Women's reading constructs and their impact on reading behaviours

Hardy, C. ORCID: 0000-0002-1813-9233, 2008. Women's reading constructs and their impact on reading behaviours. Particip@tions, 5 (2). ISSN 1749-8716

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Abstract

Despite the real and perceived benefits of reading—cognitive, social and psychological—many women do not choose to read, particularly books, as a regular leisure activity. In this paper, using empirical evidence and personal construct psychology[1] as the framework, it is argued that women develop reading constructs that, by the time of adolescence, become core constructs forming part of the self-concept that remain stable throughout the life span. These constructs are shaped by the individual’s environment, particularly family and friends, and influence their perception of their reading behaviour and skills. When considering the reading construct, it is a common belief that a reader is someone who reads books and a non-reader is someone who either reads nothing or reads other materials, e.g., magazines. A woman who believes herself to be a reader may read books throughout her lifespan, whereas a woman who believes herself to be a non-reader will probably not read books after her primary schooling is completed. Women who consider themselves to be non-readers may change their reading behaviour as adults if there are certain conditions present to encourage them to start, but they exercise limited agency in their reading practices.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Particip@tions
Creators:	Hardy, C.
Publisher:	University of Wales
Date:	2008
Volume:	5
Number:	2
ISSN:	1749-8716
Rights:	Copyright © 2008 Particip@tions: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies
Divisions:	Schools > School of Art and Design
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 09:55
Last Modified:	01 Feb 2022 14:56
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5001

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