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 in the lives of older children and teens associated with the development of a love of reading. A group of 14 students who love to read, as well as an equal number of students who prefer not to read, were then interviewed about their reading habits and preferences. Findings show that family culture predominates as an influence in developing a love of reading. In particular, students who choose reading as a form of recreation see themselves as members of a community of readers who interact socially around books and share a love of reading with at least one family member. The report concludes with a discussion of implications for educators and parents who hope to encourage reading as a significant activity in the lives of children. Demonstrating the pleasure reading affords, making age‐ and interest‐appropriate books easily available, providing a model for children to emulate, scheduling time for family reading, and encouraging interest through conversations about the books family members read are cited as factors that foster a love of reading. The need for parents or other family members to be actively invested in the process is stressed.