Teachers across Connecticut say students are having a harder time finishing chapter books, with many pointing to technology, shorter attention spans, and a lack of reading stamina as possible reasons, according to a new survey from the state’s largest teachers’ union.
The Connecticut Education Association surveyed 113 educators, mostly from middle and high schools, and found that about 80% agreed or strongly agreed that getting students to complete a chapter book is more challenging now than it was five years ago.
In open-ended responses, teachers cited shortened attention spans, a lack of energy to read, and students spending time scrolling through social media platforms like TikTok as potential factors contributing to the problem.
Kate Avcollie, an English teacher at Terryville High School, said she has noticed some of those struggles in her own classroom.
“They’re reading 20 to 30 pages a night, and some of them are not used to that level, that stamina,” she said.
However, Avcollie cautioned against placing all the blame on smartphones and screen time. She said technology can also be a valuable learning tool, pointing to resources like Google’s Read&Write, which can help students with reading.
“When we argue that it’s technology that is the reason we are having these issues, I think that is oversimplifying the problem,” she said.
Avcollie said helping students build their reading stamina requires teachers to rethink how they approach chapter books. That can include breaking reading assignments into smaller sections, allowing more time for comprehension and encouraging meaningful classroom discussions among peers about the material.
“We’re taking it, like, piece by piece, section by section. We’re taking two to three voices because each chapter is a different person,” she said.
Despite concerns about students’ reading habits, the survey found that about 90% of teachers are still assigning three to four chapter books, emphasizing their importance to student learning.
CEA President Kate Dias said reading provides benefits that extend beyond understanding the words on a page.
“The one thing that we’re underselling when it comes to reading is what it truly develops in terms of attention, detail, creativity, imagination,” she said.
For parents looking to help their children develop stronger reading habits, Avcollie recommends introducing reading at an early age and setting an example at home.
“Model to our own children, the way in which reading can change us, whether it’s the newspaper to even reading articles, to reading magazines,” she said.
Educators say building stronger reading habits takes time, but encouraging students to engage with books, discussing what they read and demonstrating the value of reading at home can help them develop the skills needed to tackle longer texts.
Dias says CEA plans to have an additional survey targeted at elementary school teachers to see if they’re seeing the same trends as well.
