Reading Outcomes Framework Toolkit

The Reading Outcomes Framework
(theory of change)

Click each outcome in the framework to see a definition.

View full framework
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Activity to encourage reading for pleasure and empowerment

This activity results in positive impact on one or more of the following reading engagement outcomes

Reading engagement outcomes following areas

  • Attitudes to reading
    What you think about reading, whether you enjoy it and whether it is important to you
  • Awareness of reading preferences & how to choose what to read
    Understanding that different people like to read different things, knowing what you do and don't like to read and being able to select reading materials accordingly
  • Confidence about reading
    Feeling able to read well and being confident in your own reading abilities, either for yourself or when reading to others
  • Identifying as a reader
    Thinking of yourself as a reader, as someone who is able to read and chooses to do so
  • Motivation to read
    The extent to which you are driven to read
  • Reading behaviour (frequency, quantity, breadth & depth)
    How often you read and how long you spend reading, as well as the amount and variety of things you read
  • Reading environment
    Access or exposure to a supportive reading environment (e.g. encouragement, reading role-models, help and reading materials). This may be at home, in school or in other settings
  • Sharing enjoyment of reading
    Talking about reading to other people, encouraging other people to read, reading with other people and/or reading to other people
  • Understanding how to find reading materials
    Knowing where you can get the things you want to read, such as in libraries, bookshops or online, and feeling comfortable / confident to use these

Increased reading engagement can have a positive impact on the following outcomes for individuals

Health & wellbeing outcomes

  • Mental health
    Your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing which affects how you think, feel and behave
  • Physical health
    Being fit and healthy, free from disease or feeling able to manage a long-term condition
  • Relaxation
    Being free from tension and anxiety in your body and mind. This may include escapism, which means reading about things that take you away from your day-to-day life

Intellectual outcomes

  • Attainment
    Achieving a goal that you've worked towards, which could be an educational, workplace or personal goal
  • Critical thinking
    Being able to think clearly and rationally to make reasoned judgements about what to do or what to believe
  • Focus and concentration
    Performing an activity where you are fully involved and absorbed in the flow of the activity and being able to sustain engagement in an activity through to completion
  • Knowledge
    Developing an awareness or understanding of something, including differences and new possibilities
  • Language and literacy
    Being able to read, write, listen and communicate well, or getting better at these skills

Personal outcomes

  • Being open-minded
    Being willing to hear new ideas, try new things and being tolerant of different lifestyles, beliefs and cultures
  • Creativity
    Turning original or imaginative ideas into something new, or finding different ways to solve a problem
  • Empathy
    Experiencing another person's feelings as if you are seeing life through their eyes
  • Self-expression
    Expressing your feelings, thoughts or ideas, for example, through speaking, writing, art, music or dance
  • Self-esteem
    Having a positive attitude towards yourself, feeling like you are worth something and having confidence in your own abilities

Social outcomes

  • Communication skills
    Being able to share meaning with other people by talking, listening, writing and exchanging views
  • Relationships
    Making and sustaining connections with other people including children, family, friends and the wider community
  • Social and cultural participation
    Being an active part of a community. This could take the form of volunteering, recreational activities, online activities and generally interacting with other members of the community
  • Understanding self and others
    Being aware of your own characteristics, identity, needs and desires as well as those of others, including people with different perspectives, backgrounds, cultures and ways of life

Success in achieving these outcomes contributes to wider positive impact in the following areas

  • Cultural
    Artistic activity and the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a society
  • Economic
    Relating to money and costs, includes employment and spending on services like health care
  • Societal
    Social relations, including social mobility