Academic Reader’s Club

A Position Paper in EAPP

Submitted by:
Eldrian Britania
Date of Submission:
January 04, 2023
Submitted to:
Mrs. Sarah Jane Atun
 “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Joseph Addison. The Academic Reader’s
Club is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting a love of reading and fostering critical thinking
skills through discussion and analysis of a variety of texts. Our club is open to all students who are
interested in exploring new ideas and engaging in thoughtful dialogue about the texts we read. Each
semester, we select a diverse range of texts to read and discuss, ranging from classic literature to
contemporary nonfiction. We meet regularly to discuss these texts, sharing our thoughts and insights in a
welcoming and inclusive environment. By joining the Academic Reading Club, students can gain a range
of benefits, including improving their literacy skills, enhancing their critical thinking abilities, and
reducing stress. These advantages, in turn, can help students to excel academically and professionally,
making membership in the reading club a valuable investment in their future success

Critics says that while reading can be a valuable activity, students may not have the time or
resources to commit to regular meetings and discussions with the reading club. Additionally, students
may prefer to spend their time on other extracurricular activities or hobbies, or may not feel that the
reading club aligns with their personal interests. As a result, the reading club may struggle to attract and
retain members, making it difficult to achieve its goals. While it is true that students may have busy
schedules and competing commitments, the reading club can take steps to make participation more
convenient and accessible. For example, the club could offer flexible meeting times, allow members to
participate remotely, or provide resources such as books or other materials. In addition, research has
shown that reading can be a relaxing and enjoyable activity that can reduce stress and improve mental
health (Dowrick, 2012). By providing a supportive and inclusive environment for discussion and
reflection, the reading club can offer a valuable opportunity for students to take a break from their busy
schedules and engage in meaningful and enjoyable activities

Joining Academic Reader’s Club can help students to develop their literacy skills. Reading
exposes students to new vocabulary and concepts, which can help to improve their understanding of
written language. A study that compared the literacy outcomes of two groups of university-level English
as a foreign language (EFL) students in Hong Kong. The first group participated in a literature class that
emphasized reading for content and enjoyment, including some self-selected reading, while the second
group participated in a traditional academic skills class. The study found that the students in the literature
class made superior gains on measures of vocabulary and reading rate compared to the students in the
traditional academic skills class. Additionally, a higher percentage of the literature students felt that what
they learned in the course would be helpful in other university courses, compared to the traditional
academic skills students. The text suggests that these results are consistent with previous research
showing that meaningful reading is an important source of literacy competence. The study could be seen
as supporting the idea that joining an Academic Reader’s Club could be a valuable opportunity for
students to improve their literacy skills and enhance their academic performance.

Additionally, joining the Academic Reader’s Club can help students to develop their critical
thinking skills. Reading exposes students to new ideas and perspectives, and participating in discussions
about the texts can help students to analyze and evaluate these ideas. Reading involves an interactive
process in which the reader engages with the text and actively produces meaning through mental
processes. The text also mentions that critical reading involves certain skills, such as predicting,
acknowledging, comparing, evaluating, and decision-making (Shihab, 2011). This could be relevant for
students considering joining an Academic Reader’s Club, as it suggests that participating in such a club
could provide an opportunity for students to practice and develop their reading and critical thinking skills

Lastly, Reading has been shown to have stress-reducing effects in some contexts. For example, a
study indicated that a 30-minute session of reading had similar stress-reducing effects as yoga and humor
in a group of health science students (Rizzolo et al., 2011). However, it is important to note that the
effects of reading on stress can vary depending on the individual and the specific circumstances. It is also
worth noting that the stress-reducing effects of reading may be more pronounced when reading is done
for enjoyment rather than as a task that is perceived as stressful or burdensome. Overall, it is possible that
participating in an Academic Reader’s Club could help students to reduce stress, depending on a variety
of factors such as the individual student’s preferences, the nature of the club’s activities, and the student’s
overall level of stress.

In conclusion, the Academic Reader’s Club is a student organization that aims to promote a love
of reading and critical thinking skills through discussion and analysis of texts. The club is open to all
students who are interested in exploring new ideas and participating in discussions about the texts they
read. By joining the club, students can benefit from improving their literacy skills, developing their
critical thinking abilities, ane reducing stress. These advantages can help students to succeed
academically and professionally, making membership in the club a valuable investment in their future
success. While it is true that students may have busy schedules and competing commitments, the club can
take steps to make participation more convenient and accessible. The club can provide a valuable
opportunity for students to take a break from their busy schedules and engage in meaningful and
enjoyable activities that can help them to develop their skills and knowledge.
 References

Dowrick, C. (2012, June 1). Get into Reading as an intervention for common mental health problems:

exploring catalysts for change. Medical Humanities. https://mh.bmj.com/content/38/1/15

Lao, C. Y., & Krashen, S. (2000). The impact of popular literature study on literacy development in EFL:

more evidence for the power of reading. System, 28(2), 261–270.

https://doi.org/10.1016/s0346-251x(00)00011-7

Rizzolo, D., Zipp, G. P., Stiskal, D., & Simpkins, S. (2011). Stress Management Strategies For Students: The

Immediate Effects Of Yoga, Humor, And Reading On Stress. Journal of College Teaching &Amp;

Learning (TLC), 6(8). https://doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v6i8.1117

Shihab, I. A. (2011). Reading as Critical Thinking. Asian Social Science, 7(8).

https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v7n8p209