The Enjoyment of Reading and Its Impact on a Child's Success

A study completed in 2000 by the OECD'sacademic studies and not just continuously test
Program for International Assessment (PISA)them into failure and disconnection.
examined the factors that had the most influenceTo truly get a student engaged in reading, it is
on a person's future financial security. It took intovital that we ensure they enjoy the process. To
account a wide array of factors ranging fromachieve this, a child needs to realise two things
socio-economic background to gender inand these can only be achieved through a variety
establishing its results.of strategies introduced by the educator and the
The study discovered that the one factor thatchild's parents or carers.
was more influential than any other in a person'sThe first is to illustrate to the child the importance
future financial security was THE ENJOYMENT OFof reading for future success. To accomplish this,
READING. Note that it was not just the ability toit is crucial that any reading that a child does
read, but the ENJOYMENT OF READING.should be placed into a context. We need to give
There are two periods in a child's life when theythe child a purpose for reading a text instead of
either gain or lose their enjoyment of reading. Theforce-feeding level texts that have no relationship
first of these periods is during early childhood -to anything the child is learning in other areas of
between the ages of 12 months and 3 years ofthe curriculum. Give them a project that they are
age. If a child is read to on a regular basis duringinterested in, that they can get excited about and
this time, they gain an appreciation of reading andthat they can achieve in. Then, make sure that
the opportunities it provides through explorationthe task requires them to read relevant and
and imagination. It also a time when children areinteresting material. Once a child realises that they
most likely to mimic their parents' or carers'are reading for a purpose and that they will
behaviours. If they see the most significant peopleachieve something though their reading, they will
in their lives reading, they are far more likely tothen be far more motivated to continue reading.
follow that behaviour.The second strategy involves the choice of texts
The second period is between the ages of 9 andstudents are encouraged to read for "enjoyment".
11 - the middle years. It is during this time thatIf we are to encourage the enjoyment of
large gaps appear between those students whoreading, it is of paramount importance that the
are going to achieve academically and those whotexts we choose to offer our children are those
are becoming disengaged from a school'sthat will interest and excite them. Do not be
curriculum. It is vital that, during this time, studentsafraid to use comic books and pre-teen
are given every opportunity to engage in everymagazines as texts. If your child is motivated to
aspects of learning - particularly their enjoymentread and is experiencing success by using these
of reading.texts, you have started their enjoyment of
Why is it then, that during these years, studentsreading and that is the most important outcome.
are placed into such a rigorous testing regimeYou can follow on from this by introducing them
which only further alienates those students whoto a wider variety of texts that will be more
are having difficulties engaging and succeeding inacademically relevant or traditional.
their academic pursuits? This is a crucial period in aRemember, the enjoyment of reading is the
child's life and, as the study reports, canmost influential factor in your child's future financial
determine their entire future. Surely then, it is atsecurity. Therefore it is crucial that you do
this time that we should be using every availablesomething about it now.
strategy at our disposal to engage children in their