Graduate Research Papers
Availability
Open Access Graduate Research Paper
Keywords
Middle school boys--Books and reading;
Abstract
When children are very young, they seem to enjoy books. However, as they grow older, those positive feelings about books and reading begin to change for some students. Some studies agree that it is in middle school or adolescence that this change often occurs, and it most often occurs in boys. This study had two purposes: to investigate the factors that may influence adolescent boys' attitudes toward books and reading and their changes from elementary to middle school and to identify activities or events that evoke a positive response toward reading among adolescent boys.
This qualitative descriptive study gathered data from three seventh grade boys and their parents in focus groups and surveys throughout five weekly meetings. The researcher found that time spent independently reading decreased in some adolescent boys, and increased in others. The adolescent boys who participated in the study fe lt more positively about reading at the conclusion of the study than they did at the beginning. In addition, the boys gained additional reading practice and were exposed to genres, titles, or formats they might not have chosen to read on their own. The researcher summarized the findings for librarians, teachers and parents: teaching specific types of lessons, offering specific titles, formats, and genres of books; dedicating a specific time for reading throughout the day at school or at home; reading with snacks, pillows, pets; requiring reading at home; purchasing reading materials or taking trips to the library; and facilitating recommendations from friends.
Year of Submission
2014
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Department
Division of Library Studies
First Advisor
Karla Krueger, Graduate Faculty Reader
Date Original
2014
Object Description
1 PDF file (i, 61 pages)
Copyright
©2014 Julie Barnett
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Barnett, Julie, "An investigation of adolescent boys' dispositions toward leisure reading" (2014). Graduate Research Papers. 1739.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/1739
Comments
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