Children’s Reading Choices  

This new short report from Teresa Cremin and Becky Coles of The Open University looks at data from 1194 children aged 8-11 years who took part in the Attitude to Reading survey provided by Bounce Together and written by the School Library Association. The responses came from 14 state schools across England in 2021 and were spread across the country. The findings re-enforce much of what is ‘known’ about creating a vibrant and impactful reading culture within a school; but some findings provide a challenge. 

Amongst the most notable findings is that 12% of respondents indicated they didn’t like any books or stories. Although this number may seem low, these are schools which are already engaged with reading to some extent, and an additional 2% didn’t answer the question. 

The responses to the question ‘When you’ve finished reading something, how do you choose what to read next?’ also provide a challenge for schools. Over half (56%) said their preferred way to choose the next book was simply to look at the shelves, and only 14% said they’d ask an adult. This highlights the importance of reading environments being easily navigable and browsing strategies being explicitly taught. Cremin and Coles write: “Perhaps the young people do not see adults as readers, do not often experience adults reading and have limited access to reading role models. Or perhaps they perceive that the adult - a teacher, parent or librarian will prescribe a text, not offer a choice, and follow this up with some form of checking or assessment?”