in the classroom
The study demonstrates the importance of promoting reading enjoyment – particularly fiction .
have less “ desire to read a range of texts ”. At the same time , other teachers fall into the trap of providing boys with more non-fiction to read ( based on stereotypes ), despite reading fiction being “ more closely aligned with more advanced reading ability ”.
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Study finds boys ’ dislike for fiction is something of a fiction .
By Wade Zaglas
New research has refuted the common stereotype that schoolboys prefer reading non-fiction , magazines and comics instead of fiction in a finding that is being touted as “ significant ” and “ unexpected ”.
The study , which included 300 students aged from seven to eight in Australia , found that more than half ( 57 per cent ) of male students liked fiction or story books “ a lot ”.
In another surprising finding , girls rated their enjoyment of non-fiction reading more highly than the boys in the sample group ( 55 per vs 51 per cent ).
Not only does the study hold important implications for teachers , parents and policy-makers , it points to the fact that “ boys ’ reading preferences may have been underestimated ”.
Lead author of the study , Associate Professor Laura Scholes at the Australian Catholic University , an expert in educational semiotics , is now calling for a “ reform of literacy agendas ”. This would mean that lessons focus not only on developing reading skills , but promoting the enjoyment that can be experienced through reading great fiction .
Additionally , Scholes wants to encourage more parent-teacher communication relating to reading regularly , including fiction .
“ These findings challenge the long-standing myth that boys prefer non-fiction ,” Scholes states .
“ The study demonstrates the importance of promoting reading enjoyment – particularly fiction – early on in schooling .
“ This includes special consideration for boys and students from economically marginalised communities .
“ Fiction plays a key role in reading development . So , facilitating opportunities to develop sustained enjoyment of reading of this text type in the classroom is one way to expand boys ’ repertoire of experience . It also supports students with more limited access to quality reading resources .”
Scholes highlights that evidence from international studies has found that reading for pleasure is correlated with better reading outcomes for students . However , scholarship has also highlighted that such a link can vary depending on a child ’ s gender , socioeconomic status and location .
The lead author of the study also points out that some teachers believe students from low-income households
STUDY AIM , METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS The aim of Scholes ’ study was to explore the links between pupils ’ reading enjoyment , the frequency of their reading , and their reading achievement on national reading tests , and involved 318 Year 3 Australian students .
Data was gleaned from 152 boys and 166 girls attending 14 schools across South East Queensland . The students represented a range of socioeconomic communities and the majority attended state schools .
Students were asked to rate their enjoyment level when reading a range of text types , including fiction , non-fiction , comics and magazines using three categories : “ like a lot ”, “ like a little ” and “ don ’ t like ”. Frequency levels were also assessed , ranging from “ daily ” to “ hardly ever ”.
“ Overall , the proportion of girls and boys who liked fiction ‘ a lot ’ was 63 per cent , just over half ( 53 per cent ) said the same for non-fiction , and 37 per cent for comics and magazines ,” the study found .
“ The findings showed that students who had higher levels of enjoyment for fiction and non-fiction , and who read more frequently , were more likely to have better reading skills .
“ The results also confirm that students from schools in poorer areas tend to struggle to achieve the same reading scores as more affluent children .”
Scholes also makes an important point about the value of boys accessing reading-rich environments such as libraries , particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are emergent readers . ■
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