Stories of Reading: Are Recollections of Reading Instruction Related to Current Print Exposure?

Children’s reading skills during the early years of schooling are positively correlated to the amount of leisure reading they engage in later in life. It therefore goes to reason that these early experiences with print may impact how individuals later view themselves as “readers.” However, the relationship between adults’ memories of reading during their elementary and high school years and their present-day reading habits has not been systematically examined. Here, I investigated the association between recollections of past reading experiences and reading habits into adulthood among 67 adults. Participants completed an online survey, including three written prompts that asked about their memories of reading during: a) early childhood, b) elementary school, and c) high school. There was also a prompt that asked participants to describe their current reading habits. Participants also completed an Author Recognition Test (ART) to assess their current print exposure, and two questionnaires asking about the frequency of classroom activities during elementary and high school. Results of the Kendall’s Tau correlation showed a significant positive relationship between favourable memories of reading during school years (including those involved in classroom activities), and enthusiastic present-day reading habits. Furthermore, only unfavourable memories of reading during high school were associated with unenthusiastic present-day reading habits. Findings highlight the importance of increasing teachers’ knowledge about the benefits of creating positive memories of reading during school years, and the ways they can create such memories in their classroom by adopting motivational teaching strategies