Are your students willing to read?
From my observations and conversations with students, it appears that fewer of them like to read. It is about reading both articles and research books, as well as reading for pleasure in free time.
What are your observations? Is the growing reluctance to read the domain of our time?
Dear Prof. Joanna,
I think you question is the reflection on the habit of today's students' less reading.
At the improving technologies of IT and electronics era, today's students like to read from the mobile phones, i-pad, tablet, computers (mostly laptops). They think the hard copies of the articles and books disturb their free style. They don't like to carry heavy books and documents.
Based on my experience, the modern students more like to carry the soft copy (electronics version) of the books and articles.
I see that there is obviously decreasing numbers of reading from the hard copy in the recent years.
Also, frankly, the reading is lost in some students.
They are interesting in other things instead of the reading.
I think it is not good.
Sincerely
Yes, most of the students are very eager to read.
They are very eager to read the posts of different social media (like facebook, whatsapp etc.).😉
Dear Joanna, you are rightly observed. Nowadays a majority of students have no interest either in reading books or research papers.
1. After the reform of university studies ("Bologna Process") at European universities it has become more difficult, - not easier! - to organize studies because the curricula and administrative requests are more complex, more confusing.
2. Many students have to work by accepting an additional job to earn a living.
3. The gathering of information has become much easy but also much shallow. It is sufficient to gain and to use Wikipedia entries and pdf-files from the net. Thorough reading and writing excerpts is no longer common practice.
the honest response is no. students are not inclined towards reading the books. they have other multiple sources to engage themselves in social media, electronic media and other things. Even strict assessment and strict policies are fail to develop this habit among students.
I see most students today eager to read non-scientific things.
Dear Dr. Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek , it is an interesting issue.
As per my experiences, the interests of students towards reading books is decreasing. This is mainly due to availability and easily accessibility of an ocean of information in social media like internet.
As information is easily available via different information hubs, most of them are not interested to go for reading books and spend more time on reading books.
However, it is very crucial to boost students and children’s motivation to read. Motivation is an exigent activity that often involves choice, motivation is crucial to reading engagement. It is also very crucial to find inspiration, and strategies to encourage teenagers to read for pleasure.
As a parent or teacher, it is very important to learn and deeply analyze why it's important that teens read, and what may motivate them to choose reading from a range of activities competing for their time.
Dear Dr. Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek , generally, students who believe they are capable and competent readers are more likely to outperform those who do not hold such beliefs. In addition, students who perceive reading as valuable and important and who have personally relevant reasons for reading will engage in reading in a more planned and effortful manner (Moser and Morrison, 1998).
They also indicated that 50% of the children read books for an average of four minutes per day or less, 30% read two minutes per day or less, and fully 10% never reported reading any book on any day. For the majority of the children, reading from books occupied 1% of their free time, or less.
Therefore, it is very important to know children and students' reading interests in order to help to connect them with books and other reading material they'll enjoy. Parents, teachers and school librarians are expected to work more and more to suit students' needs, abilities, and interests so that to motivate them reading and thereby to promote the reading interests and realize their successes.
Yes we may answer the question either YES or NO depending on our experiences. But what is important and common to all of us is to motivate children and students read more and more.
There are specific actions that parents and teachers can take that may increase children and students' motivation to read, as well as increase their reading comprehension, rate of oral reading, and accuracy of oral reading. The following recommendations that parents and teachers can follow to motivate and to increase some crucial reading skills:
1) Read aloud to students daily;
2) Provide for daily sustained silent reading;
3) Model personal readaing enjoyment each day;
4) Provide for formal and informal book sharing;
5) Regularly provide students with a collection of reading materials from the school or community library;
6) Arrange for effective use of community volunteers to encourage recreational reading.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1264&context=reading_horizons
Hi Joanna,
personally, it seems to me that reading is an activity less and less widespread among young people, especially read paper books. If you also want to consider reading e-books, perhaps the data may (slightly) improve.
I find it very important not only the quantity, but also the quality aspect in reading. The quality is strongly dependent on memory, attention and concentration, and the latter are increasingly diminishing due to the phenomenon that, some time ago, I mentioned in an answer to your question, namely the phenomenon of "digital dementia" .
This is the systematic weakening of mind and body by high-tech devices for everyday use, first of all the so-called "smartphone".
I am indebted to Manfred Spitzer (2012) for his beautiful book on the subject to have given organic form to many nebulous observations of mine.
Furthermore, I believe there is a relatively recent approach in the school (in Italy, but I do not believe only in Italy), of "market orientation". I mean that my perception is that of a school whose goal is to push towards "what the market needs", with dramatic consequences in terms of basic training in the most important disciplines.
These are very broad themes, which certainly can not be exhausted in a few bars, but I think they could indicate the root causes that explain the phenomenon you are talking about.
Best regards,
Marco
Ahmed, et al, they are distracted but all mine have the desire to read as well. Maybe I'm lucky, because my students can separate the two activities, distinguish worth and consequences.
Arben. reading only what's required is partly the fault of examination boards. If courses were more stimulating, more would read.
Using smartphones only for communication is an important additional factor of time reduction, and this factor is in the female gender stronger in use than with men. But female students are more conscientious than male students, so my own observatons.
This is very generalized question, where the situation is completely depends on many factors, like what level of students? What kind of reading subjects? Do you mean social media or books?
Anyway my answer is No.
Regards,
Emad
In the academic field, students read to pass the exam only, Generally students spend longer time with social networking sites and this is one reason why reading declines.
Reading is the key to knowledge and the way of advancement; the nation that you read has the lead and is in the lead. Today, however, many people are reluctant to read for many reasons: personal reasons( ignorance, vanity, and self-perception),Economic reasons: because of the high prices of books, or human poverty. Educational reasons: where absent the culture of the book about some homes and educational incubators, in addition to administrative reasons, and others.
Reading requirements vary at different stages of classes.
At school level, children have to read text books as prescribed due to compulsion from teacher.
At college level, some students study out of interest while majority of them study to pass examination.
At Masters and Ph D level students have to study in details for research work as well for in-depth study of the subject.
Hello,
Dear Dr joanna,
I totally agree with you, because most of the students do not like to read nowdays, unfortunately.
On the other hand, they like to spend their times on social media, etc.
Thanks,
Dear Beemnet Mengesha Kassahun,
I have a big request to you. Now in the discussion https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_liberal_democracy_in_decline
there was a very heated dispute, which has already surpassed all admissible boundaries. In recent discussions, the question arose: "Choice: Either Liberal Democracy or Communism. Or work your own new theory".
I sent the answer:
"What can be an alternative to Liberal Democracy? In my opinion, it would be interesting to look at the hybrid of the Juche ideology in North Korea with the high technology industry in South Korea. That is, what would happen if North Korea and South Korea would unite into one single state, in which the common ideology would be the "Juche". It seems to me, then we would see the most motivated nation in the world, which would give the biggest economic growth in the world. While my choice - is this option".
Please give your personal opinion about the prospect of the unification of North Korea and South Korea. It would be very interesting to hear from you as a native of South Korea. Is my forecast correct (or rather erroneous)?
Thank you in advance
The answer to your question is relative depending on the country, institution, and individual concern. In tertiary institutions, it also depends on the course of study and most times the lecturer involved.
Yes , majority of the students are eager to read. But what they really eager to read is different depending upon their own interest. Of course, that is rarely the text books !
Hello,
Students' reluctance to read seems to be a pandemic symptom and has become a matter of great concern all over the world. Although reading is the touchstone for academic progress , thee majority of students are reluctant to do so. Naturally, the issue may be shaped and developed differently across different cultures.
Best regards,
R. Biria
This mainly depends on the academic staff style to motivate students on reading
Students today are inquisitive to explore new things, hence they are more eager to read, though they prefer INTERNET instead of conventional ways.
Dear Prof. Joanna
Today students do not read books and magazines through the spread of the internet around the world and the truth in google is everything that exists .
Best regards
Dear Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek,
Your question is more important than it may seem at first glance. In fact, this question directly relates to the future of the intellectual level of people. Why? I have said many times in RG that if children and young people stop reading books, they stop thinking and analyzing. It is interesting to note that famous people forbade their children to use smartphones for more than a certain time. Here for example, the material from https://www.kp.ru/daily/26297/3175415/ (in Russian)
Steve Jobs wrote his name in the story as a man who gave the world the iPhone and a number of other revolutionary inventions. But to his own children he was better known as a man ... to took these iPhones from them. It's hard to believe, but the godfather of the digital revolution forbade his children to spend a lot of time with tablets and smartphones. One biographer of Jobs stated that he introduced a ban for children to use gadgets at night and on weekends. In addition, mobile phones were outlawed when in the evening the family (Jobs had three daughters and one son) was going to dinner.
The "destroyers" of freedoms were also the other leaders of the IT revolution. For example, the children of the founder of Twitter Evan Williams complained about the draconian laws that the pope established: a tablet and a smartphone could only be used an hour a day. When they tried to arrange a protest, the father said:
"There are several hundred paper books at home. If you want to have fun, read as much as you like!".
It is still necessary to understand one thing well: Smartphone overuse may 'damage' eyes, say opticians - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/26780069/smartphone-overuse-may-damage-eyes-say-opticians
hi everybody usually students read whatever: books, scientific papers, on line or cellphone when the were educated in that sense for their parents, if those first educators do not do so, is hard to have the habit to read, even in the rich countries, if parents do work in with its children at the first days of learning to read and to write. Students just read when the most to in order to pass an specific course. In developing countries the problem is getting worst, bascially because its goverments and educactional systems have not real aim to support them, as results of that the number of new young researchers are very low and regarding that rich countries can help them many of them move to a places where they can achieve this goal, if developing countries do not work with real strategies to solve this key way to achieve progres in all sense world`s differences among rich and developing countries will be worst.
in my personal experience in interacting with students, I observed that most of them are reluctant to read/study independently and they will unfortunately potentially hate you for their entire study duration if you help them value reading/studying independently
In this digital age also, some students are naturally eager to read for learning new subjects. But the medium of learning has changed. Instead of reading text books, most students like internet surfing for knowledge. In near future, most of the text books will be available as e-books.
The other students need motivations. Here, the role of teacher comes. Motivating student is a challenge for teachers. It is also a fact that the students are motivated in different ways. No single formula can be applied for all. Teacher needs to understand each student and accordingly he/she has to adapt the system of encouraging students for reading and learning. It’s a special skill for a teacher.
Regards
It's an absolute NO! This shift towards the "social media" interaction is doing a sustained harm on the reading culture of today's student.
Thank you so much, dear Collegues, for your valuable comments and for all the discussion. Best wishes!
Joanna
Students of nowadays have a diminished appetite to read their notes, let alone books and journal articles. More time is being stolen from them by social media
I totally agree with Prof. Anastas. We are probably not in the age of reading hard copy books, with information available 'google search' away.
Ironically, even at this age, life has a way of rewarding those who take the pain to read books. That is why most successful people today are the voracious readers. The Bill gates, Zuckerbergs, Bezos,....
"Ironically, even at this age, life has a way of rewarding those who take the pain to read books" (Dr. Abubakar) - I agree with this statement. Regards
@Anastas has correctly stated the changes in the digitization period after 1990. I want to elaborate a bit on that. We have to distinguish between 2 types of choices today (by students and not only): a) willingness to get new information vs willingness to enjoy (for example, by playing games or by watching movies); b) getting information from reading or from other sources (for example, by watching video clips or news on TV).
Both of these choices lead to reduction of reading. But in the first case a) students stay less informed (which is bad), while the case b) they can stay equally informed.
I personally prefer to get new information by reading (even news on internet) but many people prefer watching video clips. Those clips are even becoming some quantum of message in social networks. When somebody is lazy to write you a sentence of text inviting instead to watch 5-min clip. This is not an efficient use of information (few words take less kb of memory than video, but who cares?) but also of time of your partner. But this becomes a dominant social habit and we can do little with that.
I may add these points to those covered quite eloquently by other commentators. We may categorise students into the following:
1. Quick and easy access to information - This is driven by a reliance on keywords when searching the web for reference materials. This is where the use of "infopedia" to gain high level snapshots, or headlines, are useful. The downside: too shallow or superficial information are often erroneously extrapolated. Hence, you have attribution to an author of some quotes that has very little to do with the paper or ideas that the author presents.
2. Highly academic journals - Our joke when I was doing my PhD, papers written in academic jargon usually are only interesting to the editor and the authors. For PhD thesis, it reduces it to the candidate, the supervisor and the examiner. This is where the use of plain English (or the target readers' language) is a cure that could broaden access to a wider readership.
3. Specialised publications - This has an advantage over other publications. The readers are already pre-disposed to read what is published.
Overall, the internet and social media has made information accessible. However, far from encouraging readers to read quality papers, the sheer amount of articles posted with very little validation actually impedes higher consumption of content.
Hence, the paradox: More access to information, less likely will public discourse (and readership) improve in quality.
Fewer an fewer students are willing to read and fewer still want to read print material. The younger generation appears to be more interested in texting, use of abbreviations and getting their info through their cell phones. My own students do not read syllabi or want to look at posters emblazoned in bold letters as to class deadlines and exams. This is obvious because I keep getting the same question over and over again, "When is the absolute last day to finish?"
Students should understand that there is life outside of cell phones and Internet. They should critically examine the source of information and how valid they are before accepting them at face value. Information access is easier because of new technologies, however, the amount of garbage out there has also increased proportionately.
My observation is that more and more students prioritize the Internet over books, as well as iconosphere (= the sphere of image) over the logosphere (= the sphere of logos/word). The signs of the time.
What is more, it refers not only to students but paradoxically also to a part of their professors. When they submit a paper to an academic journal, it seems easier for them to refer to a hyperlink than to its paper original. I know it from my experience as an editorial board member.
A good number of students today are not willing to read to acquire knowledge. If they must read intensively, they need a good reason to read and the most important reason why students read is to pass examination or when there is an upcoming competition where process of preparation, reflections and outcomes help them see the value or benefit of reading.
Summarily, students see reading as something that should be done in school, rather than an opportunity to learn and be exposed to new ideas....
From my findings, Internet and social media has made information very easy to access. I observed that a good number of students prefer the Internet over books. They join social platform or network groups like Facebook, WhatsApp e.t.c just to chat, advertise, make old and new friends. This has really affected reading and also discouraged readers from reading quality hard copy papers and books.
From my findings, Internet and social media has made information very easy to access. I observed that a good number of students prefer the Internet over books. They join social platform or network groups like Facebook, WhatsApp e.t.c just to chat, advertise, make old and new friends. This has really affected reading and also discouraged readers from reading quality hard copy papers and books on shelves and library.
Dear Dr. Joanna..
Good Day,,,,
As I see at this time very little percent of students are eager to read books, but the other larg percent of students have no desiring for reading because of smart phone , ipad and tablet systems. They find every things in social media and net, therefor they dont try to read any book.
Best regards.
Dr. Yehya
Excitation of curiosity arouses the need to search, and without reading there is no answer. My students are reading, though not as much as I could wish for.
More often and more willingly they read what is not always needed, mainly information on the Internet, in social media, it's true.
To me, the eager student to read scientific papers increase sharply,but general form of reading decrease unfortunately😞
being human is more important than being Researcher!!!! We need to empower our knowledge in any aspects
Dear Prof. Joanna
This is a very significant question that need to be addressed at the national, regional, and global levels.
From my interactions with student, I realized that the reasons for their unwillingness to reading are peculiar to different society/community/environment/country.
For instance, in Nigeria most students are eager to spending time on social media even when the final examination is around the corner;
In Uganda, some of the students (mostly social sciences) would prefer clubbing (Mondays through Sundays) and spend most part of the day sleeping, while few ascribed their unwillingness to hunger and financial challenges, and the remaining group to social media.;
In Liberia, a post conflict country where I presently work, laziness, hunger, entertainment, poor background in english and other fundamental subjects are some of the reasons why most students are not eager to spend quality time reading.
In general, this issue may be ascribed to the fast growth in technology. One of the drawbacks of technology in our society.
But the question now is, how do we address this issue/challenge globally?
All the very best.
Dr. Adebayo Adeboye Fashina,
Thank you for your response to the question raised by Prof. Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek. I quite agree with your statement that Nigerian students love spending time on social media but not to the detriment of their examinations or grades. Nigerian students to the best of my knowledge are not willing to fail an examination, not even dummies in class. They focus too much on grades so, they try as much as possible to stay away from social media during FINAL exams. Thank you once more.
Regards,
Modestus.
Thank you so much for your valuable comments and opinions. Best regards!
Joanna
Dear Dr. Modestus Okwu,
Thank you for your insightful input and clarification. However, if you carefully go through my previous comments, you would discover that I said "when the final examination is around the corner" and not during the finals".
Thank you for your time.
Cheers.
You are most welcome Prof. Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek. The question you raised is commendable. Thank you.
Today's students are more eager to learn, but, I think they like the others more than the reading.
Yes, dear Dr Karthik you rightly said that the Students are no more interested in reading scientific material rather they like to read general things.
Some of them while others focus more on social media. But get extremely serious with readings during examinations.
Dr. Adebayo A. Fashina,
Thank you so much for your quick response and further clarification
I am glad to read your last response.
Regards,
Modestus.
Most of the students are not eager to read or work towards research.
I think in the present time students are not eager to read because they involved in other general things like mobiles........ etc.
They are not eager to read but they need to be motivated to
Students are no longer eager to read they want to make quick money, they are also distracted on social media.
From my experience, only few of my students are eager to read while the majority are not willing to read.
Students are not very eager to read, instead they prefer to learn through visuals means. For example, I assigned my students to read Animal Farm and write a short reflection. Yet, I later learned that the majority of the students watched the animated movie version of Animal Farm since their reflections were mainly based on the movie version.
Reading is undertaken for many purposes:
1. Reading for knowledge:
1.1 Reading to learn your obligations to your school. teachers, classmates
1.2 Reading to pass a school, university test
1.3 Reading to pass a driving test
1.4 Reading to make money
2. Reading for enjoyment, probably going by the wayside given all other media and telephonic sources of information
Dennis
Dennis Mazur
They are much more interested in social platforms like watsapp and facebook
Thanks
We are living in a world that is so rapidly changing making the new generation mental development different from the old days.
Young people interests needs and priorities are different and their learning style seems different and therefore we need different approach.
Conference Paper Modern Approaches and Methods in Teaching English Language
Best regards
Ali Almothaffar
the eagerness is to exposure to social media and reading on e-books laptops and smartphones rather than books.
The students of these days are strongly tied to all manner of portable electronic devices,which impacts negatively on their commitment to learning and classroom attention, hence student's retention span.
It depends, but most of them just want to get everything by doing things at 11th hour
Language today's generation of images. That we can thank technology development! Here's a personal example: My son has completed Literature and works as a professor of Serbian language in high school, but did not read the most important works of world writers. It is unacceptable for me !!! Even worse, he had not even heard of them! Today generaaacije are poluinformisane ... superficial, they are interested in fast, current information, sensations, personal promotion on social networks ... They do not read anything that has more than 300 characters
As per my experience most of students are not supposed to read properly but they are interested to enjoy social networks.
Students are carried away with social platforms like watsapp and facebook. They prefer to read during examination.
A good article on developing reading habits:
Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond
Article Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during g...
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