily of avid readers, gave this description:

It’s part of my life, because that’s what I do. Like I’llgo out in my tree house and I’ll stay and read bookslike jungle and mystery and secret agent books.There’s a rule in the house that I have to read a book aweek, but I usually read three books a week. In thesummer I have a lot of things going on, but I’ll usuallyread a book a day.

Brian, a ninth-grade Reader who was desig-nated as having a learning disability by his school,said he did not begin reading until he was 8 or 9.Nevertheless, Brian thinks of himself as a readingmember of a reading family:

They’re teachers. They just love to read. They readeverything. Everyone in my house reads. Not just oneperson reads. Everyone. When I was smaller there wasone time when everyone had to read. It was like“Reading Time!” Now I do it even at school in my freetime.

Not-readers, in contrast, did not see recre-ational reading as an important part of their fam-ilies’ lives. They described parents and siblings asoccasional readers who might read magazines,newspapers, and work-related material, or as peo-ple who do not enjoy reading at all. They saidtheir parents were “too busy” to read or were in-volved in other activities. They did not see being areader as an important aspect of their own identi-ty or the identity of family members.

Parents or other family members of Readersexplicitly prioritize reading as a recreational activi-ty. Readers see reading as an activity that plays asignificant and enjoyable role in the life of one ormore family members or friends. Nicole, a ninth-grade Reader, recalled,



My mother likes to read these big books in Korean.When they [her parents] have free time they read,usually a few times a week. Sometimes at night I’ll seethe light on and they’re usually reading. My motherand grandmother read books to me when I was littleand taught me to read by reading to me and with me.They consider it very important. When I was youngthey would always say to read more. “Don’t watch TV,read!” They do that with my sisters now.

Not-readers had different experiences.Several of them mentioned that a parent occa-sionally told them that they should read more inorder to do well in school or become smarter. ButNot-readers believed their parents did not seereading as a priority for themselves or for thefamily.

Jessica, a ninth-grade Not-reader, offered anaccount that differed somewhat from other Not-readers. She mentioned that her parents

read current events, and also my mother went back toschool about five years ago and is starting her ownpractice so she’s reading a lot of psychotherapy books.And my father reads a lot of fiction and nonfictionbooks. I guess they read mostly every day.

But, when asked if her parents encouraged her tospend time reading, Jessica said, “When I wasyounger they tried to get me to read; my unclewould bring me books. It’s just not something Ihave motivation to do. My parents never reallythought it was that important, basically.”

Readers have access to plentiful, varied read-ing materials. As our survey indicated, and the in-terviews confirmed, basic reading materials wereavailable at home to all of the young people withwhom we met. For Readers however, interest inreading was sustained by an involved parent orother family member who continued to provideaccess to a variety of books as the child maturedand to guide the child’s choices. For Not-readers,this type of support was far less evident, especial-ly once the child entered school.

Stephanie, a sixth-grade Reader, told theinterviewer,

I own a lot of books. Actually, my mother and sisterand my sister’s friends [and I] are starting a mother/daughter book club. I thought I would announce atthe first meeting that I would start a sort of library be-cause I have so many books—at least a hundred. Ihave four boxes in the attic, and a whole shelf in ourplayroom.

Not-readers had vague memories of engagingwith books during playtime or at bedtime. Onlyfour Not-readers interviewed recalled owningbooks as a child. Asked if she had her own books,Jessica, a ninth-grade Not-reader, stated, “I havebooks in my room that have been given to meand have not been read.”

Readers recalled frequent visits to a publiclibrary or bookseller, and most told us this activi-ty continued to the present. Corinne, a ninth-grade Reader, described her experience:

Yes, we went to the library very often. I still go often.Once every two weeks or so. I walked to the library assoon as I was old enough to go by myself. I was in areading club on the weekend. There was story time,then a book club. You would tell about your book,then we had pizza.

Those Not-readers who recalled being taken tothe library said that this practice ended, alongwith being read to by a parent, once they enteredschool, or that trips to the library were made in-frequently and only for the purpose of obtaininga book for a school assignment. Samantha, aninth-grade Not-reader, spoke of occasionallyvisiting a local bookseller: “I’ll go with a friendand sit there and read. But I don’t buy the booksbecause I’ll never get a chance to read them.”

Readers love reading. Readers had vivid andfond memories of their early encounters withbooks and talked with great enthusiasm aboutspecific books read to them when they were veryyoung. Brian, a ninth-grade Reader, told theinterviewer,

There was one, I don’t remember what it was called,about some boy, and he was afraid of his basement.



He thought that these goblin guys were in his base-ment and he beat them with a broom and they gotsmaller and smaller at the end. I read that constantly. Istill have all of my books.

Corinne, a ninth-grade Reader, recalled,

The Giving Tree. I remember it’s about how much alittle boy uses the tree and as he gets older he uses itmore and more and they have kind of a relationship.It was so sad for the tree, so upsetting. The boy is soselfish. He gives nothing back to the tree. But the treeis happy.

Readers told of having established a reading ritual(usually the bedtime story) that had never reallyended. In fact, they could not imagine a day whenthey would not read, if only for a short while, be-fore turning out the lights at night. Mark, aninth-grade Reader, commented, “I like readingso much. I can’t picture myself without it.”

The Readers we interviewed said they loveto read because reading stimulates their imagina-tion; takes them to new places; and introducesthem to new ideas, events, and elements of hu-man emotion. Several also said that books givethem a wealth of detail not available through tele-vision and film and told how they imagine a set-ting or the intensity of emotion in their mind’seye, something they cannot do when watchingtelevision or a movie. Brian, a ninth-gradeReader, commented,

It’s always fun to read. You’re just sitting there andthere’s this whole other world waiting. You’re readingsomething and the whole world stops when you closethe book. And when you open it up again—okay—let’s turn it back on again. It’s weird when you thinkabout it.

Anne, a sixth-grade Reader, said, “You can readand no one tells you how the picture should be.It’s just your mind that’s going with the wordsand it can be any picture you want it to be...you’remaking your own little story.” Ken, a sixth-gradeReader, reflected,

It takes me to places that I always wanted to be. Like, Iread detective books and I feel like I’m the person try-ing to solve the case. Or, say I want to go to someundiscovered planet but I’m stuck in my house, I’lljust read the book. I like the fact that you can be a to-tally different person and that you can have differentabilities. It’s almost like a game. In books you have theability to see the future, or fly. On TV you don’t useyour imagination. It’s like the TV is your imagination.In books you can determine the setting and the at-mosphere of the story. Say it’s a dark street. In yourimagination you can have a street with dumpsters, saypeople on the side, dogs and garbage, and you canreally get into it more and that makes the story moreexciting.

Readers prefer reading to other sources ofinformation or entertainment because they feelreading provides greater depth of understanding,more details, more insights on character, and anunderstanding of interpersonal relationships, aswell as a basis for empathy. Nicole, a ninth-gradeReader, commented, “Sometimes it relates to mylife too, because you read about someone who hassimilar problems, and other times you just realizeabout other people’s problems.”

Readers also like the portability and com-panionability of books and enjoy choosing what,when, and where to read. Most carried a bookwhen traveling. With a book at hand they knewthey would never be bored. As Mark, a ninth-grade Reader, noted, “A book is good company.”Ken, a sixth-grade Reader, described the pleasureof choosing a book to read, as well as the place toread it, in keeping with the mood created by theweather.

Today it’s nice out. I’d probably want to read a HardyBoys or this book called The Prodigal Spy. And, well,on rainy days, or just an ordinary day, I’ll sit and readmy textbook or books about early explorers and an-cient civilizations.

Stephanie, a sixth-grade Reader, smiled as shesaid, “You can sink into a book…or on a rainyday you can always sit and read. You can havedreams about it. I dream I’m the character. Youcan put aside your problems. It’s another world.”



Not-readers had no comparable feelings torelate. Most recalled other activities more vividlyand talked about playing outside, involvementwith sports and time spent “hanging out” withfriends. However, Not-readers, particularly thosewho are high-achieving, spoke of the value ofreading, an activity they see as virtuous and ad-mirable. In contrast, only one of the Readersmentioned this self-improvement aspect of read-ing: Corinne, a ninth-grade Reader, told the inter-viewer, “It’s easier for me to understand thingswhen they’re written down because I’ve read somany books. And it’s easier to write because Iknow how authors place their words.” Brian, aninth-grade Reader, appeared at first to share thisutilitarian view, but then his thoughts took quitea different direction:

You learn a lot from reading. Like, there’s some read-ing you should do. Some people are better off withoutreading. They don’t understand where the writer iscoming from. If I’ve got a book to read, I want toknow about the author. People just see things for whatthey are. A lot of people don’t care for the emotionalstuff and don’t like reading and say it’s a waste oftime. It’s a waste of time because they don’t under-stand. It’s like the arts—you have to be into it tounderstand it. You have to be into the themes.

School is not the critical factor, though ateacher’s enthusiasm might be. Even though ourinterviews took place in a school setting, the sub-ject of school played a minor role in all of ourconversations. All of the Readers interviewedclearly connected a love of reading with experi-ences provided outside of school.

None of the students interviewed men-tioned reading instruction or reading skill assomething that supported their enjoyment ofreading, though one Not-reader told us that poorreading ability contributed to his dislike of read-ing. Another Not-reader recalled enjoying someof the books assigned in school when he wasyounger (through fourth grade) but could not re-member even being interested enough to com-plete a single assigned book since that time. Infact, only two Readers said they truly enjoyed

reading the novels assigned for classes or theirtextbooks. Readers tended to see assigned readingas something to be accomplished quickly in orderto make time for books of their own choice.

Samantha, a ninth-grade Not-reader, of-fered some insight into an aspect of the schoolreading experience that may diminish the pleas-ure of reading:

I just don’t enjoy reading books and textbooks. Imean they’re easier to read than primary documentsand it’s better than learning from the activities we do,but I don’t enjoy reading them. It’s become a chore.It’s just not pleasurable. It’s so fact filled and you haveto know everything—knowing that I have to knoweverything for a test....

Readers and Not-readers in all classes told us theyscan assigned material to locate answers to ques-tions posed by teachers rather than read assign-ments in full.

When asked what teachers had done to con-tribute to their enjoyment of reading, severalReaders recalled early grade-school teachers whoinvited students to borrow books from classroomlibraries or suggested particular books. Brian, aninth-grade Reader, told of a teacher who spokeabout books with real passion:

There’s a teacher who’s getting a lot of people to read.Not me. I’m already into books, but a lot of people inour grade. It’s like her one goal in life is to makeeveryone enjoy and love reading. She gets so into it.She loves it.

Though our survey did not support Brian’s im-pression that his teacher’s passion for reading hadpersuaded “a lot of people to read,” this particularteacher and a few others were praised by Readersbecause they demonstrated an enthusiasm forbooks, had “lots of books” in their classrooms, letstudents borrow books, and read aloud in classfrequently.

Readers read (no matter what). Readers saidthat they read books for pleasure every day, or



nearly every day, no matter how busy they are.Several of the Not-readers we interviewed ex-pressed open admiration for their friends who arevoracious readers, claiming to be baffled by howthese students find the time to read books of theirchoice given the pressure of school assignmentsand after-school activities. Over half the Not-readers said they were “too busy” to read forpleasure. However, all of the Readers saw distrac-tions from schoolwork and other activities as anonissue. Though some said they did not have asmuch time to read as they would like, all Readersmade time for reading because it was enjoyable tothem. Because our original survey questions didnot reveal any significant differences in reportedinvolvement in other activities between Readersand Not-readers, it does not appear that thedemands of school assignments and activitiesdictate the choices young people make aboutreading. Rather, attitudes about reading deter-mine these choices.

Readers told of reading a great variety ofwritten material as well as almost any availableprint, including advertising on cereal boxes, evenlabels and the like. Ken, a sixth-grade Reader,commented,

Usually, I’m late for school ’cause I’ll be reading. Like,when my dad’s reading the newspaper I’ll usually takea section from him and start reading that. And I’llread pamphlets that my mom has, and I’ll read tagson my shirt and stuff.

In contrast, Not-readers told us reading wastoo “tedious,”“slow,” or “boring” to engage theirinterest. All but one of the Not-readers told usthey do not enjoy reading novels because writtenmaterial is too detailed and takes too long to getto the point, or because they don’t understandwhat the author is trying to convey. Not-readersdescribed reading in terms of purpose rather thanpleasure. They saw reading as a means to improvevocabulary or to access information (if not avail-able from another source), and to manage one’saffairs (for example, to fill out a job application).But, given the choice, all Not-readers would see

the movie rather than read the book. In fact, Not-readers, even those whose reading skills were ex-cellent, avoid reading whenever possible.

All but two of the Not-readers interviewedtold us they valued reading and cited not havingsufficient time as the principal reason for notengaging in reading as a recreational activity.Samantha, a ninth-grade Not-reader, told the in-terviewer, “I never feel I have enough time toread...if I had more time I would just read.Definitely.” When asked what occupied her time,Samantha replied that drawing takes up hertime, and “flipping through magazines becauseI’m interested in fashion design.” Clearly,Samantha and other Not-readers choose to fillleisure time with activities other than reading.

Like many Not-readers, Samantha told usshe believed that peers who include recreationalreading in their daily schedules read at a fast rateand, therefore, require less time for reading. Thisnotion was commonly held by Not-readersalthough Nell’s (1988) work (which shows thatreading for pleasure most often proceeds at anunhurried pace) did not support this assumption.Readers, however, saw reading as intrinsicallyworthwhile and something they “always” findtime for.

What it takes to become aReaderAlthough this research involves close study of arelatively small group of older children and teens,the profiles of Readers in our survey clearly indi-cate that becoming a Reader is not a simple matterof attaining fluency. The Readers we interviewedbelieved that reading was a worthwhile way tospend leisure time because it was pleasurable.Not-readers were of the opinion that reading wasboring, tedious, and a waste of their time.

Our study suggests that when parents estab-lish a routine of reading to their young childrenthey foster an early interest in books that can bemaintained if a variety of books is made available



as children mature and their interests change.Easy access to the books that a particular Readerfinds enjoyable enables reading to continue as anattractive alternative to other activities for youngpeople. All but one of the Readers in our studyacknowledged that family or friends shared booksor bought books for them or that visits to thelibrary were a frequent family activity that con-tinued to be supported as they grew older. In ad-dition, parents (or other close family members)who read for recreation provide a model for thechildren to emulate. Parents who schedule a timefor family reading activities clearly demonstratereading is a priority.

The ongoing dialogue about books thattakes place between parents and children seems tohave a particularly important role in the develop-ment of a child’s love of reading. Discussionsabout books among family members demon-strate the pleasure that books inspire, spark aReader’s interest, help Readers to make readingselections, and make it possible for Readers to be-come participants in an activity that their imme-diate social circle, and the wider culture, valuesand esteems. Adults who encourage such activitysend a powerful message about the pleasures ofreading. This may be key to developing the per-ception of oneself as a Reader. In addition, be-cause these informal conversations about booksare congenial, they bring a social, refreshing, andrenewing component to the reading experience.Readers learn, through social interaction withother Readers, that reading is entertaining andstimulating.

ImplicationsIf it is true, as previous research seems to indicate,that by reading for pleasure young people can at-tain literacy competence, then encouraging achild’s love of reading is a desirable goal. In addi-tion, Readers’ experiences with books, and theirobvious pleasure in sharing them with us, made itclear that reading can be a wonderful, satisfying,

and enriching activity for those who are fortunateenough to become engaged by it.

Those who would hope to foster a young per-son’s love of reading must acknowledge that, whilestudents surely benefit when teachers recognize theneed to motivate them to read, young people mustsee themselves as participant readers in a commu-nity that pursues reading as a significant and enjoy-able recreational activity if reading is to become alifelong endeavor. To this end, the child’s immediateculture, the family, must invest itself in the processto demonstrate the pleasure reading affords by reg-ularly reading aloud to young children, makingage- and interest-appropriate books easily availableas the child matures, providing a model for chil-dren to emulate, scheduling time for family read-ing, and demonstrating the social nature ofreading and encouraging interest through conver-sations about the books family members read.

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learning to love reading: interviews with older children and teens

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