Evidence-based Insights on Print Exposure: Entice Pupils to Read More

Parents and educators across the globe are advocating for students to spend their spare time reading. But is asking kids to read truly worth the effort? Does it make a difference to read in front of children, to provide ample access to books, and to help kids find subjects they’re interested in? The answer is yes — and this Mol and Bus study shares just how powerful advocacy can be in the world of reading.

The Mol and Bus study examines the impact of advocacy and reading promotion on children’s reading habits, as well as the positive effect on language development resulting from increased reading hours. This research highlights why it is so important to understand the connection between children's reading attitudes and achievement.

Mol and Bus examined three age groups:

• Preschoolers and early-schoolers (2–6 years)
• School-aged (6–17 years)
• Pupils (18–22).

They investigated the links between leisure reading and vocabulary, text comprehension, (technical) fundamental reading skills, and spelling for each age group.

Comprehensive Study on the Impact of Leisure Reading on Language Development

It’s often said that reading improves language skills. Mol and Bus set out to prove it. Here’s a glimpse into the questions they had before the study:

• When looking into language development, what distinguishes a voracious reader from someone who reads infrequently?
• Do the effects of leisure reading vary with age?
• Is the impact different between a toddler who is read to and a pupil who picks up a book on their own?
• Does reading for pleasure boost language skills, or do language-skilled people simply read more?

To find the answers, Mol and Bus analyzed data from 99 separate studies on the impact of leisure reading. A proven method to bridge these gaps is thematic reading instruction: the key to unlocking reading motivation.

Here’s what they found:

• A rich home reading environment is crucial for children's early language acquisition and reading skill development (early exposure to books helps children start school with a larger vocabulary).
• Preschool and primary school children rely primarily on their environment for leisure reading: parents (and subsequently instructors) who read aloud and have or acquire books.
• Regular reading sessions are directly linked to an expanded vocabulary for young children.
• Kids who read at home read more fluently and struggle less with new words. This makes reading more fun and encourages kids to read more.
• Consistent reading practice enhances children's reading comprehension, oral language, technical reading skills, spelling, and vocabulary.
• Kids who read at home also perform better in basic reading skills (like letter recognition).
• Even leisure reading improves language skills at school.
• Parents who read aloud to their children raise kids with deeper language skills.
• Parents who enjoy reading pass this on to their children, providing them with a strong foundation for school and life.
• As the school year goes on, kids who read at home start to outperform those who don't read as much.
• If a student falls behind in reading, reading for pleasure at home can help them catch back up.

Understanding the Reciprocal Relationship Between Leisure Reading and Language Skills

Research indicates a link between leisure reading and language proficiency. But which is the cause and which is the effect? Mol and Bus' research supports the concept of reciprocity, as both statements have proven to be true. This involves various reading motivation dimensions: relation to behavior and competence.

• Reading for pleasure helps students improve their technical and basic reading abilities, vocabulary, comprehension, and spelling.
• Growing up in a home that promotes reading helps children learn to read faster. This leads to increased leisure reading and improved language skills.
• Children with limited language skills are more likely to struggle with reading in school.
• Poor reading abilities can keep students from engaging in leisure reading, leading to missed opportunities to improve their skills.

Here’s what the study shares on how books impact children’s vocabulary:

• Books are great resources for expanding students’ vocabulary.
• Reading aloud exposes children to words that are not often used in common conversation (also known as low-frequency words).
• Children's books contain three times more low-frequency words than television or parent-child talks.
• The story context aids comprehension and retention of unfamiliar terms.
• Early leisure reading accounts for 12% of vocabulary variance in elementary school, 13% in secondary school, 30% in higher education, and 34% at university.

How Parents Can Encourage Reading Habits in Primary School Children

Parental involvement is vital in promoting reading habits, but it can often feel challenging to get your struggling reader to open a book at home. Le Blanc is a reading specialist who researched the best ways for parents to support their children's reading at home. She’s motivated to educate parents on the importance of reading, not only for school but also for future success in business and society. Here are a few of her tips to test out in your own home:

• Children think it’s funny when you make mistakes. Try making an exaggerated mistake by saying "floor" instead of "roof." When the child laughs, encourage them to correct your mistake.
• Try not to act like a teacher at home. Instead, try to keep reading as fun as possible.
• Aim to read ten minutes every day with your child. Choose a set time to make sure you don’t forget.
• Read to your child if you’re comfortable doing so. If not, bring them to events like library storytime to give them the same experience outside of home.

Classroom Strategies to Foster a Positive Reading Environment and Improve Literacy

Teachers, keep in mind that you’re going to be held accountable for effective reading instruction. Try not to let that scare you. Instead, remember that you can enhance your pupils' reading skills by simply encouraging them to read more. You can also read aloud to your students to help them establish a strong base for future reading success. Here are some classroom-specific tips to help students spend more time reading for pleasure:

• Make sure your students are using free reading time to read, not to finish late assignments.
• Set a positive example by reading a book yourself.
• Help your struggling readers find books they enjoy.
• Choose books that fit their reading levels and interests. You may even be able to sneak in challenging books when the topic engages the reader.
• Encourage kids to continue reading by commenting on how much they’ve read so far, and complimenting them on their efforts.
• Encourage students to talk about books. Have them share their favorite titles and authors, give them time to recommend books to friends, or let them leave a post-it inside the cover, stating why the next person who picks the book up should read it.
• Let students return books that aren’t as interesting as they thought they’d be. This will help them learn their reading preferences and bring about more positive reading experiences.

Key Takeaways: The Importance of Reading for Enjoyment

Mol and Bus have shown us, in many different ways, how greatly reading for pleasure impacts children’s language skills.

If you take nothing else from this article, let it be from these 5 lines:

1. Reading for enjoyment has a direct impact on language skills.
2. Regular readers have larger vocabularies and better reading comprehension, spelling, and technical reading.
3. The abilities gap between frequent readers and non-frequent readers increases each year.
4. Encourage struggling readers to read books they enjoy. Help them break the negative reading spiral.
5. Allow as much time as possible for free reading (at home and in the classroom).

Next up in this series: The critical link between intrinsic motivation and reading competence in pupils