The “Getting Students to Read” Problem
 

In some EFL/ESL teaching settings, students do not necessarily value reading. It is a constant struggle for teachers to get students to read in and out of class. When faced with such an attitudinal or motivational problem, teachers are often at a loss about what to do.
Although there is no single or simple way to change students’ attitudes toward reading, there are things teachers can try. First, we can begin with the following assumption: “People learn better when what they are studying has considerable meaning for them…when it really comes out of their own lives…when it is something that they can in some way commit themselves to or invest themselves in.” Second, we can work at discovering what brings meaning to the life of each student in our classes. We can do this by observing students: What do they talk about? Show interest in? Carry around with them? Some nonreaders will red if the reading matches their interest, such as learning to develop photos or learning to cook. When given the right conditions, problem readers will spend time reading because they have an invested interest in learning something they consider to be important or useful.
Third, we can do our best to introduce students to readings that match their interests, mostly through extensive reading activities. By putting together putting together a library collection that includes the readings and content in which students express interest, we can most easily guide students toward materials that interest them. Such a collection for adults includes mysteries, how-to books, old letters, grammar books, catalogs, sports magazines, newspaper clippings, poems, menus, and adventure stories.