Attentional bias toward reading in reluctant readers

Is reading subconsciously experienced as a source of threat by reading reluctant (RR) students which may explain their persistent resistance to reading? In four separate studies (N = 1205), we used a print exposure checklist to identify RR students in primary education (Grades 4 and 5) and secondary education (Grades 7 and 8) in the Netherlands. The visual dot probe task, commonly used to assess feelings of threat in clinical and health psychology, was applied to reading to test whether RR students indeed selectively attended to reading-related stimuli. Using a meta-analytical approach, we found that RR students scoring zero or below on a print exposure checklist were not only less proficient readers with a more negative attitude toward reading as compared to more enthusiastic readers, but also showed an attentional bias toward reading. The findings corroborate the theory that about 60% of reluctant readers avoid reading because reading is a source of threat to them. As part of promoting reading we need to find ways to make reading a less threatening activity for those students.