Slow Reading »
This term I am undertaking a study on voluntary slow reading. This follows from the time I created a Wikipedia entry on the subject, and found little research on the subject. I am enjoying the scholarly supervision of Dr. Lynne McKechnie, co-author of Reading Matters: What the Research Reveals About Reading, Libraries, and Community.
I am beginning with a facet analysis of voluntary slow reading. Today, I look at the voluntary aspect. I welcome any and all comments.
The Voluntary in Voluntary Slow Reading
Slow reading refers to practices that deliberately reduce the …
Slow Reading »
The “slow” aspect in Voluntary Slow Reading is perhaps the most philosophical, taking my facet analysis into the domains of time, space, and even mind. Sounds like an episode of the Twilight Zone. I will not go in too deep. My aim is an examination of the facets of voluntary slow reading, as aid to developing a broad search plan for literature on the subject.
1. Slow in a temporal sense. The most obvious meaning of slow is the temporal sense, taking more time to read. One can read as slowly …
Slow Reading »
A well-bounded definition of a concept should say both what it is, and what it is not, i.e., disambiguation. I have made this statement about Library 2.0. The same applies to my definition of Voluntary Slow Reading (VSR).
What Voluntary Slow Reading is Not
VSR may be clearly contrasted with concepts such as speed-reading and skimming. Wikipedia provides a good first cut at some of these concepts. Skimming is one type of speed-reading and “involves visually searching the sentences of a page for clues to meaning”; it results in lower comprehension. Speed-reading …
Slow Reading »
A facet is a defining aspect of concept, and that is what I have been collecting in this facet analysis of Voluntary Slow Reading (VSR). I have been clearing a path between two other senses of slow reading. On the one side, there is involuntary slow reading due to lack of ability, education or a physical condition. On the other side, there is professional slow reading which employs methodologies of the respective discipline. VSR is more of a personal lifestyle choice, a decision to read slowly because reading is a …
