Reading for pleasure among Jordanian children: a community‐based reading intervention

Background We Love Reading (WLR) is a community‐based reading intervention aimed at cultivating an interest in reading for pleasure among children through mobilising local community members to establish informal libraries and organise read‐aloud sessions in public spaces. The programme targets primarily children between the ages 4–10 but is also open to older children. The present study investigated the effect of the WLR programme on children's practices and attitudes related to reading for pleasure. Methods Participants were 1,718 children recruited from different regions in Jordan. Children were, on average, 7.52 years old ( SD = 2.12). The treatment group comprised 1,304 children (59% girls; M age = 7.18 years, SD = 2.16) who received the WLR programme over 4 months. The comparison group comprised 414 children (59% girls; M age = 8.50 years, SD = 1.67) who did not attend any reading programme. Two assessment tools, adapted from previous literature, assessed reading attitudes and reading practices. The structural equation modelling framework was used to analyse the data. Results Results showed a small but significant increase in reading attitude scores and reading practice scores among children who participated in the WLR programme. The positive effect was found for children of all ages and for boys and girls alike. Conclusion A comparison of scores between the WLR group and the comparison group showed a small advantage for the WLR group. The results provide initial support for the WLR programme as a promising community‐based reading intervention for promoting reading for pleasure among children.