Teenagers – The Importance of Reading
Schools aren’t just about teaching children to read, but teaching children to be social
beings.
— Michael Rosen
The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) paper 'Growing
Independence: A Summary of Key Findings from the Competent Learners @14
Project' shows that teens who enjoy reading are more likely to succeed in
school and in their engagement with their various communities.
The overall project analyses the impact of different experiences and resources
on a range of competencies, and what can help narrow the gaps between
children.
At age 14, students have made the transition to secondary school and, in most
cases, reached mid-adolescence in good shape. The findings show reasonably
strong connections between earlier performance and performance at age 14,
and highlight the importance of:
Continuing the habit of reading, widely, into teenage years helps teens to:
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deal with their increasingly complex world, and understand some of the
adult issues they will have to grapple with
know they are not alone – that others may be thinking and feeling the
way they do
open lines of communication, particularly if parents, teachers, librarians
provide opportunities to discuss what teens are reading
share and see how others have found solutions to problems
develop their vocabulary
broaden their imaginations
improve their writing
deal with the increasing demands of school work
gain confidence when speaking
Understanding Teenage Reading Motivation
To better engage students with reading, it's helpful to understand the benefits,
motivations and types of reading they engage with. Everyone needs a reason to
read. Are students reading because they:
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want to, for pleasure and relaxation, they are curious and interested in
the subject/theme, to relax or to escape from the everyday
have to, for instance, answer an assignment
need to, where reading is like breathing for them?
Right book, right hands, right time, right reason
Understanding what motivates teens to read will help you put the right book in
the right hands at the right time for the right reason. Peer validation of reading
choices should not be underestimated either — if you can tap into the current
‘cool’ books, you can add to students’ reading mileage with ease.
It’s important to note that, understanding your own reading ‘profile’ — your
reading habits and preferences, reading plans and motivations — helps a lot as
you help students to find the books and reading that will fuel their passion.
‘The potency of relevance’
All of us read with ‘me’ in the background – how does what we read relate to
our ‘self’? Gibb and Guthrie (2008) call this the ‘potency of relevance’ and
emphasise the need for teens to be able to make real-world connections with
what they read. This is true no matter which delivery mechanism they use to
read.
School Staff as Readers
Be a reading role model, inspire and encourage your students to become
engaged readers. Read, reflect, know the literature and share your
passion.
What do Teens read?
Books they've chosen themselves
Scholastic’s 2016 Australian Kids and Family Reading Report found that 92% of
15-17-year-olds and 90% of 12-14-year-olds most enjoy books they've chosen
for themselves. They are also much more likely to finish reading them. The
same report also found around 70% of teens would read more if they could find
more books they liked.
In terms of preferences 12–17-year-olds want to read books that (in order of
priority):
1. will make them laugh 54%
2. let them use their imagination 47%
3. have a mystery or problem to solve 42%
4. have characters they wish they could be like 38%
5. tell a made-up story (fiction) 36%
6. teach them something new 35%
7. let them forget about real life for a while 35%
8. tell a true story (non-fiction)
9. are a little scary 28%
10. are about things they experience in my life 24%
11. have characters who are in love 18%
12. have a character that looks like them 14%
Australian Kids and Family Reading Report — Scholastic, Australia
1. Read and comment on the following articles.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/29/children-reading-less-says-newresearch
https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/apr/07/stop-decline-in-kidsreading-for-pleasure-give-books-a-go
2. Watch professor and writer Michael Rosen talk about how to encourage
reading for pleasure and comment on his ideas and suggestions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH-CZ1eEcXs