Teachers have taken to TikTok to discuss an alarming trend: Gen Alpha is reportedly struggling to read. Many students are behind academically and aren’t reading or performing at grade level. According to NPR, both reading and math scores among 13-year-olds have dropped to their lowest levels in decades.
Although it’s easy to see that there’s a problem, pinpointing why Gen Alpha is falling behind is more difficult. Here are 10 possible reasons that could help explain this worrying trend in education.
1. Busy Parents
According to Firstup, most Millennials work more than 40 or 50 hours per week, which may give them less time to spend with their Gen Alpha kids. Children’s literacy skills are strengthened by interacting with their parents and reading books together. If Gen Alpha isn’t receiving enough parental attention at home, it might help explain why they aren’t performing well in school.
2. Ineffective Teaching Methods
According to Real Clear Education, many early-grade teachers are still using ineffective methods to teach children how to read. These bad instructional techniques encourage kids to guess words, rely on pictures, and skip words they don’t know. Curriculum reforms may be necessary to improve literacy levels.
3. Overuse Of Technology
Gen Alpha is known as the “iPad Generation” due to their high levels of tech use. A 2020 study showed that being exposed to technology early in life can negatively affect language skills. This is especially true if the content kids are watching isn’t educational in nature.
The fact that Gen Alpha has grown up watching YouTube and TikTok could help explain their lower literacy rates. Reportedly 65% of fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading, signaling the severity of this problem.
4. Online School Put Kids Behind
Many schools switched to online learning during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However, some children struggled to pay attention and absorb information in a digital setting, causing them to fall behind grade level.
According to AP News, kids whose schools met mostly online from 2020-2021 scored 8% lower in reading compared to children who attended class in person. These students who fell behind may not be fully caught up yet.
5. Big Class Sizes
Many teachers are overburdened with large class sizes due to educator shortages. It can be difficult to give students the individualized attention they need in classes with 30 or more students. Small class sizes are associated with improved academic performance, so overstuffed classrooms may be a factor that’s causing Gen Alpha to struggle.
6. Lack Of Socialization With Other Kids
Because Gen Alpha enjoys spending time on social media, they may not be getting enough social interaction with kids their age. Socialization helps kids develop soft skills and language proficiency. So a lack of face-to-face playtime may be contributing to Gen Alpha’s low reading scores.
7. Behavior Issues
Teachers say that today’s kids have behavioral issues that are worse than previous generations. Educators have trouble getting Gen Alpha to listen to authority. Many students ignore instructions, can’t sit still, and have aggressive outbursts such as throwing things at other children.
When students run amok in the classroom, it’s hard for teachers to provide proper instruction. So if Gen Alpha is truly as unruly as educators say, it’s no wonder why they’re falling behind academically.
8. Undiagnosed Learning Disorders
Undiagnosed learning disorders might also contribute to Gen Alpha’s low literacy rates. According to Attitude Magazine, ADHD may be underdiagnosed among children of color, potentially affecting learning outcomes. Scientific American says that dyslexia is also hard to catch, causing many students with the disorder to fly under the radar. Left untreated, these conditions can make it difficult for children to learn how to read and thrive in school.
9. Lack Of Funding In Schools
Lack of funding in schools, particularly in districts that serve students of color, may also play into Gen Alpha’s educational struggles. According to the Education Trust, school districts with the most students of color receive 16% less state and local funding. This leaves teachers without the instructional materials and resources that they need to ensure good educational outcomes.
10. Gen Alpha Is Disinterested In Learning
The final reason Gen Alpha may be struggling is that they don’t seem to care about academics. Teachers are noticing that they don’t take pride in their work or have a strong desire to learn. Absenteeism can also contribute to learning difficulties and cause disinterested students to fall even further behind.
Helping Gen Alpha Catch Up
As you can see, the reasons why Gen Alpha may be falling behind in school are multifactorial. Many systemic failures are contributing to the overall decline in literacy rates. Hopefully we can begin to fix these issues and help Gen Alpha catch up.
Reading helps children grow better and teaches them a lot of knowledge and principles, but reading relies more on the child’s subjective initiative.
If you want them to take the initiative to read carefully, it may be a good way to have Custom Pens that they like, so that they can swim through the book and feel the charm of knowledge.
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Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.