Teaching Reading with an Attitude: What Teachers Can Do to Foster Lifelong Readers George Graham Lecture, 2008 Michael

1. Teaching Reading with an Attitude: What Teachers Can Do to Foster Lifelong Readers George Graham Lecture, 2008 Michael C. McKenna University of Virginia

3. Is lifelong reading really a worthwhile instructional goal?

4. Arguments against a nation of lifelong readers • High literacy rates are a very recent phenomenon. Historically, reading has been reserved for the very few. (See Caleb Crain, “Twilight of the Books,” The New Yorker, December 24, 2007, for a discussion.) • Digital technology is changing what counts as literacy. In fact, we now speak in the plural, of the new “literacies” (e.g. Don Leu, 2000, Handbook of Reading Research, Volume 3). • Not everyone may be cut out to read extensively and well. This may be the natural order of humanity. (See Ursula K. LeGuin, Harpers Magazine, February, 2008.)

5. I … want to question the assumption … that books are on the way out. I think they’re here to stay. It’s just that not that many people ever did read them. Why should we think everybody ought to now? Ursula K. LeGuin “Staying Awake: Notes on the Alleged Decline of Reading” Harpers Magazine February, 2008

7. Two kinds of trends: Developmental trends within an individual Historical trends across years

9. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

10. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book in the past year fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

11. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book in the past year fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

12. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book in the past year fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

13. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book in the past year fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

14. A Few Unpleasantries • Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure. • The percentage of 18-to-44-year-olds who read a book in the past year fell 7 points from 1992 to 2002. • Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers. • The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a 20-year period. • Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence. • The percentage of college graduates who report reading literature fell from 82% in 1982 to 67% in 2002. – To Read or Not to Read National Endowment for the Arts November, 2007

15. http://www.ccsu.edu/AMLC07

16. Five Year Trends, 2003-07 • Fifty-seven out of 60 cities reported fewer retail booksellers in 2007 than in 2003. • Per capita circulation of magazines in the United States increased in 87 percent of the cities studied. • All but one city declined in Sunday newspaper circulation. • Almost all the cities have more free Internet access points. More people are reading newspapers online and buying books online than in previous years.

17. 2007 How often do you read for fun, on your own time? Grade 4 Grade 8

18. 2007 How often do you read for fun, on your own time? Grade 4 Grade 8

19. 2007 How often do you read for fun, on your own time? Grade 4 Grade 8

20. Attitude Trends, Grades 1-6 Attitudes toward reading tend to worsen with age. 1. McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children’s attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 934-956.

22. Attitude Trends, Grades 1-6 Attitudes worsen most for the worst readers. 2. McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children’s attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 934-956.

23. “Matthew Effect”

24. Attitude Trends, Grades 1-6 Girls have more positive reading attitudes than boys. 3. McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children’s attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 934-956.

26. Attitude Trends, Grades 1-6 Ethnicity is not, in itself, related to reading attitudes. 4. McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children’s attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30, 934-956.

27. If we hope to foster positive reading attitudes, we must first consider how attitudes are acquired.

28. A Definition of Attitude A learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object. – Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975, p. 6, original emphasis Martin Fishbein Icek Ajzen Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

29. Think of attitudes on a scale from negative to positive … – +

30. Definition of Interest This term “is usually associated with a topic, such as dinosaurs or Civil War history.” – Guthrie and Wigfield, 2000, p. 405 John Guthrie Allan Wigfield Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000). Engagement and motivation in reading. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.). Handbook of reading research (Vol. 3, pp. 403-422). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

31. General Specific Attitude toward Reading Attitude toward Reading Science Fiction Attitude toward Reading Ray Bradbury

32. General Specific Attitude toward Reading Attitude toward Reading Science Fiction Attitude toward Reading Ray Bradbury Attitude toward Reading The Martian Chronicles

33. An interest is actually a micro-attitude – an attitude toward a concept smaller than reading. We can use our knowledge of a student’s interests to motivate the student to read. Positive experiences may also be expected to have a trickle-up effect on general attitude toward reading.

34. A Model of Reading Attitude Acquisition

35. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

36. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

37. To read or not to read – That is the question.

38. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

39. Beliefs about the Expectations of Others • Who has expectations about a child’s reading? • To what extent is the child inclined to meet those expectations?

40. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

41. Beliefs about the Outcomes of Reading • Is reading likely to be pleasurable or useful? • Or is reading likely to be boring, frustrating, even humiliating?

42. Finding ways to alter a child’s belief structure is a key challenge in fostering more positive attitudes.

43. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

44. Social Structure and Environment Beliefs about others’ expectations Beliefs about the outcomes of reading Subjective Norms contingent on: • identity of others • conflicting expectations • specific expectations • externally imposed purposes for reading Intention to Read contingent on: • availability of help • availability of materials • interest in topic • time constraints • physical environment • competing options • physiological state • nature of specific text Reading Attitude contingent on: • strength of attitude • personal purposes • importance ascribed to specific reading activity being considered Decision to Read

45. Instruction that fosters positive attitudes should …

46. Instruction that fosters positive attitudes should … • Provide successful and engaging experiences with reading

47. Instruction that fosters positive attitudes should … • Provide successful and engaging experiences with reading • Strengthen beliefs that reading will be pleasant

48. Instruction that fosters positive attitudes should … • Provide successful and engaging experiences with reading • Strengthen beliefs that reading will be pleasant • Challenge beliefs about peer expectations concerning reading

49. The Economics of Reading Attitude What if reading were a product to be sold?

50. Reading Must Compete for “Shelf Space”