Date of Completion
Spring 5-1-2020
Thesis Advisor(s)
Talia Bar, Cathy J. Schlund-Vials
Honors Major
Economics
Second Honors Major
English
Disciplines
Behavioral Economics | Children's and Young Adult Literature | Economic History | Economic Theory | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Elementary Education
Abstract
With digital forms of entertainment and media more inescapable than ever, it has become increasingly difficult to encourage children and teens to read. Simultaneously, despite an overwhelming amount of literature demonstrating the educational benefits of reading, especially as a necessity in the summer between academic years, library budgets are shrinking as federal funding nears its end. How do libraries promote summer reading amidst declining interest and decreased funding? Using data from public libraries across Connecticut, this paper investigates how libraries are adapting their children's summer reading programs to a changing landscape, how programs are designed to incentivize reading without eliminating the intrinsic benefits, and whether summer reading participation and engagement are affected by the level of wealth in the town around it.
Recommended Citation
Morrison, Andrew, "Incentivized Learning and Libraries: A Comparative Study of Summer Reading Programs in Connecticut" (2020). Honors Scholar Theses. 740.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/740