Samantha Tunick, a sophomore James Campbell High School is reading her 5th book of this month, this song is (not) for you by Laura Nowlin. (Shellsea Alcosiba )
Reading has always been very important for students, but the way many students read has changed a great amount throughout time. A 2021 study from Pew Research Center found that 16-year-olds are reading less than 17% for fun.
In the past, students mainly read school assigned books and classics, but there are a plethora of reading material to choose from because of social media, technology, and personal interests. A few students still read for fun, but many are reading less than before.
Initially, hardly any students are reading for fun and enjoyment than in the past. A 2021 study from Pew Research Center found that only 42% of 9-year-olds read for fun almost every day, compared to 53% back in 2012. For 16-year-olds, the number was even lower at 17%. This reveals that many students are not reading as much outside of school.
Reading less for fun is not just about free time, it affects students’ success in school work and beyond. A study from the National Library of medicine found that reading for fun can help students improve their vocabulary, writing, and comprehension. It is extremely concerning that so few young people are making time for it. This drop in recreational reading makes the habits of the students who still choose to read even more important to understand, which leads to the question of why certain students still enjoy reading.
James Campbell High School sophomore, Samantha Tunick, helps show what students are actually reading nowadays. Even though hardly any students read for fun, some still really love it. Tunick said, “I love reading outside of school, because reading certain books helps me relax and take a break from reality.” She reads seven hours a week, mostly romance and fantasy books like If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.
She occasionally uses audio books when she is working on other things. Samantha’s habits show that quite a lot of students favor books they can connect with on an emotional level and that reading is still important in their personal lives. Her experience is a good reminder that even though the overall numbers are decreasing, there are still quite a lot of students who find joy in books.These stories help clarify why reading still matters to many students nowadays and connect to the questions of how teachers and schools limit that interest of what they actually want to read.
Another big difference is the big gap between what schools assign students and what they actually want to read. Samantha explained how she enjoyed reading books like The Outsiders and The Giver in middle school, but really struggled with Romeo and Juliet and To Kill a Mockingbird. She said they were harder to understand and less interesting to her. She also said she often finds new books to read on TikTok or from her friends, instead of school. This shows that students are more than likely to enjoy reading when the book matches their own interests instead of primarily being assigned by teachers.
This idea connects back to why certain students, including Tunick, keep reading outside of class. When what they read is exciting and connects to them, students are way more motivated to read, but when it’s difficult or not relatable they often do not care for it. The gap between what teachers assign and personal reading shows one of the biggest challenges in students reading nowadays.
Students today read a mix of school assignments, books they find on social media, and novels that match their interests and personal taste. Research shows that students are reading less for fun, but students like Tunick prove that there are still students who make time to read. The problem may be that students do not connect and enjoy reading books that the teachers and school assign to them.
If schools let students choose books they want to read, maybe more students would start reading for fun again.
