Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it's a gateway drug to reading. The drive to know what happens next, to want to turn the page, the need to keep going, even if it's hard, because someone's in trouble and you have to know how it's all going to end…that's a very real drive. And it forces you to learn new words, to think new thoughts, to keep going.
And the second thing fiction does is to build empathy. You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You're being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you're going to be slightly changed. Empathy is a tool for building people into groups, for allowing us to function as more than self-obsessed individuals.
And the second thing fiction does is to build empathy. You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You're being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you're going to be slightly changed. Empathy is a tool for building people into groups, for allowing us to function as more than self-obsessed individuals.
What research says about recreational reading:
- The effect of recreational reading on vocabulary development was demonstrated by Sarangi, Nation, and Meister. In their study, readers learned the meaning of 45 invented words contained in the novel A Clockwork Orange simply by reading the novel, with no special instructions to attend to new words. In addition to improving reading skills, pleasure reading has been found to be associated with improved writing skills (Krashen, 1984).
- A study compared the recreational reading habits of college freshmen who wrote essays that were rated either highly competent or of low competence. Those writing highly competent essays reported more recreational reading at all ages, especially in high school. No poor essay writer reported "a lot" of recreational reading during high school (Krashen, 1993).
- Among college students, there is a significant correlation between cumulative grade-point average and time spent on recreational reading (Gallik).
- Reading is the cornerstone for success, not just in school, but throughout life. “Without the ability to read well, opportunities for personal fulfillment and job success will inevitably be lost” (Anderson).
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Krashen, S. (1984). The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Krashen, S. (1993). Writing: Research, Theory and Applications. Torrence, CA: Laredo.
Gallik, J. (1999). Do They Read for Pleasure? Recreational Reading Habits of College Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 42, 480-489.
Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.H., Scott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I.A.G (1985). Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading. Washington DC: The National Institute of Education.
Krashen, S. (1993). Writing: Research, Theory and Applications. Torrence, CA: Laredo.
Gallik, J. (1999). Do They Read for Pleasure? Recreational Reading Habits of College Students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 42, 480-489.
Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.H., Scott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I.A.G (1985). Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading. Washington DC: The National Institute of Education.