New Study Examines Why Students Read their Textbooks

August 20, 2007 -- Research presented at the American Psychological Association 2007 annual meeting by Professors Regan Gurung and Ryan Martin of the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay examined how and why students read their textbooks. According to Inside Higher Ed, the researchers discovered that despite the tendency of teachers to choose texts based on writing quality, other factors were more likely to increase student reading. The sex of the students, the quality of visuals in the books, and the extent to which teachers link textbook assignments to in-class lecture and work have the greatest impact on students reading their textbooks. On the whole, women are more likely to read their textbooks than men and, if the illustrations, diagrams, and photographs are of high quality, all students were more likely to pick up their books. Not surprisingly, the study also found that unless teachers are explicit about the importance of reading the text, many students won't do so.