Leisure Reading Research Articles

USING CORPUS LINGUISTICS IN TEACHING LEISURE READING

The use of methods of applied linguistics in teaching a foreign language is considered. The potential of learning on the basis of corpus language material is analyzed. An analysis of such corpus linguistics methods as information retrieval (IR), data-driven learning, text searches in large-scale corpora (concordances), natural language processing methods (natural language processing) is presented. NLP)). In addition, the role and importance of the corps in leisure reading was studied.

The impact of technology use on adolescents' leisure reading preferences

AbstractThere is worldwide concern about the decline in children and adolescent enjoyment of reading as documented by international and national surveys, with smartphones and other technologies often blamed for the decline. Yet, with recent rapid improvements in technologies for reading, the accelerated adoption of devices for learning during the pandemic and increased access to e‐books through the public library system in Singapore, the relationship between adolescent technology use and reading may be more complex than is typically painted in popular press. This mixed‐methods study seeks to make current an understanding of adolescent reading in relation to technology by exploring adolescents' preferred reading devices, their use of technology for reading and their use of public e‐resources for reading. In this study, adolescents preferred using their smartphones over print forms for reading and preferred to read social media online. E‐books accessed freely through the public library were under‐utilised, and adolescents reported lack of knowledge or experience about how to look for reading resources online. Findings suggest an intentional and nuanced approach is needed to create an ecosystem of opportunities for adolescents to have meaningful reading experiences in print and digitally.

Gender differences in leisure reading habits: a systematic review of literature

PurposeProviding equal opportunities in class as well as at home does not ensure equal promotion of leisure reading among girls and boys. Gender differences have wider impacts on their reading development. The purpose of this paper is to find out gender differences in leisure reading habits among children.Design/methodology/approachThe search process was conducted during Aug.–Sept. 2019 using Scopus database. A total of 41 studies were selected for the review. The systematic review used Cochrane Methodologies reported as per preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for identification, evaluation and selection of studies. The studies that dealt with leisure reading, reported gender difference of reading, had age group of 4–18-year children, were in English language and were accessible to the researchers were selected for review.FindingsThe results were presented in terms of identified reading factors including reading frequency, reading choice, reading time, reading media, reading influence, reading value and library use. The girls were more frequent readers than boys. The girls were in favor of fiction, while boys were interested in reading nonfiction. Girls preferred online materials but boys were in favor of printed materials. The boys were influenced by their fathers and peer groups’ reading, while girls were influenced by their mothers’ reading habits.Research limitations/implicationsThe study provided better understanding of boys’ and girls’ reading differences and required the librarians, teachers and academic policymakers to deal with them accordingly.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first kind of systematic review reporting difference of reading on the basis of gender and inferred reading factors. It will be helpful for librarians, teachers and academic policymakers to consider these differences while dealing with boys’ and girls’ reading choices and interests.

Systemic support for learners with developmental language disorders in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

BackgroundTeachers play a significant role as early identifiers of learners with developmental language disorder (DLD). They provide important information to other professionals for further specialist support of such learners. Professionals, such as educational psychologists, speech–language therapists (SLTs) and learning support therapists are involved in assisting learners with DLD; hence, inter-professional collaboration (IPC) amongst these professionals is of paramount importance in meeting the needs of learners.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine systemic support strategies available to learners with DLD.MethodThis was a multiple case study of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. The study consisted of 56 participants: 5 teachers, 2 SLTs, a learning support therapist, an educational psychologist and 47 learners. A qualitative research approach was employed and data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions and classroom observations. The data were analysed thematically and categorised.ResultsSupport strategies employed by teachers include remedial lessons and promoting a culture of reading for leisure to enhance learners’ vocabulary and narrative skills. The SLTs and the learning support therapist use speech–language programmes and assistive technologies. Limited IPC and the absence of SLTs in District Based Support Teams were some of the challenges identified. The results also indicate that SLTs receive referrals mostly from primary schools compared with secondary schools.ConclusionRaising awareness of DLD in schools and communities is deemed essential. Inter-professional collaboration is recommended to support learners with DLD as it increases the exchange of ideas and mutual acknowledgement of expertise amongst professionals.

Time use of millennials and Generation X: differences across time

Generational cohorts in the United States have long interested demographers, social scientists, researchers, and others. In 2019, millennials were the same ages—23 to 38 years—as members of Generation X in 2003. I use American Time Use Survey data from these years to examine how millennials in 2019 and members of Generation X in 2003 spent their time on an average day. Millennials were less likely to spend time doing housework, caring for and helping household members, and purchasing goods and services than were members of Generation X. On the other hand, millennials were more likely to spend time providing animal and pet care than were members of Generation X. Each generation spent nearly the same amount of time working on an average day, and the men of each generation spent more time working than their female counterparts. Each generation spent nearly the same amount of time in leisure and sports activities overall. However, millennial men spent more time playing games on an average day than did men in Generation X, and millennial women spent less time reading for leisure than did women in Generation X.

Learning about immigrant and migrant readers, transforming libraries: Spanish-speaking readers in North America

Drawing on data from the qualitative survey study of avid immigrant and migrant Spanish-speaking readers residing in Canada and the U.S., this paper looks at their use of libraries, specifically, in the context of leisure reading. Acknowledging a gap in current research on Spanish-speaking immigrants/migrants, the study focuses on avid lifelong readers rather than information seekers; achieves an understanding of their reading practices and interactions with libraries in the context of their pre-migration experiences; and highlights readers’ suggestions for the improvement of collections, spaces, services, and community engagement. Practical suggestions are made for public, academic, and special libraries.

An Evolutionary Textual Environment

This article introduces the notion of evolutionary textual environment as the outcome of a digital experiment. The experiment consisted of transforming a digital archive of Fernando Pessoa’s Book of Disquiet into a changing textual space sustained by role-playing interactions. As conceptual and technical artifact, this living archive expresses an innovative model not only for the literary acts of reading, editing and writing, but also for reimagining the book as a network of reconfigurable and dynamic texts, structures, and actions. The programmed features of the LdoD Archive can be used in multiple activities, including leisure reading, study, analysis, advanced research, and creative writing. Through the integration of computational tools in a simulation space, this collaborative archive provides an open exploration of the procedurality of the digital medium itself. The “unfinished machine” metaphor suggests the open-endedness both of the evolving textual environment and of the computational modeling of literary performativity that sustains the whole experiment.

Who Wins? The Politics of Prize Culture in Canada’s CODE Burt Awards

This article discusses a book prize administered by the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) - the CODE Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Literature, created to prize books aimed at young adult readers. It examines CODE's statements about the prize, which solicited funding by associating the cultivation of leisure reading with socio-economic development for Indigenous communities in Canada. It also considers how the prize reinforced links between Indigenous writing and social responsibility.

Textual reading in digitised classrooms: Reflections on reading beyond the internet

Discussions of digital technologies in education should take into consideration the role of analogue technologies – such as print books – especially when it comes to reading. Empirical research (Delgado et al., 2018; Kong et al., 2018; Clinton, 2019; Singer & Alexander, 2017) shows that paper supports comprehension better than screens, especially when reading longer and more complex texts. PISA 2019 shows that reading performance has declined in many countries, and teenagers report a significant drop in leisure reading. This article reviews and discusses these findings, in light of how reading and literacy have been redefined on the premises and affordances of digital technologies, and calls for a heightened attention to important aspects of reading that are now being marginalized – namely, those that are least compatible with digital technologies.

Shame and Normative Expectations about Reading in Perception of Scientific Workers

The article attempts to consider emotional perception and normative orientation in reading with an emphasis on such emotions as shame. Reading is a significant part of the daily lives of researchers, and obviously there are a number of social norms around and about reading. In the course of the research, an assumption was made that the normative expectations relevant to the reader are able to create a ground for experiencing shame. Phenomenological analysis of interviews and focus group materials with researchers allowed us to identify reasons for shame about professional and leisure reading in relation to regulatory constraints, some explanations of this experience, as well as related features of motivation to read. The experience of shame in relation to reading comes from the perception of the researcher himself in the modification of reading and the corresponding normative expectations – so, the manifestation of shame was recorded in discussions about both work and leisure reading. It turned out that reading both scientific and leisure literature is perceived by researchers as their status duty, in this regard, its "inadequacy" becomes a key reason for experiencing shame.

Children’s Leisure Reading in the Nahḍah

Abstract Children made up a substantial segment of the literate public that emerged during the Arab nahḍah period. Of these, an apparent minority applied skills they acquired in school to reading for pleasure or satisfying juvenile curiosity. This study explores the novel practice of Arab youth leisure-time reading as reported in retrospective memories and autobiographies. It reveals that during the nahḍah’s early decades, the inventory of Arabic readings fit for children was strikingly limited—unlike the multitude of books that were available to adults—a reality that forced curious boys and girls from different classes to make do with adult books for their after-school reading. This article examines cultural factors for that scarcity (primarily the status of children in society) and economic ones (e.g., publishers’ business concerns) and considers its implications. Probing a seemingly marginal section of a wider scene, it sheds light on hitherto neglected facets of the Arab transition from widespread illiteracy to extensive literacy at this point in history.

Finding Comfort: A Study of Reading Habits among Malaysian University Students During Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper is prepared to examine the leisure reading habits of university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we know, due to the pandemic, the Malaysian government has imposed a series of mandatory lockdown. In higher institutions, classes are carried out using online platforms instead of the traditional learning in the classroom since April 2020. Online courses have changed the learning pattern not only in Malaysia but around the world. University students are now required to adapt to the new normal of learning. This has affected how they spend time between following their online classes and doing their assignments in the confinement of their homes or university residences. According to Association of American Publishers, book sales are up again. Due to this new normal of limiting physical human interaction and spending their time at home or university residency, students turn to reading again to find comfort to handle the accumulated stress during this pandemic. The method of turning to books in times of burden and difficulty is called bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is still not widely known in Malaysia. This paper explains how leisure reading habits can help students to calm down from the anxiety of limiting physical human connection and the stress of spending almost most of their time following the new normal of learning. The writing method for this paper is in the form of quantitative analysis based on the survey conducted on 100 university students throughout Malaysia. This paper highlights literature reviews relating to the reading habits, reading preferences amongst university students in Malaysia and how this is related to bibliotherapy. Therefore, this study concludes that most respondents spend time reading for leisure purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Malaysia and it has helped them cope with the pandemic.

The Relation Between Television Viewing Time and Reading Achievement in Elementary School Children: A Test of Substitution and Inhibition Hypotheses.

Research has focused on the relations between television (TV) viewing time and children’s reading achievement. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this relation. The substitution hypothesis proposes that TV viewing distracts students from activities that are important for their learning. The inhibition hypothesis proposes that watching television inhibits important affective/cognitive skills. In this study, we test both hypotheses by estimating the relation between TV viewing time and reading achievement. We use the frequency of students’ leisure reading and the frequency of interactions between students and their parents as potential mediators to test the substitution hypothesis, whereas for the inhibition one, we use students’ intrinsic motivation to read and their level of inattention. Data come from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). Designed by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, QLSCD covers a wide range of themes. The QLSCD is representative of children in Québec and contains 2223 participants who were followed from 0 to 21 years old. The four structural models tested are built as follows: the TV viewing time at 6 years old predicts the four mediating variables at 8 years old, which in turn predicts reading achievement at 10 years old. In addition, we have tested models’ gender invariance. Results indicate that TV viewing time is not directly or indirectly associated with reading achievement. Specifically, it is not associated with the mediating variables of child-parent interactions, intrinsic motivation, and inattention. However, the frequency of leisure reading is negatively associated with the time spent watching TV. This association is very small (−0.07) and has no indirect effect on reading achievement. Finally, results do not vary according to the gender of the participants. Our results are in line with those of previous studies in the field and cast some doubts on the potential negative effects of TV viewing time on reading achievement.

A self-determination theory perspective on the association between the childhood home reading environment and Canadian young adult leisure reading

ABSTRACT Despite the numerous lifelong benefits associated with continued leisure reading, adult reading habits are steadily declining (Statistics Canada, 2019). The purpose of this study was to understand how the recalled childhood home reading environment, and the associated psychological need-satisfaction, were related to young adults’ leisure reading beliefs and practices. Based on Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), we used recalled basic psychological need-satisfaction during parent-child shared reading experiences as a reflection of the degree of intrinsic reading motivation support. We collected data from 214 Canadian young adults (age 18–29). Almost all participants reported some degree of leisure reading. Moreover, we found that home reading environment may significantly contribute to the development and reinforcement of positive reading attitudes, identities and habits. Basic psychological need-satisfaction only partially mediate the relationship between home reading environment and current reading identity. These results are discussed in terms of implications for both researchers and parents.

Gap between users and cataloguers

This paper provides some insight into cataloguers’ and end users’ perception of the importance of bibliographic data for fiction for two purposes: required reading for school and leisure reading. To obtain information about opinion of cataloguers and users, we used multiple data collection methods: observation, think aloud protocol and in-depth interviews. Four studies were conducted: among 30 cataloguers in June 2014 and 32 cataloguers in February and March 2016, and among 105 high school students in November 2011 and 108 adults in July 2012. The focus was on Slovenian catalogers and users. The results revealed similarities between users’ and cataloguers’ view of the most important bibliographic data for fiction. Finally, we propose attributes, considered as important from cataloguers’ as well as users’ standpoint. Most of them could be included in the bibliographic record, regardless of the cataloguing rules and practice.

Beyond the Educational Context: Relevance of Intrinsic Reading Motivation During COVID-19 Confinement in Spain.

What role could have intrinsic motivation toward reading in an extraordinary situation like the recent confinement? This research examines the relationship between intrinsic reading motivation (IRM) and reading habits in an adult population considering types of reading (for leisure, work/study, social networks, and news), gender, and distress generated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Participants were 3,849 adults from Spain who were surveyed about their reading practices: before, during the first weeks, and after several weeks of confinement. Linear mixed effects models (LMMs) were used to analyze data. Results showed a three-way interaction between reading frequency, IRM, and type of reading. Also, distress seems to pose a differential impact depending on the type of reading. The higher the IRM, the lesser the time devoted to study/work reading and the more to social and news reading (at the beginning of confinement). In this sense, IRM can function as a protective factor of reading behavior but only for leisure reading. Results support previous findings of the importance of consciously promoting this type of motivation in all individuals beyond educational contexts, since it seems to be positively related to well-being. Other results and implications are discussed.

Libraries Assist Disaster Survivors with Information Needs and Refuge but Need to Amplify Their Role and What They Offer

A Review of: Braquet, D. M. (2010). Library experiences of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans flood survivors. LIBRES: Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal, 20(1), 1. https://www.libres-ejournal.info/528/ Abstract Objective – Describe the experiences and library usage of patrons displaced by Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Flood. Design – A qualitative study with interview components and a questionnaire with open and closed-end questions Setting – New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding area Subjects – 314 questionnaire respondents and 30 interview (24 face-to-face and 6 phone) participants with 5 individuals completing both Methods – The study consisted of an online questionnaire with open and closed-end questions occurring concurrently with semi-structured interviews conducted over the phone and in person. Individuals were recruited via convenience sample by flyers at public locales in the New Orleans area and electronic mailing lists, forums, blogs, and news sites that catered to the New Orleans community. Main Results – Disaster survivors use libraries for Internet access, information and technology assistance, mental relief, physical refuge, and also view them as symbols of both loss and hope. Library resources (including the physical spaces) allowed survivors to regain a sense of control by helping patrons access local information and experience pre-disaster pastimes, such as leisure reading. Conclusion – The study provides rich description of how libraries can support people displaced by disaster, however just over half of participants did not consider the library a part of their disaster experience. Future research should examine how libraries and library workers can amplify their impact during disasters and disaster recovery, as well as partner with disaster planning and response professionals.

Represent: building diverse library collections in collaboration with library users

The ‘Read at Leicester’ leisure reading collection was developed to encourage sustained reading for leisure amongst University of Leicester students. A key challenge in building this collection was not having any funds to develop it. It was important that the collection was representative of the diverse user population. In order to start putting the collection together, books already held in the library that were not on subject reading lists were identified. Throughout this process it became evident that, in order to achieve true representation within the collection, the library would need to work in collaboration with library users to develop it. A fund of £1,000 was secured to launch a campaign to purchase diverse books and build the collection. In October 2019, the Represent campaign was launched as a campaign through which library users could recommend titles from under-represented voices for the library to purchase. The Represent campaign has been live since October 2019 and, as of November 2020, a total of 199 requests have been received.

Yoga and leisure reading for stress management and wellness at a veterinary medical college.

Yoga and leisure reading for stress management and wellness at a veterinary medical college.

The COVID-19 school closure effect on students’ print and digital leisure reading

Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study examined Singaporean primary school students’ changes in reading enjoyment, reading amount, and their access to resources in print and digital formats during the COVID-19 school closure. Survey data showed reading was a more preferred leisure activity during the school closure. Students’ reading enjoyment prior to the closure was positively correlated with changes in their reading enjoyment and reading amount during the closure, for both print and digital formats. Despite the ubiquity of devices, devices were underutilised for reading purposes. Students demonstrated a clear preference for print reading over reading digitally both before and during the school closure and relied more on home than online resources for reading materials. Changes in time spent on devices during school closure were not related to changes in digital reading amount, but negatively related to changes in reading enjoyment and print reading amount over the same period, suggesting more time on devices may not naturally lead to more reading digitally. Qualitative results revealed several challenges students faced with reading digitally. While students were digital natives in terms of using technology for entertainment purposes, they had difficulty locating digital reading materials as few students were socialised into using technology for reading. When it comes to reading, we propose that primary school students are print natives who are generally more familiar with reading in print and prefer print. Some inherent limitations of digital reading that restrict continuous reading (e.g., eye strain, reliance on power supply, cumbersome navigability) may prevent students from embracing the new form of reading.