This page is referenced by:

• 1 2019-11-30T16:34:02-08:00 Why They Do Read: “I love reading!” 23 Some suggestions for treating reading reluctance. plain 2019-12-19T09:46:41-08:00

  Unfortunately, the literature that specifically addresses the post-secondary reluctant reader is limited; much of the literature focuses, instead, on elementary and middle school students, giving the impression that the academic community has largely given up on reluctant readers over 14 years of age. As such, many of the following guidelines and suggestions have been adapted from articles directed at teachers of younger readers.

  In older (post-secondary) students, one of the great drivers of their resistance to reading is simply poor instruction in the past, a history of reading-related failures that has deleteriously impacted their self-concept and made them avoid reading. It’s the old “once bitten, twice shy” adage at work. In light of this challenging history of failure, it is the task of instructors “to provide alternative methods and techniques to those which have proved unsuccessful in the past.” (388) In other words, we must avoid the kind of skills-focused instruction which has failed students in their literacy instruction. In fact, the continued use of traditional instructional practices can be detrimental to students’ growth in reading (12), because “many of the activities traditionally used to teach reading and that might encourage good readers can actually discourage nonreaders by intimidating them and confirming their negative feelings toward reading.” (88) Therefore, it is of vital importance when addressing the needs of the post-secondary reluctant reader that we avoid the traditional teaching methods that have failed them in the past. As an example of alternative methods, Ari (2015) found that two types of interventions improved adult readers’ reading fluency: repeated reading (RR), i.e. reading a single short passage up to four times, and wide reading (WR), i.e. reading several different short passages in quick succession. (271) Improving reading rates establishes the grounds for a feeling of success which can greatly improve students' morale related to reading. Ari found that adult students who utilized RR improved their reading rate as much as 40 words per minute (WPM), while those utilizing WR improved by 56 WPM, both over the course of a single intervention session. Improvements were noted even after the first RR reading but tapered off after the fourth. (278) Studies show that “interventions that accelerate reading development routinely devote at least two-thirds of their time to reading and rereading rather than isolated or contrived skill practice” (e.g. drill-and-skill exercises) (13) This demonstrates quite clearly that using alternative teaching methods can be effective for our adult readers.

  Several other factors that contribute to improved reading willingness and skills have been agreed upon by researchers over the years. Many suggest that reader autonomy (agency) is vital. (506) (10) (88) Students must (as far as possible within a given curriculum) have choice over reading materials; they must feel that their choice of reading material is as valid as the instructor’s. They are likely to read more, understand more, and continue reading if they have agency over reading material selection. (10) Another pro-reading factor that has been suggested by several researchers is having access to interesting materials. (506) (10) (88) (152)  “Probably the greatest incentive is a large supply of materials worth reading.” (388) Students are more likely and more willing to read if the materials available are interesting to them and numerous, so that they have many choices. It has been further shown that students value certain text types and formats, specifically, books that “(a) were inherently interesting to them, (b) included action, (c) included learning opportunities, and/or (d) connected to a topic they enjoyed.” (516) Further, it was demonstrated that “in the fiction genre, males tend to choose more science fiction, comedy, sports, war, and spy stories, while females generally choose more romance, horror/ghost, school, and poetry books.” (89) Allowing our students to choose their own texts, exploring their own interests, provides a sense of control that can help overcome the reading resistance that arises from a lack of control.

  Another factor has been put forth by researchers as being significant is the influence of important relationships. (506) (11) (21) Family who read with children teach them that reading is important, that it has value; this lesson can continue into adulthood. Friends and book clubs or reading groups can encourage readers by discussing readings and by suggesting other texts. Teachers, by making recommendations and assisting in text selection, can encourage readers. It is often helpful to a reader to have someone to share information about possible texts, who can turn a book from a “lifeless lump of paper into something worth spending time on." (21) Or, as Cavanaugh (2006) states, “reluctant readers are less reluctant if someone has read them the first chapter or two.” (92) Another factor to consider regarding these relationships is that they can provide extrinsic motivation that could precede the development over time of intrinsic motivation to read. (519) In other words, these important relationships can be extrinsic motivators for students and can encourage the development of their own intrinsic motivation for reading.

  Other researchers have stressed the importance of the student’s self-concept of competence or efficacy. (506) (27) “...An individual weighs his or her expectations for success and the value of an activity when deciding whether to engage in the activity.” (506) Students must believe in their own ability to succeed and must expect success in future reading tasks. This belief, of course, must be built up over time. And we are reminded that “expectation is everything.” (22) In other words, our belief in our students’ ability to succeed can support their actual success.

  This belief in our students’ ability relies in part on our keeping a growth mindset. (27) A growth mindset could be simply defined as the belief that we can change and grow regardless of supposedly innate qualities like talents, interests, temperaments, learning styles, and aptitudes. (27) The opposite is the fixed mindset which believes that every person has only “a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character” (27) and that these factors form insurmountable limits to our growth. To apply the growth mindset, we must first realize that such an idea exists and that a student is capable of reading complex texts at their particular level. (28) We can help students to develop the growth mindset as regards their reading by providing adequate supportive feedback on their work. (28) This can take the form of simple positive reinforcement or be as active as sitting with a student and encouraging them through a read-aloud activity one-on-one.

  If we find that students have a strongly fixed mindset, it may be improved by addressing the issue of ideological mismatch. We must ask ourselves what our students’ ideologies of reading are, i.e. “how might they wear books like clothes.” (206) Using this information, we might alter our teaching to match those beliefs about reading and our students’ understandings of the power of reading in their lives. (206) It is “vitally important for the student to have access to reading material that is culturally and personally relevant so the activation and linking of prior knowledge is possible.” (152) Students must have access to reading materials that represent their lived experiences or we risk losing those for whom “This ain’t me.” (199) (153) 

  Even before they have access to texts that represent their lives, we can help students to make connections with authors and bring their own real lives into the classroom by teaching critical literacy. Critical literacy teaches students to examine their reading material from a critical sociocultural perspective, examining power relations and the impact of dominant discourses. (152) With every reading, we can help students to ask, for example:

  • Whose voice is represented?
  • What are the intentions of the author?
  • What does the author want the reader to think about?
  • How can the reader use this information to promote their own reading identity? (153)

  The purpose of a critical literacy approach to reading instruction is to provide “reading curriculum that meets [students’] psychosocial development but also [to] offer spaces of learning, academic, and social support, and classroom resources that are culturally responsive.” (153) Teaching critical literacy creates space in the world of reading and education for students who are otherwise not represented in school literature, thereby increasing those students’ engagement with reading and with education in general. This is particularly helpful for students who have limited or no choice about reading materials but who also fail to see themselves in those texts. They can better address the failure to “wear books like clothes” (199) if they have the critical tools they can learn from a critical literacy approach.

  Finally, we need to understand (and teach our students) that reading and writing together are a holistic, social act, rather than a set of discrete skills or operations performed entirely alone. (23) Readers need a safe, supportive environment that is also challenging. They need to feel that they are part of a collaborative community of readers and writers, that they do not act alone. (22) In fact, they are best served if they work both alone and in discussion and response reading groups, activating the sociocultural aspects of the act of reading/writing. We know that conversations with peers about their reading improves comprehension and engagement with texts. (14) Allington and Gabriel (2012) found that even short daily peer conversations about readings “improved standardized test scores, regardless of students’ family background or reading level.” (14) Thus, it is essential for bolstering students’ willingness to read that we engage them in peer interactions centered on their reading and writing.