Reading to Children: Their Preferences

Reading to Children: Their PreferencesAuthor(s): Alicia MendozaSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 38, No. 6 (Feb., 1985), pp. 522-527Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20198841 .

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Reading to children: Their preferences

Children speak out about what they like and dislike about listen

ing to stories, with sometimes surprising results.

Alicia Mendoza

This article is the result of a survey on

elementary school children's prefer ences when being read to by others, conducted by 25 graduate students en

rolled in a course in children's litera ture. The students designed a

questionnaire as a group and then used it with their respective classes of ele

mentary school children in grades kin

dergarten through 6. The responses of 520 children rang

ing in age from 5 to 13 were included in the survey. Of that total, 267 were

males, 253 females. The grade distri bution was as follows: kindergarten 40; first grade 66; second grade 42; third grade 41; fourth grade 154; fifth

grade 127; and sixth grade 50. The subjects were from three dis

tinct ethnic groups, White, Hispanic, and Black. However, since the results indicated that ethnicity was not signifi cantly correlated with preferences, I have not reported results by ethnic

group.

For some items, sex seemed to influ ence expressed responses, and so the results are reported by the sex of the

subject. In addition, age clearly influ enced the responses to several of the items and so is included in the results and discussion.

The questionnaire focused on the de sire to be read to, preference as to the size of the group in which one is read

to, home reading environment, the

subjects' practices when reading to

others, what the children wanted to know about a book before having it read to them, attitudes toward being asked questions while or after being read to, sustained interest in books once they have been read aloud, and the best things about having someone read books aloud.

When using the questionnaire with the younger primary children, the sur

veyors read and explained the ques tions to each child individually and then recorded the answers. The sur

veyors distributed and explained the

questionnaires to the older children,

522 The Reading Teacher February 1985



who then completed their own forms. This report gives the findings as they

relate to each of the questions asked.

Percentages rather than numerical to

tals are reported to compensate for the variance among the number of chil dren surveyed per grade level. A dis cussion follows each question asked, with a recommendation aimed at the

application of these results to reading to children at school or at home.

Question 1 : Do you like to be read to?

Had the majority of the children re

sponded negatively to this item, there would have been little point in continu

ing. However, the responses were

overwhelmingly positive. Among the

primary children (grades K-3), 94% of the boys responded affirmatively, and 95% of the girls. In the intermediate

grades (4-6), the percentages were

lower, but still positive: boys 74% yes,

girls 73% yes. Recommendation: These results fur

nish evidence that we should no longer assume that once children advance be

yond the primary grades they prefer to read for themselves. Children through out elementary grades overwhelmingly enjoy being read to, and so, to capital ize on this interest, teachers and par ents should read to their children as

much as possible throughout the ele

mentary school years.

Question 2: When you are being read to, do you prefer being part of a small group or a large group, or doesn't the size of the group matter to you?

The responses were quite varied.

Among the younger children, 50% of the boys preferred a large group, while 35 % of the girls said the size of the

group was not a factor in their enjoy ment. Among the intermediate level

children, 42% of the boys and 49% of the girls expressed a preference for small groups; 39% of boys and 38% of

girls indicated that the size of the

group was of little import. Recommendations: (1) Avoid read

ing to young boys in small groups, as

they seem to prefer the anonymity of the large group setting. Girls in the

primary grades enjoy being read to in

any size group. (2) Older children of both sexes should be read to in small

groups. They are entering a stage when cliques and small intimate

groups are important. Thus, the re

sponses of the intermediate level chil dren may reflect this general preference rather than one specifically related to reading.

Question 3a: Are you read to at home?

Among the primary children, 75% of the boys and 89% of the girls re

ported being read to at home. Among the intermediate children, 50% of the

boys and 53% of the girls said yes. Recommendation: Teachers, in their

conferences and correspondence with

parents, should emphasize the impor tance of reading to children at home. For parents already doing so, this will serve as a reaffirmation. Those who are not currently reading to their chil dren may be encouraged to begin.

Question 3b: When you are read to at home, who is the person doing the reading?

Among the primary boys, the child's mother is the reader in 35 % of the

cases, while among primary girls, the mother reads 43% of the time. Among the intermediate children, the mothers' rates drop to 30% and 25%. Others

mentioned included the father, the

grandmother, and sometimes an older

sibling. Recommendation: Both parents, but

particularly fathers, need to be encour

aged to read to their children at home. The role model of a parent who enjoys reading is vital in motivating children to read.

Reading to children: Their preferences 523



Question 3c: How often are you read to at home?

Across all grade levels and both

sexes, reading in the home occurs less than once a week. As children's age in

creases, the frequency of reading aloud decreases sharply.

Recommendation: The trend to stop reading aloud as the child matures should be pointed out to parents, with the suggestion that there are good rea sons to keep up the shared reading.

The decline in frequency is not sur

prising. Teachers and parents assume

that once children have become inde

pendent readers, there is little or no need to read to them. The fact that they still enjoy and benefit from it is usually overlooked.

Question 4: When you are read to at

home, do you prefer to be the only listener or would you rather be in a

group? All children preferred being read to

in groups rather than by themselves:

primary boys 41%, girls 49%; inter mediate boys 40% and girls 28%.

Recommendation: Encourage par

ents to make reading at home a group activity as often as possible. The re

sponses to this question were among the most surprising on the question naire. I had expected that all children would prefer being the only listener, since the child would receive 100% of the reader's attention, could ask ques

tions as the story was read without

wading through questions from others, could see the illustrations easily, and could help choose the book. However,

listening to stories seems to be a social

activity, and interaction with peers out

weighs receiving total attention; if you are the only listener, total responsibil ity for answering questions falls upon you, a situation that many children would rather avoid.

Question 5a: Do you ever read to

younger children in your family or children in your neighborhood?

Predictably, as age increased, the

percentage of those reading to others increased: primary boys 35%, girls

49%; intermediate boys 60%, girls 60%. The percentage of girls reading to other children is higher across the

grades. If we look back at the home

environment, we find that it is usually the mother who reads. The girls may

adopt this role model. Even some of the youngest children,

most of whom are nonreaders, claimed to read to other children. While we

might attribute this response to a loose definition of the term "read," it may in dicate that children value the ability to read to someone.

Recommendation: Wise teachers will provide opportunities for children to read to each other in small groups.

This affords the reader practice in oral

reading and increased self-esteem, while providing the listeners with a

peer role model. Parents can arrange a

family story time in which children, as well as adults, take turns reading aloud.

Question 5b: How often do you read to other children?

The children are imitating the adults: Across both sexes and all grade levels, most say they only read to other children once in a while.

Recommendation: The infrequency with which children read to other chil dren and the need to foster this as a

beneficial and valuable activity is yet another reason for parents to spend

more time reading to their children. The value of a positive role model can not be stressed too strongly.

Question 5c: When you read to other children, how do you choose a book?

The vast majority of children who read to others allow the other child to select the book. This seems sensible,




yet teachers seldom follow this proce dure.

Recommendation: Granted that a

one-to-one informal reading situation is quite different from the classroom, teachers do occasionally read to indi vidual children or to small groups

purely for enjoyment. For these situa

tions, we could take a cue from the children and allow them to select the book.

Question 6: What would you like to know about a book before it is read to you?

Here the children could select one or more options, including "nothing." This question was included to discover

if, in introducing a book to children, we are telling them all they want to

know, or perhaps more than they want. Author's name ?primary children

51%; intermediate children 17%. Most of the graduate students (who are

classroom teachers) admitted that they seldom if ever mention the author's name to the children. Why the desire for this information decreases as the child's age increases is not really clear.

Perhaps after years of not being told the author's name, the children just lose interest in knowing.

Summary ?Among the primary children, 60% indicated that they

would like a summary of the story be fore a book is read. This interest was somewhat lower among the intermedi ate-level subjects, with only 32%

wanting a summary. Perhaps younger

children reason that they will have an

easier time understanding the story if

they have a general idea of the plot be forehand.

Questions ? The option of knowing

ahead of time if you would be asked

questions about the story did not get as

high a positive response as expected: primary children 48%, older children 22%.

Characters ?Among the primary children, 48% expressed a desire to

have information on the characters

ahead of time, while only 25% of the

intermediate subjects did so.

Setting ?Among the primary chil

dren, 39% wanted to be told about the

setting prior to hearing the story, while

only 12% of the intermediate subjects did so.

Pictures?Among the primary chil

dren, 61 % liked to know ahead of time whether the book is illustrated, as did

only 17% of the intermediate subjects. Nothing ?Few children wanted to

know nothing at all about the story or

book before it was read: primary 7%, intermediate 23 %.

(Many of the primary children

rather nonchalantly indicated a desire for all of the options offered, rather than carefully considering each.

Therefore, the fairly high percentage of primary children opting for each of

these categories of advanced knowl

edge should be viewed with some de

gree of skepticism.) Recommendations: (1) Authors:

Children should be told the name of the author of the book they are about to

hear. They seem to have an interest, and it will enable them to associate certain kinds of books with particular authors. Just as adults base some of

their book decisions on the author's

reputation, children should have op portunity to make similar associations and decisions.

(2) Summary ?Since many children,

particularly younger children, seem to find a summary helpful, teachers should provide one. To maintain inter

est, however, keep it brief and don't

give away the details of the plot. (3) Questions-Although children

say it makes no difference, numerous

studies support that telling children ahead of time that they will be asked

questions, and thus establishing a

mindset for analytical listening, is

good teaching practice, so teachers should continue to do this.

(4) Characters - Younger students




may view this type of advanced knowl

edge as an aid to comprehension; older

subjects may feel that being told about the characters beforehand will unduly influence them in forming their own

opinions. The age and sophistication of listeners should guide teachers.

With a younger audience, they should delve into the characters before read

ing the story; with older listeners, they should not.

(5) Setting?Many of the surveyors

reported difficulty in explaining the term "setting" to the younger subjects, so the response from the younger chil dren may merely reflect their desire to

cooperate with the surveyor, especially after that person had gone to great lengths to explain the term, rather than a genuine interest in knowing the set

ting. Teachers should use this term when reading to children to expand children's knowledge of literature's ter

minology. (6) Pictures-The younger children

may have selected this option because illustrations simplify their comprehen sion task. Since books for older chil dren seldom contain illustrations, the decreased interest in knowing whether a book is illustrated may reflect reality rather than a true lack of interest in il lustrated literature. Once again, teach

ers should be guided by the age of the listeners and mention illustrations to

younger children.

(7) Nothing-Older children who

chose this option may have done so in an attempt to express independence and sophistication. It probably should not be taken too seriously.

Question 7a: Do you feel free to ask

questions while a story is being read to you in school?

The responses about asking ques tions at school varied interestingly.

Among the primary children, 62% said they felt free to interrupt a story,

while only 50% of the intermediate children did. Slightly more primary

girls and slightly more intermediate

boys felt free to raise questions in school.

Recommendation: The teachers con

ducting this survey were a little dis

mayed at these responses. Most felt that their classroom environment en

couraged the children to ask questions. Many decided to re-examine the class room climate as perceived by the chil dren. Probably other factors operate to

produce these responses. Children are taught that interrupting

adults is rude, so even though you have an important question to ask, you re

frain. Asking a question, particularly when you're the only one who seems to have that question, is often viewed as a

sign of ignorance, rather than an at

tempt to clarify information. Since

reading in school is usually a group ac

tivity, children might pretend to under stand rather than admit their confusion

by asking a question. Apparently children don't like to put

up with or to cause interruptions when

they are listening to a story. The in creased percentage of intermediate

children who would not interrupt to ask a question in school indicates that these youngsters have learned their lessons well regarding rude behavior and that they have more patience and self-control than their younger coun

terparts.

Question 7b: Do you feel free to ask

questions while you are being read a story at home?

At home, 56% of the primary chil dren and 61 % of the intermediate chil dren would not hesitate to interrupt a

story in order to ask a question. The

percentages were higher for primary girls and intermediate boys.

Recommendations: Children's will

ingness to interrupt with a question at home may mean that they have learned that parents don't mind purposeful in

terruptions, which are not equated with rudeness. Both teachers and par




ents need to impress upon children that

asking questions leads to learning and that they welcome questions, even dur

ing a story, if the answers will enable listeners to understand and enjoy the

story more readily.

Question 8: After a book has been read to you, do you like to talk about it?

I have observed that many teachers read books without conducting follow

up discussion to reinforce concepts. I think this short-changes children, and I wanted to see if they agreed. Among the primary subjects, 76% wanted to

talk about a book after hearing it read; 69% of the intermediate subjects did.

Recommendation: The majority of the children seem to feel as I do: An

important part of having a story read to you is the opportunity to discuss it.

Both teachers and parents should pro vide follow-up discussion.

Question 9: If you are going to be asked questions about a book that is read to you, do you prefer that the

questions be asked during the story or after the story has been read?

Not surprisingly, children preferred that questions be asked after the story:

primary 79 %, intermediate 64 %.

Recommendation: These responses reinforce the previous conclusion (see

questions 7a and 7b) that children do not like to have stories interrupted. The story should be read through be fore questions are asked, regardless of

who is doing the asking.

Question 10: After a book has been read to you, do you want to have a

chance to look at it or to read it

yourself? The overwhelming response was

positive: primary 93% yes, intermedi ate 69%.

Recommendation: Apparently we

make a mistake by thinking that once we have read a book to children, that

should be the end of it. Often, that should be only the beginning, particu larly for primary children, who would like the chance to look at the book for themselves so that they can get a closer look at the illustrations. This latter is

evidently less true for intermediate

children, whose books are not illus trated. Still, many of these older chil dren become increasingly interested in a book, once it has been read, and should be afforded the opportunity to read it for themselves.

Question 11 : What is the best thing about having someone read to you?

This open-ended question was in cluded just because we were curious as to the children's responses. The fol

lowing selection reflects the children's

variety, honesty and wisdom: "If someone reads to you, then you

don't have to bother to read it your self."

"When someone reads to me, I un

derstand it better." "It is a relaxing, nice quiet time." "Dad doesn't rip the pages and he

puts the book away." "I learn new words when someone

reads to me."

"It makes me feel good to be read to in bed."

"It gives me time to think of ques tions I want to ask."

"If your eyes aren't busy, your imagi nation is free to roam."

Note: Readers interested in seeing the raw data should write Dr. Alicia

Mendoza directly at School of Educa

tion, Florida International University, Bay Vista Campus, 151st and Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami, Florida

33181, USA. Be sure to enclose a self addressed stamped envelope.

Mendoza codirects the Educational Research Center for Child Develop ment and teaches at Florida Interna tional University, North Miami.




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Reading to Children: Their Preferences