Bostondotcom reports on a reading report:
We know what young people are doing more of: watching television, surfing the Web, listening to their iPods, talking on cellphones, and instant-messaging their friends.
But a new report released today by the National Endowment for the Arts makes clear what they're doing a lot less of: reading.
The report - a 99-page compendium of more than 40 studies by universities, foundations, business groups, and government agencies since 2004 - paints a dire picture of plummeting levels of reading among young people over the past two decades. Among the findings:
Only 30 percent of 13-year-olds read almost every day.
The number of 17-year-olds who never read for pleasure increased from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.
Almost half of Americans between ages 18 and 24 never read books for pleasure.
The average person between ages 15 and 24 spends 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day watching TV and 7 minutes reading.
Those are some of the the stats. Need we do anything about it or is everything fine?
Bostondotcom reports on a reading report:
Those are some of the the stats. Need we do anything about it or is everything fine?
I think the average 15-24yr old spends their time on Facebook or IMing their friends or watching YouTube or gaming. I think TV is not very interesting to them, although heaven knows there is lots of educational stuff on TV besides the dreck.
ReplyDeleteAs to the number of non 17 yr old readers increasing, I wonder if there is a corresponding increasing rate in the illiteracy numbers. That seems to be a big problem not yet solved. They pass them in school from year to year with the no child left behind policy but they are often functionally illiterate.
Yes, JMB and it's not just in America. GThis is part of the "dumbing down" which not all accept is happening.
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure all of this matters. When I was young and studying I had to do a lot of reading for university and school.
ReplyDeleteUnsurprisingly in my free time I did not want to do more reading.
After doing my master's degree and having to read a thick text book a week for 2 years I did not read any more books for at all for atleast 3 years...
I still do not like fiction and never read any; does that make me a dumbed down illiterate?
Sadly, I just don't know what we can do about it. When I taught in FE and I'd refer students to a book for information they'd look at me in horror because they hate having to view info that is not on the net - info that they can't just cut and paste. Those who don't read for pleasure are losing out on so much. I despair for culture.
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me that my younger son particularly does not enjoy reading. He was fine until he started secondary school where it is no actively promoted, it is very much left up to them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I spent a lot of time reading. I still read a lot, but some of it is doing research on the web.
ReplyDeleteI would be reading 'War & Peace' right now if it weren't for the distraction of blogs like this. Honest.
ReplyDeleteI read something somewhere about an area of Scotland effectively abolishing illiteracy by a programme of targeting people falling behind and giving them extra, one-to-one assistance. I'll try to find the link.
ReplyDeleteThat is one good start; if people can read, they're more likely to read!
Another one is writing. If people can write and enjoy writing, they're going to be more engaged with the written word in productive and receptive modes.
I think that blogging is good on that front... not just political blogging, but a culture of writing, reading and thinking across all manner of subjects.
Dave, Ross, Bob, Ellee, Wels, CUS - all good points too.
ReplyDeleteThe one on one, especially from home, is the best method.
"The one on one, especially from home, is the best method."
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. I'm eternally grateful to my parents for teaching me to read at an early age and instilling in me a love of reading. It has enriched my life.
The article I mentioned is at http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2214505,00.html