America’s schools are facing a crisis in reading achievement. The recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that only 31 percent of 4th graders and 30 percent of 8th graders were reading at or above a proficient level. Dr. Julie A. Evans, the CEO of education nonprofit Project Tomorrow, has found that educators across the country are grappling with the intertwined challenges of declining student engagement and persistent social-emotional issues. Districts have implemented a wide range of interventions, from hiring tutors to holding contests that reward students for reading as many books as possible.
According to new research from Project Tomorrow and Thorndike Press from Gale, part of Cengage Group, large print books can improve students’ reading achievement levels and attitudes toward reading. These books contain the same text as standard editions but use a 16-point font, high-contrast black ink and increased spacing to enhance reading for reluctant or struggling readers.
Project Tomorrow surveyed approximately 1,500 students in grades 4-12, as well as 56 teachers and librarians from 13 U.S. elementary, middle and high schools, and the results were striking. When asked if large print books positively impacted their students’ reading success, 87 percent of teachers agreed. This simple format change makes books more approachable and fun for a wide range of students, and as Dr. Evans observed, “an engaged reader will learn more from reading.”
Instantaneous Implementation and Impact
Large print books offer an easily implementable intervention without requiring extensive training or curriculum changes. Their impact can be immediate and visible.
Dr. Evans observed how the physical posture of a 7th-grade study participant changed when she read a small print and a large print book. With small print, her posture was visibly stressed. You could see the tension in her back and shoulders, and she hunched over the book closely to read it, using her finger to track her place. With large print, her posture became more relaxed, and she could place the book on her desk, put her arms down and just read. She said it released her tension and improved her retention, and she was not alone.
Large print books decreased stress about reading for most readers who participated in the study. But, the most dramatic impact teachers noticed among below-grade-level readers was how large print texts supported students’ emotional and mental health and self-efficacy:
- 81 percent of teachers said large print decreased students’ anxiety about reading.
- 87 percent of teachers saw greater confidence in students’ reading abilities after reading large print.
- 74 percent of teachers noticed increased participation in classroom read-alouds.
Because of large print books’ instant visual appeal, teachers don’t have to wait months or years to see their effect on students’ reading. Books that are easier to read create a virtuous cycle in which students are not as tense about reading, so they read more. With increased practice, they become more proficient and confident readers, and because everyone loves doing things they’re good at, they’re motivated to read more — and more joyfully.
Inspiring the Joy of Reading
Offering students books in formats they find welcoming, including graphic novels, audiobooks and large print books, can bring joy to reading. Teacher librarian Tasha Squires reported that when given a choice between standard books and large print, her students at O’Neill Middle School in Downers Grove, Illinois, chose large print by a 2-to-1 margin. She said that reading books with fewer words on each page builds students’ confidence “because they’re physically turning the pages faster,” which also increases their engagement.
According to the study, 89 percent of students in grades 6-12 enjoyed reading large print books, while 75 percent of middle schoolers and 86 percent of high schoolers asked for more access to large print books. Dr. Evans highlighted a high school student from one of the study’s focus groups who took his request one step further when he asked, “Why aren’t all our textbooks in large print?”
Addressing Learning Differences and Reading Challenges
Although large print may not be the standard for textbooks (yet), it has appealed to a wide range of students. One high schooler in an AP English class told a focus group that he appreciated that large print supported his reading approach to knowledge acquisition because the books “made my brain feel calmer.”
Michele Barnaby, an ELA teacher at Marco Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, California, found large print especially beneficial for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). She said, “Students were more comfortable with large print” and would do their homework more often. “When given the choice, three out of four would pick a large print book.”
My experience with large print is not only professional; it’s personal, too. My daughter had reading challenges and was eventually diagnosed with ADHD and some learning difficulties. She was on a 504 plan starting in 4th grade, then an IEP starting in 6th grade. Through a process of trial and error, we found that the most effective reading approach for her was a combination of large print and audiobooks.
She progressed from reading two years behind grade level to reading at grade level in two years. Becoming a confident reader changed her as a person. She started reading out loud in class and even joined the debate club! She went on to graduate from college and is now a mother who owns her own business.
My daughter’s success story underscores the benefits of offering students a variety of reading formats, not only in libraries but in the classroom, too. After classroom observations, 55 percent of teachers said students diagnosed with ADHD improved key literacy skills like letter and word recognition and comprehension. When asked if they wanted more large print titles easily accessible by students, 100 percent of teachers said yes.
The Project Tomorrow study demonstrates that large print books are a powerful, easily implemented literacy tool. To address the current reading crisis effectively, educators might also benefit from a slight shift in mindset. Instead of asking students, “How many books did you read?” ask them, “What was your favorite book?” Rather than treating books like commodities to be processed, the conversation shifts to focusing on what an individual student found the most engaging. There are many ways to teach reading, but the study findings show that engaged students learn more and that large print books have the potential to not only increase students’ proficiency but also create lifelong readers.
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