How do we get teenagers to read more?

Professor of Reading and Education, Prof. Roel van Steensel, spoke about this during Studio Erasmus. 'Figures from the Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau show that between 2006 and 2016, the number of readers declined in almost all age groups', he explained. 'The amount of readers is lowest among young people aged 12 to 19. In 2006, two-thirds of young people were readers. In 2016, that was only 40 percent. However, this trend is seen in almost all age groups.'

This is problematic because reading proficiency in the Netherlands has declined significantly over the past ten years, placing the Netherlands below the international and EU averages. The only exception where the numbers are not declining is the elderly.

What is 'a reader'?
According to the Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau, a reader is someone who -during a week-, reads at least ten minutes at a time in a long text. A long text can be a book, magazine, newspaper or a long internet essay.

The more you read, the more enjoyable it becomes

'A reading spiral can be positive or negative', says Van Steensel. 'If you read a lot, your reading skills improve, which in turn makes you a better reader. This increases your self-confidence and motivates you to read, which in turn leads to more reading. This creates a positive spiral.' A negative reading spiral works the other way around. If you're stuck in such a negative spiral for a long time, reading resistance can develop.

Reading frequency + how much you read + reading comprehension = reading spiral

Whether or not someone reads depends on their reading motivation. This consists of:

• motive (do you have to or want to read);
• resources (do you have a good book at hand);
• opportunity (do you have time to read).

'People often see reading motivation as something unchangeable: you either enjoy reading or you don't. But a person's reading behavior is also largely determined by the situation, so it depends on motive, resources, and opportunity.'

Female students read more than male students

One hundred students kept a reading diary for two weeks. In this diary, they answered questions such as "Have you read today?", "What genre did you read?", and "Did you read for school, work, or in your free time?". The researchers looked at their motive, resources, and opportunity.

The results? Female students read more fiction than male students, partly due to their reading motivation. Motivated students read more than less motivated students.

Tips to get children and teenagers reading

'Ask children and teenagers what topics they find interesting and give them specific book recommendations', Van Steensel advises. 'We also know from research that students from schools with a wide selection of books are more motivated, read more, and read better. Creating more reading time without distractions also helps.'