A new study from the National Endowment for the Arts called To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence was recently released.
Overall the report discusses the changes in reading over time both for teens and adults. The report also points out the strong evidence that the amount of reading (any reading, even for pleasure) increases academic progress.
I was specifically interested in a section titled, Why More Than Reading Is At Risk. Here are a few points from that section:
- Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.
- Good readers generally have more financially rewarding jobs
- Less advanced readers report fewer opportunities for career growth.
How much time do you spend reading? Do you find at your job that reading and writing are a major part?
-KateP
Keran | 30-Nov-07 at 2:07 pm | Permalink
I have always been a reader. My favorite genres are, and have always been, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Detective fiction, and non-fiction. I used to read at least 3-5 books per month, but as a grad student, I’ve found that finishing one non-school related book per quarter is my limit. I think that the popularity of video games (and too much TV watching)has created a population of non-readers. It’s too bad, because I run across so many people that can’t write coherent sentences (most likely because they aren’t readers). My biggest pet peeves are that more and more people have a difficult time with “to, too, and two” and “their, they’re, and there”, and the biggie: apostrophizing plural “word’s”. These are bad habits and it especially bothers me when I read this type of mistake on a business sign or in a discussion post in a courseroom at school.
Ventingly yours,
Keran
KateP | 04-Dec-07 at 7:05 am | Permalink
Hi Keran,
Thanks for the comment. The rise in popularity in video games in certainly a irrefutable trend. One interesting offshoot is a tie to people who write about the characters in video games—often called fan fiction.
Also many public libraries are offering game nights to teens with game such as Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution. The librarians report that participants often leave with books.
One well know example (at least in the library community) is the Ann Arbor District Library Game Tournament (AADL-GT). Their blog (http://www.aadl.org/aadlgt) illustrates a thriving community of gaming in libraries.