Reluctant Readers

Getting Closer to Reading Activity:Strategies to Enhance Reading Motivation of Reluctant

ReaderCompiled by Group 3 FKIP 5C

Abstract:

Reading will be something crucial for people to get their future. Even though there

are many people have known how important reading is, some of them may still face

problems in reading. It happens especially to whom called as reluctant readers.

Through some strategies displayed in this writing, reluctant readers will find the

right solutions to solve their reading problems. Those strategies cover using

booktalking, graphic novel, and audiobook. This writing also suggest the reluctant

readers to take into some important aspects related to reading its self. Finally, it is

hoped that they will get their passion to read enjoy reading as fun activit.

Key Words: reading activity, reading motivation, reluctant reader

BACKGROUNDMany people especially teens think that reading is boring

or a waste of time. However, there are many benefits of

reading and with the help of good and appropriate strategies,

reading will be something more interesting. Further, it will

not be boring activity if its purposes have been set up

earlier.

Reading Journal-Getting Closer to Reading Activity:

Strategies to Enhance Reading Motivation of Reluctant Reader

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Reading is considered to be one of the most prominent

skills as most students and teachers are required to do their

academic reading in English. It is obvious that reading is one

of the most important activities in any language class, both

as a source of information and extending one’s knowledge of

the language. The main difference in the attitude to reading

in recent years has been the emphasis on providing guidance

for students in developing their reading skills and using some

strategies rather than merely expecting it to develop with its

own accord.

Above all, a person who wants to understand or to make

comments on any passage must be “a good reader”. Who is a good

reader then? A good reader is a person who can only use his

mind to figure out the main message of the passage as long as

possible in the course of reading process. That is why; using

time efficiently in exams is a very important factor for

success. There is a good saying concerning reading: "Reading is to

the mind what exercise is to the body." So we can have the opinion that

the more one reads, the quicker he will be able to understand

the material he reads like a sportsman who makes regular

exercises to stay fit all the time.

One thing for sure, reading should always be an enjoyable

experience! It certainly should be, considering most of people

do it every day. Students and professionals can end up

dedicating 3 to 5 hours each day to the task of reading. In a

perfect world, all the material that people read would be

compelling and interesting. However in reality, sometimes the



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material they read is not that interesting but we still do

need to read it. Whether it is for school or for jobs, there

are times when they need to spend hours reading boring

material that interests them very little or even not at all.

This can cause them to loose focus on the task of reading

resulting in slow reading speeds, poor comprehension and

retention.

Thus, it will be worse for some people who don’t like

reading at all. They may don’t know how to start even though

they have realized how much they need to read. Their bad

presupposition toward reading must be omitted by enhancing

their reading motivation. The following strategies may be

useful to engage them to enjoyable reading. Moreover, it will

be important to know all about reading activity from the

beginning to help them stay focused while reading even if the

material is boring.

THEORETICAL BASIS

What is Reading?

Most children are not natural born readers. In fact,

reading is not a naturally occurring skill at all, but rather

a complex process that requires a careful and systematic

instructional approach according to the research gathered by

the National Reading Panel. It is dependent upon a number of

factors including a child’s world knowledge, vocabulary and

memory skills. Of all the skills children must acquire in

their lives reading is the most critical one for future



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success in school as well as throughout life. According to

Cathy Healy “...reading is the most critical [skill] for future success in school as

well as throughout life.”

"Reading" is the process of looking at a series of

written symbols and getting meaning from them. When someone

read, he/she uses his/her eyes to receive written symbols

(letters, punctuation marks and spaces) and his/her brain to

convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that

communicate something to him/her. Therefore, as a process,

reading has some stages.

STAGES GOALSPre-reading

is what readers do before they

read to create

expectations, focus, and a

plan for the best

approach to the reading.

to activate prior knowledge

as a framework for

understanding

to stimulate interest in the

topic

to identify the purposes and

goals for the reading

to provide language

preparation for the textActive Reading

is what readers do while they

are reading to

stay focused and comprehend

the material.

to build knowledge within

the context for reading

to self-monitor

comprehension and correct as

needed

to make material more

memorable for recall and



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applicationPost-reading

is what readers do after they

have finished

the text to enhance

understanding and enable

long-term retention.

to “fill in the blanks” by

checking knowledge, finding

answers, and taking

additional notes

to integrate lecture notes

with book notes

to form complete study

guides

to increase vocabulary

Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that

other people can hear). Reading is a receptive skill - through it

people receive information. But the complex process of reading

also requires the skill of speaking, so that they can

pronounce the words they read. In this sense, reading is also

a productive skill in that they are both receiving information

and transmitting it (even if only to theirselves).

As many people know, Reading is the third of the four

language skills, which are: listening, speaking, reading,

writing. In a language, reading is usually the third language

skill that is learnt. So, do people need to read in order to

speak English? The short answer is no. Some native speakers

cannot read or write but they speak English fluently. On the

other hand, reading is something that they can do on their own

and that greatly broadens their vocabularies, thus helping

them in speaking (and in listening and writing). Reading is



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therefore a highly valuable skill and activity, and it is

recommended that English learners try to read as much as

possible in English.

The Reading Purposes

According to national survey, a project conducted by Pew

Research Center on December 2011, Americans under age 30 are

more likely than older adults to do reading of any sort

(including books, magazines, journals, newspapers, and online

content) for work or school, or to satisfy their own curiosity on a topic. About

eight in ten say they read for these professional or educational reasons,

more than older age groups. And about three-quarters of

younger Americans say they read for pleasure or to keep up with current

events.

Further, the purposes of reading are also mentioned in an

article cited in The Texas Higher Education Coordinating

Board. Developed by The University of Texas at El Paso. It is

said that there are three primary purposes for reading, and

each one is identified by different motivations, activities

and strategies. They are as follows:

1. Reading for pleasure:

Text based on interests,

Multiple and easy connections to prior knowledge,

Satisfies intellectual stimulation and/or emotional

pleasure.

2. Reading for literal understanding:

Answers basic who, what, when, where questions,



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Establishes vocabulary and basic concepts in the

subject.

3. Reading for analysis, interpretation, and application:

Engages critical thinking skills through questioning

and reflection,

Considers stated and implied ideas,

Speculates on how concepts can be applied to new

situations.

If it is seen from the types of texts read, according to

Chamberlain (2008), there are two purposes for reading and

included within each are described in the following sections.

Reading for literary experience Reading to acquire and use

information

The reader becomes involved in

imagined events, settings,

actions, consequences,

characters, atmosphere,

feelings, and ideas; he or she

brings an appreciation of

language and knowledge of

literary forms to the text. This

is often accomplished through

reading fiction.

The reader engages with types of

texts where she or he can

understand how the world is and

has been, and why things work as

they do. Texts take many forms,

but one major distinction is

between those organized

chronologically and those

organized non-chronologically.

This area is often associated

with information articles and

instructional texts.



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Source: Mullis, et al., 2006.

Factors affecting reading activities

After the purposes of reading activity are already set

up. The next aspect that is also important to take into

account are factors affecting reading activity its self. They

will be so important when they took a part in making reading

boring activity.

In general, there are at least ten factors affecting

reading activity. Theay are as follows.

A non-encouraging reading home environment

A non-encouraging reading classroom environment

Vision problems

Lack of interest in the book

Hearing - Speech impediment, Hard of Hearing, or

deafness

Lack of background knowledge

Lack of strong vocabulary base

Gender

Intelligence with the ability to learn, solve

problem ,or see relationships in reading.

Language differences/Dialect/Cultural difference.

Motivation.



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Further, other experts also determined some perceived

factors that affects reading interest. They are healthy mood,

desire of getting extensive knowledge, genetic predisposition,

good vision. Meanwhile, in Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young

Children, Snow, Burns, & Griffin (1998) presented a synthesis of

research on the conditions that contribute to successful

reading. They identified the following factors as predictors

of success and failure in reading:

Physicaland

ClinicalFactors

Predictors of SchoolEntry

Acquired

Knowledge of

Literacy

Family-basedRisk

Factors

Neighborhood,

Community, andSchool-based

Factors

Cognitivedeficiencie

s

Hearingproblems

Earlylanguage

impairment

Attentiondeficit/hyperactivitydisorders

Visionproblems

Acquired

proficiency inlanguag

e

Verbalmemory

Lexicaland

syntactic

skills

Overalllanguag

Readingreadine

ss

Letteridentification

Concepts ofprint

Phonemic

awareness

Familyhistory

ofreadingdifficulties

Home literacyenvironment

Opportunitiesfor

verbalinteract

Environmentalrisks

Lowperformi

ngschools

Lowexpectations

Lack ofresource

s

Conflict



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e

Phonologicalawarene

ss

OralVocabulary

ion

Homelanguageotherthan

English

Use of anonstand

arddialect

ofEnglishin thehome

Socioeconomicstatus

ingcommunity values

Negativepeer

pressure

Types of Readers

Sometimes it feels like there are as many ways to read, and

as many reading preference, as there are readers. People can

read with a focus on learning or on entertainment and they can

also actively engage and question the text, or they can be

more passive. People can read to challenge and push ourselves,

or we can read as a form as escapism. When it comes to

fiction, of course, “learning” as a underlying purpose for



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reading is much more rare than for a nonfiction text. That

doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple ways, or reasons, to read a

novel. Readers come in all shapes and sizes. It will be

impoirtant to know some types of readers in order to get the

right strategies to make the reluctant readers interested in

reading. Here are just a handful of types readers.

1. Readers who focus on character

These are readers who delve into literary fiction, and

don’t understand how other people can call a character

study “boring” or say that “nothing happens.” They love

characters because characters share our humanity, and

often hold a mirror to or otherwise lead us to consider

the human condition from a vantage point that is new for

us. Of course, some authors focus more on who their

characters are than others. Some readers will enjoy that,

while others won’t.

2. Readers who care more about what happens than who the

people involved are

These readers love action, adventure, and a fast pace

where something is always at risk or someone is always in

danger. They don’t feel ambivalence toward the

characters: not necessarily. They aren’t heartless. But

they care more about what the characters do than who they

are. They love beating the odds and achieving the

impossible.



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3. Readers who want to know what happens in a book before

they read

They like to know ahead of time, for sure, that

everything is going to end up okay for the characters.

How it’s going to be okay, and if it isn’t, they want

fair warning of that so that they can be prepared.

4. Readers whose experience is ruined if they hear spoilers

It is not said that they aren’t compassionate; they just

want no idea of how things will shake out. They want to

be surprised, or they want to develop their own theories

of things. Whatever the cause, they don’t want their

reading experience compromised or altered in any way by

forces other than the book itself.

5. Readers who skip or skim passages

Some readers feel perfectly comfortable skipping whole

chapters when the content feels “dull” to them. Sometimes

they’ll skip to the end of a really long passage of

description that doesn’t hold their interest. It makes

sense not to waste time reading passages they don’t care

about.

6. Readers who feel panicky if they skip anything



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They’ve stopped reading books in the middle before

(especially books they couldn’t stand that were assigned

for classes in college), but if they plan to read a book

through to the last page, they are going to read every

sentence. They are just terrified of missing something in

a boring section that becomes important later on. They

scared of skipping something and then not being able to

understand what happens next.

7. Readers who always finish a book

These readersn always learn to prioritize and skim: just

to be able to participate as fully as possible in class

discussions. They always try to finish their reading.

What is Reluctant Reader?

A reluctant reader is anyone who does not show interest

in reading. There is a wide range within the category of

reluctant readers. A reluctant reader may simply be a child

who needs to be coaxed into reading texts. She may also be the

child who vehemently refuses to read. Reluctant readers

sometimes hide their ambivalence towards reading using other

behaviors. A teacher may notice that a certain student always

becomes the class clown when it is time to begin independent

reading. Similarly, parents may notice that their child seems

to become “naughtier” when he is asked to sit and read a book

aloud.



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When children mask their negative attitudes towards

reading by using other behaviors parents and teachers need to

do a little “detective work” to identify the root cause of the

problem. While any child, young or old, male or female can bea reluctant reader the largest number of unenthusiastic

readers are adolescent boys. Research shows that a good number

of boys who were avid readers in the elementary grades become

disinterested in reading during their middle school years.

Though there are a number of factors which may contribute to

this shift (increasing complexity of material, peer pressure)

one of the primary reasons seems to be that they fail to see

the connection between reading and “real” life.

Reluctant are usually classified as students reading at

least a grade or two below grade level (related to reading

speed). Reluctant readers are also those who, for a variety of

reasons, do not like to read, do not like to expose themselves

as readers, and have a hard time finding books they want to

read. These students may or may not receive special education

services. Readers who are below grade level and do not receive

intervention services still require special attention in

reading instruction. These students have the tendency to be

self-conscious about their reading capabilities. They

generally find reading to be demanding.

According to Tami J. Little, there are two different

types of reluctant readers - those who can read but don't

enjoy it and those who find reading so difficult that they

avoid it whenever they can. Both groups think reading is hard



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work so it's important to give them books which are really

worth the effort - strong stories that keep them turning the

pages, humor which makes them laugh out loud and non-fiction

packed with fascinating facts about their favorite interests.

Meanwhile, according to other experts, there are several

different types of reluctant readers. They can be intelligent

children or teens who are interested in reading, but lack good

reading skills, such as speed and comprehension. Some kids

simply have no interest in reading and are at risk of falling

behind. Other kids have specific learning problems that impede

their ability and desire to read. The most challenging kid is

one with excellent skills but has no interest in books or

reading. There are no vocabulary lists or restrictions when

writing for reluctant readers. Reluctant readers are always

attracted to adventure, fantasy, teen romance, and diaries and

letters. Currently popular with teen reluctant readers are

nonfiction books about celebrities, sports, or are reality-

based, such as true stories of the weird or supernatural.

Publishers also entice reluctant readers with graphic novels

and comic books.

All above descriptions about reluctant reader, there are

some characteristics of Reluctant Readers according to Leah

Moorefield. They are as follows.

Readers who tend to be unmotivated often lack self-esteem

regarding their ability to read.



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They often attribute their difficulties to the difficulty

of the task, interference, too much noise, vision

problems, or unfairness.

Seldom do they acknowledge that their own lack of skill

is at the heart of the problem.

Often they have a sense of hopelessness. When the

reluctance of these students to participate in activities

is interpreted as defiance or laziness, their underlying

reading problem may not be identified or addressed.

Reluctant readers who have had many years of frustration

often become skilled evaders who try either to “hide out

or act out” so they can avoid reading.

DISCUSSIONHow complicated it will be to decide the right stategies

for motivating reluctant readers, if basicly they are not

interested in reading at all. The first thing must be taken

into account is knowing them well. What problems which are

actually they are facing, what makes them confortable in

reading, and what kind of materials they prefer to read. The

following sections will show how to reach reluctant readers to

engage them in reading activity.

Getting closer to Reluctant Readers

They are some types of reluctant readers like what have

been mentioned in previous sections. From those expositios,



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reluctant readers may be classified into some categories

according to their each reasons. There is no universally

accepted definition of the term reluctant reader. Children who are

or become reluctant readers can do so for a variety of

reasons. Their reluctance may occur because of limited prior

learning experiences, low self-esteem, stumbling blocks to

their growth as readers and a host of other reasons.

Broadly speaking, reluctant readers often fall into three

categories:

1. Dormant: they like to read but often don't have time or

don't make time for reading.

2. Uncommitted: they do not like to read but may read in the

future.

3. Unmotivated: they do not like to read and do not ever

expect to like to read.

Why they don’t like Reading?

Reason 1: Reading gives them a headache or makes

their eyes hurt.

Reason 2: They can’t read as fast as their peers (and

get left behind).

Reason 3: They fear they’ll have to read out loud and

others will laugh.



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Reason 4: They expect to be tested on what they read

— and to fail the test.

Reason 5: They believe they have to finish every

reading selection, no matter how long or difficult.

Reason 6: They fear their opinions will be wrong.

Reason 7:They always get put into the “slow” group,

which makes them fell stupid.

Reason 8: They believe they are too far behind to

ever catch up.

Reason 9: They have no interest in the material they

are required to read.

Reason 10: They cannot find books they like to read.

Strategies to motivate Reluctant Reader

Using Motivating Strategies

Not all people who fail to read do so because they

cannot. A significant number of readers choose not to

read even though they can. In particular, their

motivation and interest in reading appears to wane with

each progressive school year (McKenna et al., 1995).

Motivation and interest in reading both play a part in

the reading lives of these students.

Motivation can be described as the individual’s

impetus to read when he or she is not compelled to do so

by academic assignments. For many secondary students,

reading is not a habit of their daily lives. There have

been some efforts that have used various rewards-based



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programs to encourage people to read daily, but these

endeavors fail to address the goal of reading as an

independent choice outside of the reward programs, owing

to a fundamental flaw in the programs’ design. The choice

to read independently must ultimately be intrinsically

motivated. As adolescents move into young adulthood, they

have an increasing amount of autonomy in determining how

they will spend their free time. Several decades’ worth

of research on intrinsic motivation shows that outside

rewards do not increase intrinsic motivation (Cameron and

Pierce, 1994).

While extrinsically motivating programs can increase

reading for the duration of the program, they have less

impact on developing lifelong reading habits. Closely

related to the concept of intrinsic motivationis the

development of autonomy, defined as a sense of

independence and self-rule. Notably, adolescence is

characterized by the drive for autonomy. The need for

autonomy is essential to learning as well. A sense of

autonomy has been found to be an important infl uence on

academic outcomes (Deci and Ryan, 1985). Further,

autonomy and intrinsic motivation work in tandem

(Boggiano et al., 1992). The teacher in a secondary

school has a great deal of infl uence in how autonomy

will be fostered because he or she can determine the

extent to which students can exercise choice. Several

studies have found that teachers who exert high levels of



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control and who limit student choice undermine learners’

autonomy and intrinsic motivation to learn (e.g., Connell

et al., 1994; Deci et al., 1981). Thus, opportunities for

choice and self-selection play an important role in

developing a self-regulated desire to read outside of

academic assignments. Student interest is another factor

in the choice to read. As adults, we can certainly

understand this perspective. In addition, interest plays

a role in comprehension, precisely because the reader is

attending to the text more closely. Wigfi eld et al.

(1998) note that “interest is more strongly related to

indicators of deep-level learning, such as recall of main

ideas, responding to deeper comprehension questions, and

representation of meaning, than it is to surface-level

learning, such as responding to simple questions or

verbatim representation of texts” (p. 77). A book or

article of interest is therefore more likely not only to

be read but also to be understood.

Helpful Hints in Winning Reluctant Readers in Class:

Offer reading choices.

Refrain from being judgmental of their reading

selections.

Tap into their outside interests.

Use shorter, high-interest books for novel

studies.



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Link novels to other types of reading materials,

such as newspapers, magazines, and nonfiction

books.

Read aloud the first chapter of a novel to get

readers hooked.

Include a variety of genres in the English

curriculum.

Instruct them to stop reading a book if it doesn’t

interest them by the second chapter.

Allow them to help shape a reading list for the

class.

Ask them to suggest books for you to read.

Read as many of the books as possible.

Let them know when you read their suggestions.

Showing them how important reading is

1. Exploring people to new thing. Through reading, people

can explore theirselves to new thing, to new

information, new ways to solve a problem, new way to

achieve one thing. Who knows they might find their new

hobbies within it? Who knows they might actually

explore to one thing they really like and thus it

become their career and success in the future?

Exploration starts from reading and understanding.

2. Self improvement. Reading does help people form a

better they, isn’t it? Through reading, people

understand the world more; through reading people get



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to understand more on a topic that interest them, for

example: How to build self confidence, how to make a

better planning before action; how to memorize things

better and more. All these self development start from

the reading; through reading, people structure the path

towards a better understanding and better actions to

take in the future. Books are the quietest and most constant of

friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the

most patient of teachers. -Charles W. Elio-

3. Improving understanding. The more people read, the more

they understand one thing, the A to Z of a thing. For

instance, reading allows people understand about

crocodiles and its habits that they need to beware of

places it usually appear, in the purpose of stay away

from being harmed or bitten by it. Or perhaps they can

try by real life experience, in approaching the

crocodile, to see what happen. It does help people find

out the truth of something right? Reading also

increases the understanding of the rules of life, in

order for them to adapt, adopt and accommodate into the

society better. To play well in a game, people first

need to understand the rules well enough.

4. Preparation to action. Before people take action on

anything, where do they seek for help and guidance?

Reading is essential way which can help them out. In

today’s world, getting reviews and feedback from other

people is a big impact on what people’s next decision,



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the pros and cons of one thing. Read about how to cook

a meal; how to play chess; which place is nice for the

holiday family trip; read the menu before ordering

food, read the manual before using a new gadget. These

all can help people become more prepared before really

get into it. Read > Learn > Do > Achieve. Reading is a starting step of

many things, which build a more solid stairs for people to climb up

achieving something big out there.

5. Gaining experience from Others. When people are

reading, they are actually gaining the knowledge and

experience of someone. It can faster up their success

towards one thing, as they don’t need to repeat the

same mistake while focus on the right path in achieving

one thing. It’s like a mountain of gems for them to

discover in books, of others’ success, failures and

advices. Life is too short for them to keep repeating

the mistakes that had been done by other people in the

past, in order for people to reach the results that

someone might already reached. There are four thousand

plus billionaire and 12 million millionaires today. To

become one of them, the first thing is to learn and get

to know their past, what they did in the past that

makes them where they are today. Reading is a great

path to get to know them, and learn from these great

people. The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better

understanding of life from one’s encounter with it in a book. | André

Maurois



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6. Tools of Communicating. It is the most important tool

of communicating, through reading, people communicate,

through reading, people understand more, and thus they

can communicate better with other. As if a person that

know nothing, he hasn’t had anything to share, and he

probably don’t even understand what other are sharing.

Through reading, people build a more solid bridge of

communication. It is one of the most important tools

they use every day to connect with each other. Whereas

if they don’t read, they can’t even connect with the

world and what other are talking about out there,

including understanding what this article is all about.

Reading connects people with the world.

7. Connecting brain. When reading, people are in full

silence, where reading connects directly to their

brain. In silence, they seek for more; in silence,

their brain is clear and focuses, thus they learn and

grow, and therefore they feel and see from the point of

view of the author, about everything in life. Hence

they shape a better self. Because silence exists with total

abandon, it is fearless. Because silence is fearless, it holds the power that

can break through any barrier. | On Silence

8. Boosting imagination and creativity. Reading exposes

people to a world of imagination, showing them nothing

is impossible in this world. By reading, people are

exploring a different angle to see a thing they’ve

known, on how different action leads to different



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results. Books are beyond imagination, it’s like a huge

spider web, where they keep linking to more and more,

to things they knew, and things they just learn,

structuring a new solution and answers.

Using Booktalking

“Booktalking can develop in our students a passion for reading while at

the same time encouraging them to explore new titles. By Terrence

E. Young, Jr ., M.Ed., M.L.S.”

This term is proposed by Terrence E. Young, Jr .,

M.Ed., M.L.S. A booktalk is like a movie preview—it

piques a student’s interest in reading a book.

Booktalking can be a formal presentation to a class of

students or an informal presentation to a few students

who are looking for something to read. The goal of using

this technique is to entice students into reading a book

that have been read and designated as valuable.

Booktalks can be used to stimulate interest among

individuals and ultimately to match the right readers

with the right books. The readers can become excited

about reading because of teachers efforts. Enthusiasm

and creativity are key elements of this technique. If

the teacher does not like a book, he or she cannot

promote it in a credible way. A good presentation

conveys the passion from the booktalker to the student.

It doesn’t matter what type of personality the teachers



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have—there are as many different styles of booktalks as

there are booktalkers. Books can be grouped according to

themes or subjects and can be “talked” in the classroom

or in the library media center. Teachers can invite them

to their classrooms to present books that would augment

their lessons. Booktalks also provide students with an

opportunity to discuss literature. Elementary students

can participate in discussions about a different genre

each month. Secondary teachers can post their own topics

and assignments for students. Students can read each

other’s thoughts and can reply. The discussion can

continue over days or weeks. Most booktalks are for

fiction titles, but nonfiction presentations can also

promote reading and increase content-area knowledge.

Using Graphic novel

The term graphic novel is proposed by Chris

Schluep. At this point, it should come as no surprise

that one of today’s fastest growing categories in book

publishing is that of the graphic novel. Partly because

of this rapid growth, there is a great deal of confusion

and uncertainty as to what exactly constitutes a graphic

novel and where (if at all) graphic novels fit into the

greater literature.

What are graphic novels and where did they begin? The truth is

that graphic novels have been around—in one form or

another—for many, many years. Most people associate the



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graphic novel with comic books, and that is indeed how

the form got its start (although the form has greatly

matured and expanded since then). Traditionally, graphic

novels were nothing but a series of comics gathered

together and bound into long book form—a practice that

started in the U.K. in the 1870s. Since then, generations

of Europeans have grown up with the form, with the most

well-known early examples being Tintin and Asterix. While

graphic novels have been around in this country, too,

they weren’t officially recognized as such—and didn’t

really start getting much attention from mainstream

readers—until 1978, when Will Eisner published his

groundbreaking A Contract With God. Eisner’s book, although

it was filled with pretty pictures, was unquestionably

meant to be read along the lines of literature. With this

more serious goal in mind, Eisner sought to establish

some distance between his own work and traditional

comics. He therefore came up with the idea of pitching

his work as a “graphic novel” in the hope that it

wouldn’t be dismissed outright by traditional trade-book

publishers.

To understand graphic novels in a comprehensive

sense, it’s important to start at the beginning—with

superhero comics. Most graphic novels from this

subcategory are simply collections of previously

published periodical material put into long book form.

(Think serialized comics, such as Superman, Batman,



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Spiderman, X-Men, and so forth. Interestingly, most of

these properties have also been made into movies, which

surely helps to lure young readers to the graphic-novel

aisles.) finally, the real thrill in working with graphic

novels is the chance to see a new art form coming into

its own. This is something that makes sense to young

readers of today, and it partly explains why graphic

novels have taken off in popularity. Something else is at

work, too. There are great artists doing great work in

the field. This is the cutting edge of book publishing,

as well as a growing field of art where the true masters

are just rising to the surface, and as it might have

been imagined, graphic novels are also a lot of fun.

Using Audiobooks

Milken Family Foundation has investigated the

effects of audiobooks on children’s reading ability and

found that programs that include the use of audiobooks

improved children’s reading proficiency more than

programs that did not use them. Barbara Baskin and Karen

Harris reported in an article in the Journal of Reading

that audiobooks have a legitimate place in reading

programs and provide alternatives to struggling readers

unable to read independently.

Teachers and parents are encouraged to use

audiobooks because they:



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Expose readers to new vocabulary. As new words

are heard in the context of a story, they

become part of a child’s oral and eventually

written vocabularies.

Provide demonstrations of fluent reading and

appropriate phrasing, intonation, and

articulation.

Expand access to materials for readers.

Experienced readers and those struggling with

decoding can listen to stories well beyond

their independent reading levels and can

comprehend more complex literature.

Create opportunities for readers to discuss

literature. Reading comprehension is enhanced

through discussion, and audiobooks provide a

perfect opportunity for classes to share these

stories.

Support struggling readers. As developing

readers listen to audiobooks and follow along

with a printed version of the story, they learn

to match the sounds of oral language to their

written counterparts. This matching of sounds

to symbols is the basis for reading

instruction.

Invite children into the world of reading and

literature. One of the most important roles of



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classroom teachers and librarians is exposing

children to quality literature.

CONCLUSIONThere are many problems may people faced in doing reading

activity. Those problems will be so complicated when they are

caused by people preference of reading. The people who are

called as reluctant readers may have serious problems in

reading because of some reasons. They will be helped when

their problems can be solved with the right solutions or

strategies. By showing them how important reading is for their

life, they will be smoothly interested in reading. Further,

they will also enjoy reading through some strategies such as

using booktalking, graphic novel, and audiobook. One thing for

sure, they cannot be forced to read or do what they don’t

like. They will be slowly engaged in reading activity and

finally they will find reading as fun activity.

REFERENCES



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Healy, Cathy. 2002.Reading: What the Experts Say, an article from TheLowdown on the National Reading Panel. USA:PATC

Chamberlain, Megan.2008.PIRLS 2005/2006 in New Zealand: An overview ofnational findings from the second cycle of the Progress in InternationalReading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

Feldman ,Robert S.2009. P.O.W.E.R learning: Strategies for Success inCollage and Life (4 th ed.). New York : Mc.Graw-Hill

Holloway, J."Improving the reading skills of adolescents." EducationalLeadership, October:(1999) 80-81.

Hornby, A.S. 1995. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press

Ivy, G. "Teaching struggling middle school readers." The Education Digest,October, (1999): 60-65.

Tankersley, Karen, Literacy Strategies for Grades 4 to 12: Reinforcing theThreads of Reading, ASCD, 2005.

Tomblinson, Amy .2004. "Reluctant Readers and The Power of Real Reading,"Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol. 20: Iss. 2,Article 5. Available at:http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1226

Pew Research Center.2012.Younger Americans’ Reading and Library Habits.Washington D.C.: Pew Research Center’s Internet & AmericanLife Project

http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/lajm

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/differentiated-instruction-reluctant-and-striving-readers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/inspiring-the-reluctant-reader/2013/12/04/db24207a-5d23-11e3-95c2-13623eb2b0e1_story.html



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http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/lajm

http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1226

http://booksinthespotlight.blogspot.com/2011/09/journey-from-reluctant-reader-to-avid.html

http://www.keenreaders.org/literacy-expert-david-ward-what-is-a-reluctant-reader

http://www.education.com/reference/article/literature-reluctant-reader/

www.readingisforeveryone.org.

http://therandomreader.com/category/defining-a-reluctant-reader

http://www.ascd.org/publications/classroom-leadership/apr2004/Reluctant-Readers.aspx

http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/12419

http://ireadandtell.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-different-types-of-readers.html

http://www.englishclub.com/reading/what.htm

http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2012/08/what-kind-book-reader-are-you-diagnostics-guide/56337/

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/articles/children-who-can-read-but-dont.htm

http://www.irisreading.com/quick-tips-2/10-tips-on-how-to-focus-on-boring-readingmaterials/

http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2539/PIRLS-200506/34905/6

http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/RHI/



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http://therandomreader.com/category/defining-a-reluctant-reader

http://www.education.com/reference/article/literature-reluctant-reader/



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Documents

Reluctant Readers