12 Reasons Students Don’t Read and What You Can Do About It

12 common reasons for college students Do not read and what you can do about it

by Terry Heick

Why don’t students read more?

Digital distractions? No books at home? Too many tests? Kim Kardashian? It depends on the student. It depends on illiteracy versus literacy. It depends on how you define reading (does reading long character dialogue in Square Enix games count?). So, I’ve collected some of the most common reasons why students aren’t reading below and suggested some ways you can start solving this problem. issue.

12 common reasons for college students Do not read and what you can do about it

1. They didn’t find the right book or type of book.

How do you feel when your manager drops a book in your lap – something well-meaning but not even a bit naturally interesting to you? Do you hate reading because you don’t want to read it?

Possible solutions: I tell my students that when I walk into a bookstore with 10,000 books, 9,200 of them don’t appeal to me. The advantage? That means there are 800 books I’m dying to read. Nobody hates reading. Some of us are just pickier readers than others. We have a collection of books for students who think they don’t like to readAlso.

See also What I say to students who think they don’t like to read

2. They need general reading strategies they can turn to from time to time.

Possible solutions: See here.

Possible solutions: “Market” reads to them. Take pictures of them reading. Start a “Caught Reading” classroom Instagram feed or #caughtreading hashtag (send it to me and I’ll tweet it). Treat it with the same creativity and passion that marketing agencies successfully market billion-dollar businesses.

3. They need specific reading strategies from which they can choose themselves depending on the context.

Possible solutions: Identify their strengths and areas of growth as a reader, help them self-assess the same, then work with them and their parents to create a set of 4-6 reading strategies from the list above (or other) so they can use flexibly depending on what they read.

4. Reading can be intimidating.

Reading is fun, until it’s not. Do I understand it? What will the test contain? Am I in school? Above? Below? What if I have to read aloud?

Possible solutions: Don’t have them read aloud unless you want to assess speaking fluency! Don’t put them on the spot. Do not ask comprehension questions out loud. Don’t do it always insist that they “read at grade level” (Feel like reading Shakespeare after a long day, or would you rather come home and sit on the couch and watch “Bar Rescue”?)

5. The reading space or “atmosphere” is not correct.

Too noisy. Too quiet. Too many distractions. Too hot, too cold – we all have circumstances in which we like to read. I can’t read if it’s not completely silent – ​​if someone speaks and I’m done.

Possible solutions: Allow students to use white noise apps. Put some white noise in the classroom (they’ll get used to it). Create reading spaces in your classroom. Ask your librarian/media specialist if they have any ideas. Turn off the lights. Buy poufs, even for high school students!

6. They need a reason to read.

And attribution is not enough.

Possible solutions: Make reading social. The process, the reflections and the results. Help them see the value of both the reading process (critical thinking) and the results of reading (knowledge). Help them see reading as part of the connection between the life they lead and the life they want to lead.

7. They have too much to do.

It’s hard to read if you have a million things to do. Who wants to “enjoy a good book” when you have 20 pages of homework to do?

Possible solutions: Help them create a personalized reading schedule that works for them based on their life.

8. It’s not a habit.

Reading is a muscle. The more they read, the more they will want to read.

Possible solutions: They need a home library of the “stuff” they want to read. Or the Epic reading app.

9. They have phonemic awareness issues.

If they struggle with phonemic awareness, reading will be like climbing a mountain.

Possible solutions: Apps can’t solve every literacy problem, but they’re great for practicing. Here is some elementary reading apps it can help. And some apps for struggling readers.

10. They have a limited sight word vocabulary.

A limited sight word vocabulary means slow reading speed, which reduces comprehension and makes reading unfun.

Possible solutions: Use Knowji. Have fun with Frayer models. Play vocabulary games. But more than anything else, help them build a sense of momentum as readers. It’s best to encounter words in context rather than on an index card for long-term retention.

11. They struggle with their own “reader” identity.

These students see reading as something you do in school, rather than as an opportunity to make sense of it, to be entertained, to be exposed to new ideas, to make friends, etc. Someone who engineers is called an engineer. He who writes is a writer. Someone who reads? It’s called a student.

12. They need to know all the amazing things about reading: subjects, knowledge, genres, authors, etc.

Possible solutions: Then show them.

12 common reasons students don’t read and what you can do about it; Flickr user image attribution eugenekim