Home Libraries Confer Long-Term Benefits
A large new study finds people who grew up in book-filled homes have higher reading, math, and technological skills.
Research data from 160,000 adults in 31 countries concludes that a sizeable home library gave teen school leavers skills equivalent to university graduates who didn’t read
Growing up in a home packed with books has a large effect on literacy in later life – but a home library needs to contain at least 80 books to be effective, according to new research.
The paper has just been published in the journal Social Science Research.
The paper raised the possibility that the move towards a digital culture could reduce the impact of printed books, but said that “for now … the beneficial effects of home libraries in adolescence are large and hold in many different societies with no sign of diminution over time”.
“Moreover, home library size is positively related to higher levels of digital literacy, so the evidence suggests that for some time to come, engagement with material objects of scholarly culture in parental homes – ie books – will continue to confer significant benefits for adult ICT competencies,” concludes the report. “For the time being … the perception that [the] social practice of print book consumption is passe is premature.”
Paper Published at | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X18300607
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