Abstract
Socialization as an explanation for declining reading frequency?
The influence of parents and school on the reading of books investigated more closely In this article the impact of socialization processes in both the parental and school context on current book reading frequency of recent birth cohorts is investigated. Given the decline in reading interest recent cohorts show in other reading studies – a decline often associated with the rise of popular culture – special attention is given to the explanation of these cohort differences by socialization traits. New data were gathered from about 600 persons who finished secondary education in the period 1975-1998. From each respondent one of the parents and the former teacher in Dutch literature were interviewed as well to obtain more valid information about socialization practices. Results show the importance of both the parental and the school-socialization. However, the decline in reading in more recent cohorts can neither be attributed to a decline in literary stimulation nor to a growing share of popular culture in socialization.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 45 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Mens & Maatschappij |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |