Reading to Dogs (RTD) in schools, a form of animal-assisted education (AAE), is growing in popularity and prevalence. RTD involves children reading to a registered dog with benefits to well-being and reading outcomes thought to arise because of the unconditional positive regard and non-critical listening bestowed on the child by the dog. Yet RTD…

Compelling international evidence illustrates the potential of reading for pleasure for enhancing student reading achievement along with other learning and wellbeing outcomes. Yet profound challenges exist for nations seeking to encompass attention to students' volitional reading. In this paper we critically review the growing research evidence in…

This report looks at the reading engagement of children aged 8 to 18 in Scotland, based on data gathered from 1,141 pupils across eight schools in 2023. The survey was conducted between January and the middle of March 2023. Slightly more girls (58.8%; n = 635) than boys (41.2%; n = 445) participated from Scotland. There is also data from 33…

Working through four key tenets of Deleuze-Guattarian theory, the authors describe how contemporary affect theory offers a radically different perspective on reading. Asking how we can conceptualize reading differently if we conceptualize affect differently, we argue that possible meanings of reading or experiences of reading must be considered…

The recent pandemic disease, COVID-19, brought about a measure that involves every individual staying at home in Nigeria. This had various effects on different activities and habits of an average Nigerian. This study examined the influence of COVID-19 lockdown on reading habit of Nigerians using Lagos State inhabitants as case study. Descriptive…

This paper is part of a wider survey in which we identify groups of readers aged 10 to 11. The paper presents the findings on the observed affective variables (attitude and motivational) of different groups of readers. The results show that individual's attitude towards reading has the impact on reading comprehension and vice versa, better reading…

The conversation around reluctant readers continues to focus on boys, with research, practice and policy exploring what could be done to (re)engage boys in reading (see National Literacy Trust, 2012; Department for Education, 2019; OECD, 2021). Girls who don't enjoy reading or who don't read in their free time are seldom the focus of interest,…

Every year in England, thousands of children leave primary school without the confidence and fluency in reading they need. This has a significant effect on their learning, life chances and engagement with reading, and it also has a long-term economic and social impact. The Read On. Get On. (ROGO) campaign was launched in 2014 to address this…

Leisure reading is important for personality development and mental growth of children. Reading habits developed during early childhood are likely to continue rest of the life. The main purpose of this study was to investigate leisure reading habits and preferences of young children in Singapore. A questionnaire was used for data collection and…

We have conducted the national annual literacy survey since 2010 and have surveyed young people on literacy issues since 2005. This report outlines findings about children's and young people's reading from our seventh annual literacy survey conducted in November/ December 2016 and where possible relates those findings back to our other reading…

Everyone agrees that reading is important, but kids today tend to lose interest in reading before adolescence. In "Raising Kids Who Read", bestselling author and psychology professor Daniel T. Willingham explains this phenomenon and provides practical solutions for engendering a love of reading that lasts into adulthood. Like…

The National Literacy Trust's Premier League Reading Stars has now been running for 10 years. During this time, hundreds of thousands of children and families have been inspired by the power of football to develop a love of reading. Although the programme has grown and evolved over this period, the premise remains the same: harnessing the…

The purpose of this interpretive case study was to explore the reading perceptions and attitudes of children who exhibited high levels of motivation to read. The study explored the extent to which the highly motivated children read and the extent to which they enjoy reading. Seven children enrolled in the fifth grade at a small, rural elementary…

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a powerful tool that motivates students of all ages and abilities to read for pleasure. A wealth of data is routinely collected about children's reading skills to monitor and help manage their independent reading. However, no information is collected on the "softer" reading outcomes, such as reading enjoyment…

Earlier this year Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, announced that British children were not reading enough and should, he believed, reading 50 books a year. This idea had come from a charter school he had visited in the US and was met with some degree of scepticism by authors and professionals who questioned whether a focus on…