Bara tey, sum elska-elska at lesa, gera tað – Lesing og lesivanar hjá føroyskum børnum: Only the ones that love-love to read, do it – Faroese children’s reading and reading habits

Abstract

The article describes the reading habits of Faroese children in 4th, 6th, and 9th grades during their leisure time. The results are based on two studies, a qualitative interview study and a quantitative survey on the same subject. The main findings of the studies show that only one-quarter of Faroese children read regularly in their free time, while approximately 65 % read rarely or never. Reading decreases with age, as more children in 4th grade read compared to those in 6th and 9th grades. The qualitative study, which provides insights into the quantitative results, reveals that Faroese children’s reading habits vary greatly and are influenced by several factors. Teachers, particularly teachers in Faroese, and parents, especially mothers, have a significant impact on whether children read. Additionally, the study shows that children have a positive attitude towards other children who read, but reading is not a topic that children frequently discuss among themselves. It is important that books are interesting and age-appropriate. The children expressed a preference for reading printed books over digital media. Regarding language, they read most in Faroese, followed by English, and least often in Danish.

Úrtak
Greinin lýsir lesivanar í frítíðini hjá føroyskum børnum í 4., 6., og 9. flokki. Úrslitini byggja á tvær kanningar, eina kvalitativa samrøðukanning og eina kvantitativa spurnakanning um sama evni. Høvuðsniðurstøður í kanningunum eru, at bara ein fjórðingur av føroyskum børnum lesa javnan í frítíðini, meðan umleið 65 % lesa sjáldan ella ongantíð. Lesingin minkar við aldrinum, tí tað sæst, at fleiri børn lesa í 4. flokki enn í 6. og 9. flokki. Úrslitini vísa, at lesivanar hjá børnum eru sera ymiskir, og at ymsir faktorar ávirka lesingina. Lærarar, serliga føroysklærarin, og foreldur, serliga mammurnar, hava stóra ávirkan á, um børnini lesa. Somuleiðis vísir kanningin á, at børn hava jaligan hugburð til onnur børn, sum lesa, men lesing er ikki nakað børn tosa nógv um sínámillum. Úrslitini vísa eisini, at tað hevur týdning, at bøkur eru áhugaverdar og hóskandi fyri at vekja lesihug. Børnini siga, at tey vilja lesa í pappírsbókum heldur enn á talgildum miðlum, og at tey oftast lesa á føroyskum, síðani á enskum og minst á donskum.