Middle school students report enjoying books less while high school students report enjoying books more, according to a recently released survey.
A Scholastic and YouGov survey released last month shows middle school students (12-14 years old) reported an 11 percent drop in reading enjoyment between 2010 and 2016 while high school students (15-17) reported a 4 percent gain during that same time.
While that’s good news for high school teachers, middle school teachers are left wondering what happened. The survey does not explore the causes, so it made me wonder about a couple of possibilities.
Lack of Middle Grade Superstars
The Harry Potter phenomenon motivated millions of teens and preteens to become voracious readers. As those readers entered their later teens, they had series such as Twilight and The Hunger Games to keep them reading.
While the YA market continues to produce big titles, the middle grade market hasn’t had a recent hit that comes close to reaching the success of Harry Potter.
Perhaps younger students who haven’t crossed over to YA might be less motivated to read the current crop of middle grade novels or at least there might be a lack of excitement like that seen for Harry Potter that managed to turn nonreaders into avid readers. That leads me to the next issue.
Library Restrictions
If most middle school libraries are like those in my district, librarians are restricted in the types of books they are allowed to include in their collections. Many YA superstars, such as The Red Queen and a number of John Green novels are considered off limits. As a result, student selection of books in middle school is more limited than those available in high school libraries.
Trouble Finding Books
Another interesting discovery from the survey is the difficulty both middle and high school students have in finding books they like. Surprisingly 44 percent of students aged 12-14 reported trouble identifying books they wanted to read while 45 percent of students 15-17 reported the same. While the numbers are nearly identical for both levels of students, I wonder if the lack of high profile books and limits in middle school libraries makes the process even tougher for that age group.
My Classroom
With a vibrant classroom library, weekly teacher and student book talks, and reading bulletin boards, I push reading on my middle school students any chance I get. When I survey students at the start of the year on whether they like reading, I usually have at least 50-60 percent of students reporting enjoyment for reading. By the end of the year, the number usually rises to 75 to 85 percent.
If teachers keep up with new books and show students their passion, I think it goes a long way toward improving student attitudes and love of reading.
What have you found at your school? Do you students enjoy reading for fun?
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