In short
- Find the cause before you choose a strategy, because an easier book will not cure boredom and a wider choice will not fix a text that is too hard.
- Learners in one study needed to know about 98% of the words in a story to understand it without help, so many reluctant readers simply have the wrong book.
- Choice raised intrinsic motivation, effort and performance across 41 studies, and the strongest effects came from a few options rather than many.
- Pupils who expect to fail need a run of small, visible successes, because past success is a main source of a pupil's belief that they can do it.
Most classes have a few pupils who avoid reading in English. They forget their book, read the same page for ten minutes, or say reading is boring. It is tempting to treat them all the same way, with encouragement or a prize. But reluctance is a symptom, and the cause differs from pupil to pupil. This article sets out four common causes, what research found about each, and what to do. It starts with a short conversation that helps you tell the causes apart.
Why do pupils avoid reading in English?
Pupils usually avoid reading in English for one of four reasons. The text is too hard. They have no say in what they read. There is no time for reading that is not a test. Or they have failed before and expect to fail again. Each cause has a different answer: an easier text, a real choice, protected time, or a run of small successes.
Two causes often travel together. A pupil given a text that is too hard fails at it, and the failure feeds low confidence. So check the level first, even when the pupil says the problem is boredom. A few pupils remain reluctant after the level, choice and time are right. In that case, talk to the pupil's family or your learning support team, since a learning difficulty may be part of the picture.
Classroom example: a five-minute diagnostic conversation
'Show me the last page you read. Can you tell me what happened?' (Tests whether the text is at the right level.)
'Read me this paragraph and stop at any word you don't know.' (Count the unknown words.)
'If you could read a story about anything, what would it be?' (Tests whether interest is the problem.)
'When do you get time to read, apart from in this lesson?' (Tests time.)
'Do you think you're good at reading in English? Why?' (Tests confidence.)
The four causes and what addresses each
The table pairs each cause with the research that bears on it and the step it suggests. The sections after it give the detail.
| Cause | What you may see | What research found | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text too hard | Slow reading, cannot retell, many unknown words | About 98% of words must be known for unassisted comprehension of fiction (Hu and Nation, 2000) | Move the pupil down a level until they read without help |
| No choice | 'It's boring', no interest in the class book | Choice raised intrinsic motivation, effort and performance (Patall, Cooper and Robinson, 2008) | Offer two to four levelled options and let pupils drop a book they dislike |
| No time | Reads only when told to, never finishes a book | Time spent reading books predicted reading achievement (Anderson, Wilson and Fielding, 1988) | Protect a short, regular reading slot in school |
| Low confidence | 'I'm bad at English', gives up early | Past success is a main source of self-efficacy, which shapes effort and persistence (Schunk, 2003) | Set short goals and keep a visible record of success |
When the text is too hard
This is the most common cause in a foreign language, and the easiest to miss. Hu and Nation (2000) gave a short story to 66 adults on a pre-university English course, with different shares of the words unknown. When 80% of the words were familiar, no reader understood the story adequately. At 90% and 95%, some did but most did not. The authors estimated that about 98% coverage is needed for unassisted comprehension of fiction.
Ninety-eight per cent means about one unknown word in every fifty. A text where a pupil meets one new word in every ten feels hard work, however good the story is. Those learners were adults, but the arithmetic of coverage applies to any reader.
Difficulty also hides real readers. Takase (2007) followed 219 female Japanese high school students through a year of extensive reading in English. Interviews showed that several keen readers of Japanese were not motivated to read in English. The gap between what they could read in each language was too wide. A pupil who loves stories at home may still avoid English books that feel childish or impossible.
The fix is to go down a level, often further than feels necessary. How to Match Students to the Right Graded Readers explains how to find the right one. Extensive Reading for Reluctant & Struggling Readers covers running a reading program around easy texts.
When pupils have no choice
Some pupils can read the class book and still do not want to. Patall, Cooper and Robinson (2008) pooled 41 studies of choice with children and adults. Giving choice raised intrinsic motivation, effort, task performance and perceived competence. The effect on motivation was stronger for children than for adults, and stronger when two to four successive choices were offered.
Interest matters because it drives how much pupils read. Wigfield and Guthrie (1997) surveyed 105 fourth- and fifth-grade pupils twice in a school year. Their reading motivation predicted the amount and breadth of their reading, even after allowing for how much they had read before. Intrinsic motivation, such as curiosity and getting absorbed in a story, predicted reading more strongly than extrinsic motivation.
In practice, choice works within limits. These steps follow from the findings above:
- Offer a small set. Two to four stories at the pupil's level, on different topics.
- Ask about interests. Sport, animals, mystery, real events. Use the answers when you choose the set.
- Allow a change of mind. A pupil who stops a book after two chapters and picks another is still reading.
- Choose more than the book. Where to sit, whether to follow the audio, which order to read in.
When there is no time to read
Some pupils are not reluctant so much as never given the chance. Anderson, Wilson and Fielding (1988) had 155 fifth-grade pupils in the United States log their out-of-school activities every day for 8 to 26 weeks. Time spent reading books was the best predictor of reading achievement, and of gains between second and fifth grade. Yet on most days, most of the children did little or no book reading.
That study shows a link, not a proven cause, and the children were reading in their first language. Still, a pupil who never reads for more than a few minutes will not build fluency. Reluctant readers are the least likely to read at home, so the time has to be in school. A short slot, such as ten minutes at the same point each school day, is a practical place to start. How to Build a Daily Reading Streak in Your School shows how to set up that routine.
When the pupil expects to fail
The hardest cause is a belief: 'I am bad at reading in English.' Schunk (2003) reviewed research on self-efficacy, a pupil's belief that they can learn or perform a task. Self-efficacy affects which tasks pupils choose, how hard they try, how long they persist and what they achieve. Its sources include their own past successes, watching others succeed, and persuasion from others.
The same review shows how teachers can build it: model the strategy, set goals the pupil can reach, and help the pupil evaluate their own progress. Of the sources of self-efficacy, the pupil's own success is the one you can arrange most directly. Encouragement helps, but it asks the pupil to take your word for it.
Negative attitudes also grow over time, and fastest among weak readers. McKenna, Kear and Ellsworth (1995) surveyed 18,185 pupils in grades 1 to 6 across the United States. Attitudes to both recreational and academic reading became more negative through the elementary years. The decline was steepest for the least able readers. So the longer a pupil struggles, the harder the attitude is to shift, and early action matters.
- Give the pupil a text they can finish in one sitting.
- Agree one short goal, such as one story this week.
- Record each finished story where the pupil can see the list grow.
- Ask the pupil to say what they did well, then add one specific point of your own.
- Raise the goal only after two or three weeks of steady success.
Prizes are a small part of this. Reading Rewards, Badges and Streaks explains which rewards help and which can lower interest.
How iRead handles this
In iRead, every story, quiz and game is levelled to the CEFR from A1 to C2, so a pupil can read at their own level. Many stories have an optional audio read-along synced to the text, so a pupil can follow the words while listening. After reading, four word games built from the story's vocabulary give short practice. Every game clear and quiz answer feeds a word journey, and a word cleared on two different days is marked Mastered.
The core principle: Find the cause before you choose the fix. A text the pupil can read, a real choice, protected time and a run of small successes do more than any prize.
See it in iRead: In the daily run, students read a levelled story each day and reading is the only way to score. Public leaderboards show school results only, never individual students.
See the daily competitionKey takeaway
Ask, listen and check the level before anything else. Then match the strategy to the cause, and give the pupil evidence of success they can see.
Frequently asked questions
What causes reluctant reading?
The common causes are texts that are too hard, no say in what to read, no time to read, and low confidence after past failure. In a foreign language, difficulty is often the hidden cause: Hu and Nation (2000) found readers needed to know about 98% of the words to understand a story unassisted.
How do you motivate a reluctant reader?
Start with a short conversation to find the cause. Then match the fix to it. Use an easier level for difficulty and a small choice of stories for boredom. Use a protected daily slot for lack of time, and short goals with a visible record of success for low confidence. Encouragement works best on top of these.
Should reluctant readers read easier books?
Usually, yes. Readers in one study needed to know about 98% of the words for unassisted comprehension, so many reluctant readers are simply reading texts that are too hard. An easier book lets them read fluently, enjoy the story and finish it. Raise the level once reading feels easy.
How can I tell if a book is too hard for a pupil?
Ask the pupil to read a passage of about 100 words and stop at each unknown word. Based on the 98% figure, more than two or three unknown words suggests the book is too hard for independent reading. Also ask them to retell the page; a pupil who cannot is struggling.
Do rewards help reluctant readers?
They are a small part of the answer. A reward cannot make a text readable or create time to read. Specific praise for effort and strategy, and a visible record of finished stories, support confidence. Self-efficacy grows mainly from a pupil's own successes, according to Schunk (2003).
Sources
- Hu, M. H.-C., & Nation, P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403-430. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66973
- Takase, A. (2007). Japanese high school students' motivation for extensive L2 reading. Reading in a Foreign Language, 19(1), 1-18. doi.org/10.64152/10125/66622
- Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., & Robinson, J. C. (2008). The effects of choice on intrinsic motivation and related outcomes: A meta-analysis of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 270-300. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.270
- Wigfield, A., & Guthrie, J. T. (1997). Relations of children's motivation for reading to the amount and breadth of their reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(3), 420-432. doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.89.3.420
- Anderson, R. C., Wilson, P. T., & Fielding, L. G. (1988). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly, 23(3), 285-303. doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.23.3.2
- Schunk, D. H. (2003). Self-efficacy for reading and writing: Influence of modeling, goal setting, and self-evaluation. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 19(2), 159-172. doi.org/10.1080/10573560308219
- McKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., & Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children's attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research Quarterly, 30(4), 934-956. doi.org/10.2307/748205