Effects of Independent Reading on Learners

          The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988). Students who read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not (Stanovich and Cunningham 1993).

          They found that the amount of time students spent in independent reading was the best predictor of reading achievement and also the best predictor of the amount of gain in reading achievement made by students between second and fifth grade.

          Independent reading leads to increased vocabulary development.  There is also evidence that shows that independent reading is probably the major source of vocabulary acquisition beyond the beginning stages of learning to read (Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987).

300,000 words  2^nd grade  30min 5 days a week
400,000 words  3^rd grade   30-35min 5 days a week
600,000 words  4^th grade  35-40min 5 days a week
600,000 words  5^th grade  40-45min 5 days a week 

The chart on the right shows the high impact of independent reading time to word exposure and the percentile of reading achievement. 5^th grade

There has been a great deal of authoritative research documenting the fact that students who do not continue to practice their skills over the summer lose ground academically. The following articles found on the web illustrate the importance of continuing to read over the summer, and the link between increased reading practice and improved reading ability.