Adolescents' reading habits during COVID-19 protracted lockdown: to what extent do they still contribute to the perpetuation of cultural reproduction?. (2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chalari, Maria; Vryonides, Marios
• Is Part Of: International journal of educational research. Volume 115(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022
• Subjects: Reading habits -- COVID-19 -- Lockdown -- Habitus -- Social capital -- Cultural reproduction; Education -- Evaluation -- Periodicals; Curriculum evaluation -- Periodicals; Education -- Periodicals; Program Evaluation -- Periodicals; Éducation -- Évaluation -- Périodiques; Programmes d'études -- Evaluation -- Périodiques; Éducation -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Curriculum evaluation; Education -- Evaluation; Periodicals; 370.72
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0883-0355

Abstract

Highlights: During the COVID-19 lockdown in Greece and Cyprus reading books was minimal. Reading books is no longer relevant to adolescents' lives in the digital era. Cultural capital as a reproduction mechanism needs to be redefined in the digital era. Abstract: This paper focuses on adolescents' reading habits during the protracted lockdown (March 2020 - May 2021) due to COVID-19. Drawing on evidence from an online survey, several focus groups and semi-structured interviews with adolescents in Greece and Cyprus during the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper explores the extent to which reading books is still highly valued in adolescents' lives and the degree to which this activity is related to adolescents' advantageous familial and socio-economic background. Moreover, the paper examines whether reading should still be considered an activity that contributes to cultural reproduction in the digital era. This paper contributes to the examination of the often invisible mechanisms that originate from the family and produce socially stratified school underachievement that sustains social inequalities in contemporary Greek and Cypriot societies.