Reading for Pleasure: International Perspectives

Growing evidence of the vital role reading for pleasure plays in children and young people’s academic outcomes and socio-emotional wellbeing has placed it high on the agenda in both educational policy and practice.

This valuable collection draws upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches, to explore how reading for pleasure is experienced and enacted, and highlights the implications and benefits of such volitional reading in the lives and learning of children and young people. It offers contributions from leading international researchers on current evidence and literature within the field, identifying the causes and consequences of reading for pleasure, and framing this within the context of understanding readers and applying this to developing effective pedagogical practices. With chapters examining how we may shape the reading experience, this book is divided into four sections:

• Understanding readers, including factors such as motivation, gender and identity
• The nature of texts, including fiction, sensory and digital texts
• Pedagogies and practices, exploring agency, book talk and reading aloud
• Environments conducive to reading for pleasure, including homes, school libraries, classrooms and communities

Presenting diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives, this will be a key text for researchers, teacher educators and policy-makers who wish to become better informed in their thinking, discourse and practice when supporting children and young people in learning to read for pleasure.

‘Reading for pleasure should indeed be the right of every child. That requires investment – in understanding readers’ motivations and interests; and in resourcing for reading in different contexts in ways that engage, support and provoke the curiosity of readers in wanting to know more. This book brings together cutting-edge research internationally that will delight and inform its readers.’
Gemma Moss, Professor of Literacy UCL Institute of Education, UK.

‘Reading for pleasure is a critical factor for supporting youth today. This edited volume provides a much-needed resource reflecting multiple perspectives from scholars in the field. It offers diverse insights into how reading for pleasure can be nurtured, and how it can elevate both children and youth.’
Margaret Vaughn, Professor, Washington State University, USA.

‘Reading for Pleasure is a term used by teachers and scholars who view the teaching of reading as a matter of social justice. A rich body of evidence exists that demonstrates its potential to enhance academic outcomes and redress inequalities of opportunity. This book brings together international scholars to build a timely, research-informed case that reading for pleasure matters – a lot! Led by the experts in the field, the chapters provide an overview of past studies and current issues across a wide range of areas and global contexts. It speaks a powerful message that needs heeding.’
Alyson Simpson, Professor, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Teresa Cremin is Professor of Education (Literacy) and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University in the United Kingdom. Her conceptual and pedagogic research focuses on the social and relational nature of children’s volitional reading and teachers’ knowledge, practice and identities as readers and writers.

Sarah McGeown is Professor of Literacy and Director of the Literacy Lab at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. Her research focuses on understanding and supporting children and young people’s reading motivation, engagement and affective reading experiences.

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