In this episode, I focus on the reading habits of teenagers with high school English teacher, Beth Donofrio. Beth has her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education for English and her master’s degree in Children and Adolescents at Risk from Harvard. She is a conference speaker, editor, and author of the book, Champions Way: Inspiring Stories from the Journeys of Hometown Champions.
Beth conducted a survey in her high school and discusses the trends of teenage reading habits. She answers the question, "How does reading change during childhood and how can it be regained?"
Studies show a consistent decline in daily reading as children grow older, with a sharp drop by age nine that does not typically recover throughout adolescence. Scholastic reported a 24% drop in daily reading and The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported a 34% drop in daily reading. Since 1984, the number of tweens and teens who read for pleasure at least once a week decreased 5% among 9-year-olds and 24% among 17-year-olds. Finally, more preteen and teenagers reported to rarely if ever read for pleasure since 1984: sixteen percent more of 9-year-olds, 18% more of 17-year-olds. So, what changed, and how can we get it back?
Listen to Beth as she discusses what has changed in teen life as well as their choices, how it's impacted SAT and reading scores, what books can help your teen, and how adults of all ages can impact teen reading habits.
To learn more, read my blog, Turning the Page: How Adults Can Help Teens Rediscover the Joy of Reading.
