The roots of reading for pleasure: Recollections of reading and current habits

Abstract

Children's early literacy experiences are critical, yet it remains unclear whether memories of early reading instruction continue to be associated with reading habits into adulthood. We examined the association between recollections of reading experiences and present‐day reading habits in an adult population. University students responded in writing to three open‐ended prompts asking about their memories of reading during early childhood, elementary school and high school. They also completed two questionnaires inquiring about reading enjoyment and frequency in elementary school and high school. For the concurrent measures of reading, participants described their current reading habits in an open‐ended prompt and completed an author recognition test. Results showed positive links between favourable memories of reading during elementary and high school years and present‐day reading habits. Conversely, unfavourable memories during high school were associated with unenthusiastic present‐day reading habits. We found that reading instruction in school forms long‐lasting memories, and these memories are linked in meaningful ways with print exposure during adulthood.