Americans increasingly seem to have difficult time reading. In fact, national tests suggest that only 35% of high school seniors are proficient readers. Such poor reading skills have serious implications. For instance, lack of reading skills is an obstacle to individuals experiencing the joy of lifelong reading and learning. Many employers also now rate employees as reading deficient, thereby limiting individuals' work performance and potential for advancement, as well as limiting the productivity of business.
A recent national study conducted by the National Endowment for the arts suggests one possible cause for the lack of reading skill often observed: The lack of enjoyment to read. Interestingly, most young children seem to love reading, or at least being ready to by an adult. A recent study conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research(NFER) indicated that 69% of 9-year-old enjoy reading. however, the NEA study previously mentioned showed that this interest in reading often is not maintained. That is, in that study, whereas 54% of 9-year-old said that they read almost everyday for fun, only 22% of 17-year-old said they did.
Given this,please address the following two questions:
a. Based on the psychological research and theory, what do you think are some reasons why Americans are reading less and that interest in reading drops markedly from the age of 9 to the age of 17? connect your ideas to specific research findings and concepts when possible.
b. Based on relevant psychological research and theory, what do you think parents, teachers, or librarians (or anyone else, for that matter) could do to most promote Americans' long-term interest in reading and prevent the loss of interest in reading from the age of 9 to the age of 17? connect your ideas to specific psychological research findings and concepts