Mgter.

María José Alemán Juan Villalba

Written Composition IV Augusto Chocobar
César Oropeza

Warning: Do not let your child give up on this

UNESCO UIS (2017) reported that more than 19 million children and adolescents are

not achieving minimum proficiency levels (MPLs) in reading in Latin America (p.3). This

collected data on reading scores is based on low-income socioeconomic areas where it is

mainly the lack of resources that causes low results. But what are the causes of the

decline in reading ability among schoolchildren who do meet their basic needs? Why do

not these children feel interested in reading for school? We have found that it is due to

both, educational and cultural factors.

Most countries in Latin America have an educational system that still bears the scars of

a traditional approach towards education. Teachers follow the curriculum as provided and

seek to impose on students long and outdated material that is no longer suitable for

students in this day and age. Presently, internet offers such a wide range of sources of

information that students prefer to lose themselves on the net rather than reading for

school. This monopolization of information is particularly acute within classrooms where

most teachers are not willing to modify their materials or adapt them in order to be more

appealing to students. If students are obtaining low reading scores, a despotic and

traditional educational system is partially to blame.

Another reason students are not reading for school is the presence of a culture of

immediate gratification. We live in a society where you cannot allow yourself to miss the

boat. Time is crucial and we must do what we have to do in the shortest amount of time.

For instance, reading a play to know what happened to Romeo and Juliet is basically
Mgter. María José Alemán Juan Villalba
Written Composition IV Augusto Chocobar
César Oropeza

swimming against the tide. Young students prefer reading a summary or watching a

movie. Whatever makes reading assignments more entertaining and efficient is the order

of the day.

It is also clear that young students' low reading scores are a direct consequence of the

visual digital revolution. "We learn faster, easier, and more effectively with visuals" (Visual

communication, 2017, para.4). The millennial generation has grown up in a marketing

world where visual content is extremely crucial to publicity. Children are constantly being

visually stimulated and learn faster about any product or idea as a result. Therefore, in the

moment reading turns tedious children have at hand visual content which will be inevitably

more appealing to them.

Reading is an important skill that children should develop. It improves the way they see

and experience this world. If we let a child give up on reading, that child is likely to feel

insecure as an adult.

Lack of reading leads to insecurity and social anxiety. If children do not read enough

about the world they are living in or pieces of literature that stimulates their imagination,

they will not be able to hold a conversation as a lack of vocabulary and general knowledge

will limit their capacity of thinking. As well as that, lack of reading can also cause cognitive

problems such as poor memory skills. Poor memory skills can be translated as a bad

visual memory that will cause a deficit in the comprehension of words. This will affect their

social skills and as a result they will develop insecurity problems and social anxiety.
Mgter. María José Alemán Juan Villalba
Written Composition IV Augusto Chocobar
César Oropeza

To conclude, we have identified that a traditional educational system, a culture of

immediate gratification and the visual digital revolution we are experiencing nowadays are

the main causes of low reading scores in children at school. This, as a result, can

negatively affect the way they feel when socializing with people. It is important to raise

awareness of the importance of reading as we will prevent parents not to let their children

give up on their reading skills.

Mgter. María José Alemán Juan Villalba
Written Composition IV Augusto Chocobar
César Oropeza

References:

- https://www.edubloxtutor.com/understanding-reading-problems-in-children/
- https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/when-you-start-read-more-these-10-things-
will-happen.html
- https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/our-schools/al-khor/parent-resources/our-school-
enewsletter/primary/the-importance-of-reading
- https://tech.co/news/world-now-visual-ever-2017-01