Leisure Reading
Exactly what is leisure reading? Over the years of leisure reading research, a
variety of definitions have been used, with the common factors being that the reading was
part of non-work, non-school recreational activity. Knulst and Kraaykamp (1998) using
data that was initially collected in the 1950’s have one of the older definitions of leisure
reading. In their retroactive review of forty years of leisure reading data, leisure reading
is a proportion of the amount of time that is spent reading, as a part of the amount of time
daily devoted to leisure activities outside of work or school. (30) Knulst and Kraaykamp
(1998) were concerned with teens over the age of 12 and all ages of adults, so their
definition applies to both adult and teen readers and is the only one to be so
comprehensive in terms of age. In terms of reading materials, books, magazines and
newspapers only were considered part of the total reading count.
Greaney (1980, 340) in his study of the factors related to amount and type of
leisure reading for children, defines leisure reading as an out of school activity, and notes
that leisure reading requires a certain level of reading proficiency. Greaney is concerned
with leisure reading as a proportion of total reading, as a better indicator than hours per
week spent reading. Like Knulst and Kraaykamp (1998) Greaney’s data on reading was
gathered through self reported diaries of leisure time activities. When counting the time
spent leisure reading from the diaries, Greaney defined leisure reading as “reading of any
kind, excluding school texts and other materials assigned at school.” What’s left out of
Greaney’s definition are books that students read outside of school as part of a leisure
reading promoting program, such as Accelerated Reader or any other program that links
school based grades or rewards with students reading self selected texts out of school.
Greaney’s definition is exclusive to school age children and teens, but could be extended
to apply to college age students and working adults. Greaney includes books, magazines,
newspapers and comic books in his reading counts.
More recently, Hughes-Hassell and Rodge (2007) in their study of urban
adolescents, define leisure reading as:
“the reading students choose to do on their own, as opposed to reading that is
assigned to them. Also referred to as voluntary reading, spare time reading, recreational
reading, independent reading, reading outside of school, and self-selected reading, leisure
reading involves personal choice, choosing what one wants to read, and reading widely
from a variety of sources—not just books.” (22)
Hughes-Hassell and Rodge have the most comprehensive definition as they count
anything in which students are reading text, whether on a printed page or on a screen.
Their counts of leisure reading are the most comprehensive as they include all the leisure
time literacy activities in which 21st century teenagers regularly engage. Again their
definition is limited to in school teen readers, but could easily be expanded to college age
students and/or working adults.
In my previous works I used the term leisure reading (Moyer 2005, Moyer 2007)
as inclusive of fiction reading, pleasure reading and recreational reading. As this work
was done with adults and all the research used in the literature review was exclusive to
adult readers, issues to related to school promoted leisure reading were never addressed.
Leisure reading was assumed to be any reading (usually fiction) done outside of work, or
any reading activities pursued as a hobby.
It is important to clearly define leisure reading in terms of both teen and adult
readers. I define leisure reading as the following: the reading or listening to any texts, in
the reader has some element of control over text choice, and are read as part of as an
enjoyable leisure time activity.
The definition includes the selective reading of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels,
comic books, newspapers, magazines, and online reading done as a leisure time activity.
It also includes audiobooks, just as it includes any sort of reading aloud, whether oral
reading done by parents to children, or one adult reading to another, or a professional
narrator reading an audiobook to a listener. Leisure reading includes silent reading and
reading aloud , as comprehension of written texts and listening comprehension are
important parts of leisure reading. It also includes books read for book groups because
either the participants choose to be in the group, or have some level of responsibility in
choosing the text. Book group members also have the choice to read the text and the
choice to attend the meeting and participate in the discussion. (Long 2003)
This definition includes texts that are read for a school leisure reading programs
because it implies some level of student choice. Sometimes in school leisure reading is
referred to as independent reading and can include programs such as Sustained Silent
Reading (SSR) or Drop Everything and Reading (DEAR). This type of reading is not
always included in scholarly definitions of leisure reading, which often define it as “out
of school reading.” (Alvermann 2001; Hughes-Hassell and Rodge 2007; Greaney 1980;
Knulst and Kraaykamp 1998; Moyer 2005; Moyer 2007) However I think it its important
to include this type of self selected reading when discussing teen leisure reading.
Krashen (2004) and other proponents of Free Voluntary Reading programs do include
school based independent reading in their definitions, arguing for the importance of
connecting in school reading with the gains that can be by students who do a lot of out of
school reading.
Leisure reading is usually done for enjoyment, but that does not mean that leisure
reading does not include learning as a purpose. For many readers the information they
learn while leisure reading is an important outcome of leisure reading (Moyer 2007,
Ross, 2000, Radway 1991) Other leisure readers enjoy reading informational materials
such as hobby magazines or newspapers, or the many types of narrative nonfiction.
Leisure reading always includes the option to learn from the reading materials.
References
Alvermann, D. (2001). Reading adolescents’ reading identities: Looking back to see
ahead. Journal of Adolescents and Adult Literacy, 44 (8), 676-690.
Greaney, V. (1980) “Factors related to the amount and type of leisure reading.” Reading
Research Quarterly, 15:3, 337-357.
Hughes-Hassell, S., & Rodge, P. (2007, September). The Leisure Reading Habits of
Urban Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(1), 22–33.
Knulst, W. & Kraaykamp, G. (1998) “Trends in leisure reading: forty years of research
on reading in the Netherlands.” Poetics, 26:1 (September), 21-41
Krashen, S. D. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. Westport, CT:
Libraries Unlimited
Long, E. (2003) Book Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Moyer, J. E. (2005) “Adult Fiction Reading: A Literature Review of Readers’ Advisory
Services, Adult Fiction Librarianship and Fiction Readers.” Reference and User
Services Quarterly, 44:3 (Spring), 220-231.
Moyer, J. E. (2007) “Learning From Leisure Reading: A Study of Adult Public Library
Patrons.” Reference and User Services Quarterly, 46: 4.
Radway, J. A. (1991) Reading the romance: women, patriarchy, and popular literature.
2nd ed. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Ross, C. S. (2000) “Finding without Seeking: What Readers Say about the Role of
Pleasure Reading as a Source of Information,” Australasian Public Libraries and
Information Services 13:2 (June), 72-80.