Literacy news
Boys read as much as girls, but prefer the simpler books, study concludes
2 Mar 2010
A major study investigating the reading habits of 100,000 five to 16 year olds has been released and concludes that boys are reading nearly as much as girls, but the books they are choosing to read are easier.
Professor Keith Topping, of the University of Dundee's School of Education who headed the study of behalf of Renaissance Learning, says:
“The general picture was of girls reading books of a consistently more difficult level than boys in the same year."
The gap in the standard of their reading habits becomes most marked between the ages of 13 and 16, the report says. The favourite girls’ book in this age group is Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, the first in the vampire romance series that has sold 85m copies worldwide. This was ranked far more difficult to read than the boys' favourite, The Dark Never Hides, from the British novelist Peter Lancett's Dark Man series, which are illustrated fantasy novels aimed at reluctant teens and young adults struggling to read.
The study notes that both sexes tend to choose books that are easier to read once they reach the age of 11 and transfer to secondary school. Compared with a similar study two years ago, Harry Potter author JK Rowling has tumbled down the top 10 most popular children's authors, from second to ninth place.
Professor Topping said:
"It may be that boys have read the whole of the JK Rowling novels and there are no more to read."
While he said Stephenie Meyer was a "rising star" among children's favourite authors, Roald Dahl remained the most popular.
To read further press articles about the research, please visits the websites below:
BBC Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8544091.stm
The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/boys-read-as-much-as-girls-but-prefer-the-simpler-books-1913667.html
