New Phenomenon Emerges on Campus: Many University Students Unable to Read
A serious warning has emerged from the higher education sector, as student literacy and writing abilities have experienced a drastic decline, reaching a critical point. Many university lecturers are now complaining that students entering higher education are actually unable to read and comprehend lengthy texts—a fundamental skill that should have been mastered before commencing university.
Tyler Jagt, a university-level literature and writing instructor, shared his shocking experience in an essay for The Chronicle of Good Education. He recounted assigning a 20-page article to his students; an article he could easily read in its entirety when he was a student ten years ago. Now, not a single student is able to finish reading the article.
One student admitted to stopping halfway through because they constantly forgot the flow and the core discussion of the text. This issue is not merely the personal complaint of a single instructor.
Official data confirms this phenomenon. National assessment results in 2024 show that reading scores for 12th-grade students in the United States are at their lowest level since assessments began in 1992. Nearly one-third of 12th-grade students scored below the ‘basic’ standard, meaning most are unable to draw general conclusions from concepts clearly stated within a text.
Similar problems are found at even lower levels. A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that 70 per cent of 4th-grade students have not reached an adequate reading proficiency level.
“What I am witnessing in the classroom is no longer mere speculation,” wrote Jagt. “There is a measurable and comprehensive, sustained decline in reading and writing abilities across this entire generation.”
Two main factors are considered the primary causes of this crisis: the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smartphones. Many students now view AI as a legitimate learning aid, using it to summarise long, difficult-to-understand articles, and even to write essays and solve mathematical problems.
Some universities have even entered into partnerships with technology companies to provide students with access to AI services, which indirectly legitimises and accelerates the use of AI in the classroom. As a result, lecturers are left to bear the impact themselves while teaching.
From a research perspective, the benefits of AI as an educational tool remain questionable. A major study that previously claimed ChatGPT improved learning performance was retracted last month. Most research actually indicates negative impacts, showing that AI use is linked to weakened critical thinking skills and memory impairment.
A study from MIT found that students using ChatGPT for assignments, such as writing essays, showed lower brain activity in areas related to creativity compared to those who only used Google or searched for information independently.
Even more shocking is the fact that 83 per cent of AI users were unable to quote a single sentence from an essay they had just written. Worse still, their brain activity did not return to normal even when asked to write without AI assistance afterwards.
Meanwhile, smartphones also have a significant impact. A 2017 study showed a decline in cognitive capacity and brain function in individuals in close proximity to a smartphone, even if the device is turned off.
“The human brain operates on a ‘use it or lose it’ principle,” said Jagt.
To assist his students who are unable to delve into 20-page articles, Jagt has been forced to divide the text into several parts and assign them to different people as group tasks.