The webinar reviewed the major findings of the Australian Kids and Family Reading report and explored some of the implications for Primary and Secondary schools. The report was based on a national survey of children and parents and explored their reading attitudes and behaviour around reading books for fun.

1. KIDS AND FAMILY
READING REPORT
P r e s e n t e d b y
M a r t y M a r s h m a n
Australian School Library
Association Inc.

2. Housekeeping
Australian School Library Association Inc.
Kate Reid
ASLA Board Director
Member ASLA
Professional Learning
Project Team
Facilitator for this webinar
Housekeeping:
 Participation options
 Attendee control panel
 Question facility
 Post-webinar
information
 Future PL events
2

3. Housekeeping
Australian School Library Association Inc.
3
Housekeeping:
 Participation options
 Attendee control panel
 Question facility
 Post-webinar information
 Future PL events

4. Let Me Introduce Myself
 I am currently a Board Member and Secretary of
ASLA.
 I am HSIE trained and have been the Teacher
Librarian at Tenterfield High School for the last 4
years.
 The school is on the Northern Tablelands of NSW
and has about 250 children.

5. Kids & Family Reading Report
 This was a research project undertaken by Scholastic
Australia and New Zealand (2015) in conjunction
with YouGov.
 This was a study of Australia’s children’s and
parents’ attitudes and behaviours towards reading
for pleasure. This inaugural study examines the
significance of reading independently for fun at
school, what impacts frequent reading, the
importance of reading aloud to children of all ages,
and the books children want most to read.

6. Who was Surveyed?
 The key findings of this research were based on a
nationally representative sample of 1,748 parents
and children, including 358 parents of children aged
0-5; 695 parents of children aged 6-17; plus one child
aged 6-17 from the same household.

7. Overall, who is reading for fun?

8. The State of Kids & Reading
 > More than half of children aged 6-17 (58%) believe
reading books for fun is extremely or very important
and 60% of kids also say they love reading books for
fun or like it a lot.
 > Just over one-third of children aged 6-17 (37%)
report they are frequent readers, with kids aged 6-8
being the most likely to read 5-7 days a week.
 >As children grow older, reading competes with
many screen-related activities, and 75% of parents
with kids aged 6-17 agree that “I wish my child would
do more things that did not involve screen time.”

9. The State of Kids & Reading
 > Across ages, three-quarters of children (76%) say
they know they should read more books for fun; a
similar number of parents (78%) wish their child
would read more books for fun.

10. What Makes Frequent Readers?

11. Spotlight: What Makes Frequent Readers?
 For children aged 6-11, additional predictors of
reading frequency include:
 > Where they read books for fun
 > Parental involvement in encouraging reading
 > How early they started being read books aloud

12. Spotlight: What Makes Frequent Readers?
 Of children aged 12-17, additional predictors
of reading frequency include:
 > Having parents who are frequent readers
 > The belief that reading books for fun is
important
 > In-School opportunities to talk about, find
and read books.

13. Predictors for Frequent Reading

14. Reading Aloud At Home

15. Reading with Kids from Birth

16. Reading in School

17. Reading in School
 > Opportunities to read independently as a class rarely
happen frequently and decrease with age. One third of
children aged 6-17 (34%) say they have the opportunity
to read a book of their choice independently as a class,
but only 14% do so every or almost every day.
 > Children aged 6-17 who are given time for independent
reading at school are more likely to be reading currently
and frequently, and are more likely to enjoy reading
books for fun and believe it is important compared with
those who are not; this is especially true for older
children.

18. Reading in School
 > Two-thirds of children aged 6-17 (66%) say that at
least a few times a year, their principal encourages
reading books for fun, with principals providing the
most encouragement to kids younger than 12.
 > Children whose principals encourage reading
books for fun are more likely than those without
encouragement from their principals to read
frequently, to think reading is important, and to love
reading books for fun or like it a lot.

19. Kids Use of their Reading Level

20. Spotlight: Kids’ use of their Reading Level
 > More than half of children in years 1-12 (56%) have
been told their reading level in either the current or
prior school year, and nine in 10 of these kids (89%)
have used their reading level to pick out books.
 > About half of children in years 1-12 (48%) say that
when they use their reading level to pick books, they
choose above and below their reading level in equal
measure. Among kids in years 4-12, the most
common reason they choose these books is because
the topic interests them.

21. What Kids Want In Books
 > An overwhelming majority of kids aged 6-17 agree
that their favourite books – and ones they are most
likely to finish – are the ones they pick out
themselves.
 > Above all, children aged 6-17 want books that
make them laugh, and what parents want in books
for children is often the same as what children want
for themselves.

22. What Kids Want In Books
 > Nearly three-quarters of kids aged 6-17 (74%) say
they would read more if they could find more books
that they like.
 > Libraries, School Book Fairs, Book Club Catalogues
and Bookshops are the leading sources children aged
6-17 use to find books to read for fun. Parents also
frequently turn to Libraries and Bookshops to find
books for their child to read for fun, followed by the
School Book Fair or Book Club Catalogues.

23. Spotlight: Print Books in a Digital World
 > One-third of children aged 6-17 (33%) have read
an eBook, with kids aged 12-17 being most likely to
have done so.
 > The majority of children aged 6-17 agree they will
always want to read print books, even though there
are eBooks available.

24. What Makes Frequent Readers?
 Primary School Predictors:
 1. Read mostly out of school
 2. Have parents who encourage reading books for
fun in specific ways
 3. Have been read aloud to before age 1
 4. Frequently use their reading level to pick out
books
 5. Want books that have characters “just like me”.

25. What Makes Frequent Readers?
 High School Predictors:
 1. Have parents who are frequent readers
 2. Strongly believe reading books for fun is important
 3. Have teachers who give opportunities to talk with
classmates about books read for fun
 4. Use a school book fair or book club catalogue to find
books
 5. Have the opportunity to read independently during the
school day
 6. Want books that “teach me something new”.

26. Implications for Schools and Educators
 The earlier that kids are read aloud to (before age 1),
the greater chance they will become frequent
readers. This is a possible area of intervention for
Primary Schools. Dissemination of this information
to parents or carers at an early age will facilitate
reading uptake. This seems particularly appropriate
in low socio-economic areas where the message is
being lost.

27. Reading Aloud
 In Primary Schools and perhaps even in Junior High
Schools there may be children who still wish to be
read aloud to even though this may have stopped at
home.

28. Implications for Schools and Educators
 It would be instructive to know whether parents of
students are frequent readers and whether they
encourage their children to read for pleasure. This
information could be ascertained by surveying
parents and intervening as necessary with support
and information for parents.

29. Implications for Schools and Educators
 Schools would benefit from providing some time and
a place to allow teachers to talk with students about
books read for fun and also to facilitate a school book
fair or book club for students to find books. Time set
aside for independent reading would also be of value.

30. Implications for Schools and Educators
 Principals have a crucial role in fostering reading
within schools. Principals within schools should be
encouraging children to read as much as they can for
pleasure. This encouragement would benefit from
being formalised and systematic.

31. Implications for Schools and Educators
 Knowledge of reading levels is an important
indicator for what makes a frequent reader. This is
much more prevalent in Primary School. This
could be an opportunity for High Schools to create
a collection or system of levelled reading within
the school.

32. Bibliography
 http://www.scholastic.com.au/readingreport
 http://www.foundationforocps.org/uploads/fil
es/What%20Makes%20Frequent%20Readers.
pdf
 http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources
/article/more-reading-resources/reading-tips-
parents

33. Post-webinar information
Australian School Library Association Inc.
Certificate of attendance
will be emailed
Membership information is available at
http://www.asla.org.au/membership.aspx
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