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A recent study by publishers Pearson, which involved 400 secondary school English teachers, suggested that over 4 in 10 teachers believe children at the age of 11 failed to read for pleasure.
Spending time online rather than reading a book seems to be a more popular pastime, and with increasingly short attention spans and a belief that books are not “cool”, there has been concerns shared by many.
The study found that three quarters of those questioned felt children’s attention spans were shorter than ever before, with 94% indicating that their pupils prefer using the internet to reading school books.
Teachers feel that parents could be doing more to help , with 97% claiming they should be encouraging their children more and promoting reading for pleasure within the home.
In regards of what books to encourage children to read, 83% of the teachers suggested boys are likely to be engaged by fantasy novels, with 65% agreeing the same for girls too.
Findings also indicated that teachers believe recent popular books and films such as Twilight and The Hunger Games are good ways to encourage and engage readers.
Have you seen an increase in short attention spans with your children or pupils? Have you any advice or tips on encouraging reading for pleasure? We’d love to hear from you!
Image Credit: slightly everything@ Flickr
