In this article, Charlie Taylor offers a commentary on Yang et al.'s 2021 "Reading in a Foreign Language" article, "Text Difficulty in Extensive Reading: Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation." In their study, Yang et al. analyzed the effects of text difficulty on the reading comprehension and motivation of high school…

Great literature gives students a window to other places and times, but it often requires students to step outside their comfort zones and take on challenges they wouldn't usually attempt. Unfortunately, research shows that many schools are not assigning literature that pushes students beyond their current reading level. Jago encourages teachers…

Noted scholar, teacher educator, and IRA past-president Linda Gambrell answers readers' questions about motivating young and struggling readers.

After watching an instructional film informing that only 26 percent of today's college students do the reading for their courses, the author announced to a colleague that she gives reading tests; the colleague looked at her with what seemed a mixture of shock and pity. Indeed, the video in no way suggested that instructors compel students to read;…

The "elephant in the room" when we talk about preparing critical thinkers for the 21st century, Gallagher believes, is U.S. students' lack of reading proficiency and their general disinclination to read. Gallagher's provocative argument is that a significant factor behind the decline of reading in young people is a set of practices…

In this column, the authors expand on the theme of learning to read and learning to love reading through reading. They explain that stories, or narratives, are important and perhaps are the main entry point for reading at home. However, the authors assert that learning to embrace reading means learning to embrace a wider palette of materials that…

This commentary invites Americans to confront what these authors view as the travesty that typically passes for literacy instruction for older youth in the United States who struggle with reading. In too many U.S. schools, these young people face an impoverished curriculum, receiving literacy instruction that is ill suited to their needs, or…

Poetry can be just what is needed to encourage reluctant readers and writers. Poetry's great for reluctant readers. Why? Many poems are short, luring hesitant readers who often say, "This chapter is too long to read."

In this brief article, the author suggests that in this age of accountability, teacher-librarians sometimes become so engulfed by their role in teaching the school curriculum and standards that they forget the power of story. The author stresses, that in her opinion, the power of story is undeniable.

This article provides a summary of current research regarding literacy issues that boys face and offers practices and strategies that might help bridge the literacy gap for boys. The article began as a result of the author's son's struggles with literacy. By sharing Gabe's story, this teacher and researcher examines the issues he and other boys…

This article discusses how the use of literature-based videos in the classroom can be a unique tool for motivating children not only to learn how to read, but also to read for the pure exhilaration of the experience. Good videos can be incredibly engaging, thereby encouraging children who might not otherwise be curious or interested enough to take…

Reading workshop employs teaching methods to accomplish the goals of preparing self-disciplined readers who read and write by choice, motivating students to read and write because of a genuine interest, and developing students who learn to read and write by doing. Reading Workshop came into existence as a reaction to the disproportionate amount of…

eBooks are textual documents that have been converted and "published" in an electronic format and are displayed on eBook readers, devices, or computers using eBook software programs. This new form of book is a relatively recent addition to book styles and offers students, teachers, and schools an additional tool for the teaching of reading and the…

In our theoretical framework, reading engagement entails multiple perspectives on reading that consist of motivational dispositions, cognitive strategies, conceptual understanding, and social discourse. Possessing these attributes, engaged readers are typically higher achievers than less engaged readers, who show fewer of these qualities or less…