1. S t r a t e g ie s t o
M o t iv a t e B o y
R e a d e r s in t h e
L ib r a r y
Created by:
Collette Knight
Sam Houston State University
July 5, 2010
2. Questions
• How can librarians and educators motivate
young males to read?
• What types of strategies exist that
encourage and motivate young males to
read?
• What types of genres currently interest
boy readers?
• How are librarians addressing the needs
and interests of boy readers?
3. R e s e a r c h H ig h lig h t s
• Current research on reading motivation finds that as
children move from upper elementary grades toward
adolescence, motivation to read declines. (Edwards,
May 2009)
• It is important to consider the range of reading
resources and to what extent they represent the
reading practices of young boys. (Atkinson, 2009)
• According to a national survey by YALSA in 2001,
boys of avg age of 14 list top obstacles to reading:
– Boring/no fun 39%
– No time/too busy 29.8%
– Like other activities better 11.1%
– Can’t get into the stories 7.7%
– I’m not good at it 4.3%
4. G a m in g
• 97% of teens consider themselves as
“gamers”
• Librarians must have an objective
• Choose Games wisely
• Games are Interactive, Hands On, &
Engaging
• Games help students practice critical thinking
& problem solving skills
• Games can be paired with books!
5. Graphic Novels
• Studies suggest reading graphic novels
could effect intrinsic motivation,
vocabulary, and comprehension ability in
7th graders. (Edwards, May 2009)
6. Audiobooks
• “One way to get boys more engaged with
the listening/reading experience is to give
them characters that sound the way they
were written to be -- voiced by
professional narrators and even full casts.
Mary Burkey, Multiple Literacies, 2 0 0 9
ALA Conference.”
• PLAYAWAYS: A new medium
• Listening is not cheating!
7. Environment
“Good librarians will take the time and energy to do the
things that boys need to feel part of the library.” Submitted
by Mike McQueen to www.GettingBoysToRead.com
• Color
• Layout
• Areas
• Furniture
• Space
8. Eye Catching Displays
• Military Recognition & History
• Fantasy
• Science
• Movies (Action, Sci Fi)
• Popular Games (Pokemon, Wii, XBox)
• Celebrate Comics/Graphic Novels
• CD Covers
9. Genres for Boy Readers
• Sports • Non Fiction
• Science Fiction • Magazines
• Fantasy • Newspapers
• Humor (Grosser the • How-To Topics
better) • Graphic Novels
• Autobiographies • Comic Books
• Science • Short Stories
10. F in a l T h o u g h t s
• Many factors contribute to whether young males
will be motivated to read.
• Research exists that describes what works and
what interests young male readers.
• Technology can contribute to creating interest and
engagement in the reading process.
• We must recognize that young male readers differ
from young girl readers and do better at providing
displays, literacy choices and activities that
equally reflect this.
• All readers should feel comfortable in libraries and
educational settings.
