Why is reading for pleasure important in primary education?

Clark & Rumbold, (2006) define reading for pleasure as “reading that we do of our own free will anticipating and satisfaction that we will get from the act of reading. It also refers to reading that having begun at someone else’s request, we continue because we are interested in it” (Cited in Bearne and Reedy, 2018, p. 146). Reading for pleasure it not the same as reading skills, whilst reading for pleasure would not happen without having reading skills, reading for pleasure is a voluntary act done for enjoyment, whilst reading skills are essential as well as compulsory in education (Bearne & Reedy, 2018). Reading for pleasure can push the boundaries of what reading has traditionally been seen as. When reading for pleasure the reader is interacting with the book, no matter the form, whether it be digitally (e-book) or a paper version (Tarulli, 2014). “I like reading because I’m lost in my own world” (Lockwood, 2008. Pp 15). The reader can become completely immersed in the book if they enjoy it. Reading for pleasure can cause the reader to connect emotionally with the book, increasing their chances of engagement with the reading material. When someone is reading for pleasure it shows that they are engaging with the book in a positive way. Kucirkova et al (2017) outlines how varies research has revealed how engagement with reading is an indicator of children’s literacy test scores (Kucirkova, et al., 2017).

Reading makes us smart is a bold claim by Bridges (2014) in their research paper. Bridges writes how Anne Cunningham, renowned cognitive psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, explains how reading is a complex cognitive act linking to studies that “suggest that the more our students read, the better their comprehension, vocabulary and fluency” (Bridges, 2004. Pp 4). Further studies show that reading fro pleasure not only has a poitive impact on the pupils vocabulary and other literacy skills but furthermore, it has a positive impact on their mathematic skills (Sullivan & Brown, 2013). Reading for pleasure can enhance the child’s ability to problem-solve in addition to developing the ability to understand how to use numbers (Bridges, 2014).  

Reading for pleasure is being seen less and less in primary schools. With the pressure for pupils to succeed, it is almost as if they have no time to fully engross themselves in a book that they actually enjoy. Schools have reported an increase of more than three-quarters when it comes to pupils in primary schools affected by stress to the point that anxiety and depression takes a hold (Weale, 2017). Which is why I believe reading for pleasure should be introduced as a more focused on topic in primary schools. It is said that children who read for pleasure are more likely to succeed academically and socially as well as go on to become lifelong readers (Lopiccolo, 2018). Aforementioned, reading for pleasure connects to the reader on an emotional level, if the reader in engaged with the book than hopefully it would relieve stress levels as they are enjoying what they are learning.

In a nutshell, reading for pleasure needs to be recognised as a key priority for children’s development. Slowly, this is being recognised, with the renewed Literacy and Mathematics Framework in 2006 setting out a standard for key stage 2 in primary schools to encourage children to “read independently for purpose, pleasure and learning” (Lockwood, 2008. Pp 76). The Department for Education have set out ways in which reading for pleasure will begin to be promoted throughout primary schools in England.

·         Choice – Simply asking the child which book they would like to read has a higher chance of the child enjoying the book. Gambrell, 1996 (cited in Clark and Rumbold, 2006) found that 80% of children found pleasure in reading when the book read was the one that they chose.

·         Incentives – Giving the children an incentive that is linked to reading, a national programme called ‘Booked Up’ shows that this works. Children are able to choose a free book from a selection of 12.  This programme has shown that 71% of these pupils had read the book they had chosen. Furthermore, 47% of parents/carers saw evidence of their child wanted to read more as a result of ‘Booked Up’.

(Department of Education, 2012)

Reading for pleasure is an important part of children’s development and should be classed a priority within classrooms. Whilst, national programmes such as Booked Up are a step in the right direction, they are only put in place within secondary schools. The Early Years stage of a child’s development is vital to how they develop throughout the rest of their educational and social lives. Therefore, pleasure for reading should be a priority from as early as possible, possibly even creating a way to incorporate it into the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Bibliography

Bearne, E. & Reedy, D., 2018. Teaching Primary English : Subject Knowledge and Classroom Practice. 1st ed. London: Routledge.

Bridges, L., 2014. The Joy and Power of Reading: A Summary of Research and Expert Opinion. s.l.:Scholastic Inc. .

Clark, C. & Rumbold, K., 2006. Reading for Pleasure: A Research Overview. London: The National Literacy Trust.

Department for Education , n.d. [Online].

Department of Education, 2012. Research Evidene on Reading for Pleasure. [Online]
Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284286/reading_for_pleasure.pdf
[Accessed 1 May 2019].

Kucirkova, N., Littleton, K. & Cremi, T., 2017. Young children’s reading for pleasure with digital books: six key facets of engagement. Cambridge Journal of Education, 47(1), pp. 67 - 84.

Lockwood, M., 2008. Promoting Reading for Pleasure in the Primary Schoo. London: Sage.

Lopiccolo, R., 2018. Five ways to boost reading for pleasure in primary schools. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tes.com/news/five-ways-boost-reading-pleasure-primary-schools
[Accessed 1 May 2019].

Sullivan, A. & Brown, M., 2013. Social Inequalities in Cognitive Scores at Age 16: The Role of Reading.. London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

Tarulli, L., 2014. Pleasure Reading. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 53(4), pp. 296-299.

Weale, S., 2017. More Primary School Children Suffering Stress from Sats, Survey Finds. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/may/01/sats-primary-school-children-suffering-stress-exam-time
[Accessed 1 May 2019].