Inquiry Into Urban Adolescent Independent Reading Habits: Can Gee's Theory of Discourses Provide Insight?

Abstract

This study explores connections among adolescent engagement with reading, peer relationships, and identity development. The author chose and interviewed 10 of his former students, their parents, and the students' current teachers, and analyzed themes, drawing on Gee's theory of primary and secondary Discourses. The case studies illustrate how “independent reading” is a social practice in crucial ways; students seem to choose to read, or not to read, based not only on ability, or solely on parental support, but also in relation to questions of identity and the cultivation of particular relationships. Teaching strategies are suggested. ملخص البحث: تستكشف هذه الدراسة الصلات بانشغال المراهقين في القراءة والعلاقات بين الزملاء وتنمية الهوية. وقد اختار المؤلف عشرة طلابه السابقين وأجرى مقابلات معهم ومع آباءهم ومعلميهم الجارين وحلل المواضيع على أساس نظرية جي بصدد المخاطبات الأولية والثانوية. وتبيّن الدراسات التتبعية كيف ((القراءة المستقلة)) هي ممارسة اجتماعية في طرق جوهرية وعلى سبيل المثال يبدو أن الطلاب يختارون القراءة أو عدمها ليس فقط على أساس القدرة أو على تدعيم الآباء بل بالنسبة إلى أسئلة عن الهوية وتنمية علاقات معينة أيضاً. وقد تم اقتراح بعض الاستراتيجيات التعليمية. 本研究探索青少年学生在阅读參與、同辈关系和自我认同发展之间的联系。本文作者选择了十位他从前的学生并采访了他们和他们的父母，以及他们现时的老师。所得的资料是借鉴Gee的初级和次级语篇理论作主题分析。各个案研究說明独自阅读如何在很多重要方面是社會性的实践：學生選擇或不選擇阅讀，似乎不僅是基於他们的能力，或單一地基於他们父母的支持，其实还涉及到自我认同和特有關係培養等問題。本研究亦提出一些教學策略的建議。 Cette étude examine les liens entre l'investissement des adolescents dans la lecture, les relations avec les pairs, et le développement de l'identité. L'auteur a choisi 10 de ses anciens élèves puis eu un entretien avec eux, leurs parents et leurs professeurs actuels, et a analysé les thèmes, à partir de la théorie des discours primaires et secondaires de Gee. Ces études de cas montrent de quelle façon la « lecture autonome » est une pratique sociale de façon cruciale; les élèves semblent choisir de lire ou de ne pas lire à partir non seulement de leurs compétences, du soutien reçu des parents, mais aussi en fonction de facteurs d'identité et pour cultiver leurs relations particulières. On suggère des stratégies pédagogiques. Исследуется связь между интересом подростков к чтению, их взаимоотношениями со сверстниками и развитием самоидентичности. Автор взяла интервью у десяти своих бывших учеников (по собственному выбору), их родителей и их нынешних учителей и проанализировал тематику общения подростков на основе теории Джеймса П. Джи о первичном и вторичном дискурсе. Разбор кейсов показывает, что “независимое чтение” является, в первую очередь, социальной практикой: учащиеся выбирают, читать или не читать, не только исходя из своих способностей или под нажимом родителей. Они таким способом решают вопросы самоидентичности и культивируют определенные социальные связи. В свете сделанных выводов в статье предлагаются соответствующие методы обучения. Este estudio examina las conexiones entre el interés de los adolescentes en la lectura, las relaciones con sus compañeros, y el desarrollo de la identidad. El autor escogió y entrevistó a 10 de sus antiguos alumnos,...

What, Why, and How They Read

“…For the most part, they considered what they were assigned uninteresting and/or irrelevant and preferred items they chose themselves. This preference for self‐selected over assigned materials is consistent with previous study findings concerning rural teens and the teen population in general (Boltz, ; Hughes‐Hassell & Rodge, ; Knoester, ; Pitcher et al., ). The teens were particularly resistant to discussing assigned reading, as revealed by a Mountain High School student: “I hate for teachers to have to assign books, like you have to read this and this is your deadline.…”

“…Although the participants acknowledged that they and their peers often read digital content, they expressed a strong preference for print. Although in conflict with research on urban/suburban populations that demonstrated a teen preference for digital materials (Hughes‐Hassell & Rodge, ; Knoester, ), this finding is in line with several other studies that concluded that teens generally prefer print for their recreational reading activities (Lenhart et al., ; McKenna et al., ; Springen, ; Tveit & Mangen, ; Vruno, ).…”

“…Teen Literacy Studies focused on urban areas (Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007;Knoester, 2009), as well as those not restricted to specific rural or urban populations (Pitcher et al, 2007;Taylor, 2011), have revealed that voluntary reading selections are often influenced by teens' social interactions and relationships and that they generally prefer magazines and Web content over novels and other types of printed materials. Other research that takes reading format into account suggests, however, that as a whole, teens actually prefer print items over electronic ones when choosing leisure reading (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & MacGill, 2008;McKenna, Conradi, Lawrence, Jang, & Meyer, 2012;Springen, 2012;Tveit & Mangen, 2014;Vruno, 2013).…”

Reading Habits, Socioeconomic Conditions, Occupational Aspiration and Academic Achievement in Vietnamese Junior High School Students

“…An impressive result from the project known as "Book Flood" that aims to increase the number of reading materials in schools in Fiji, Singapore and Sri-Lanka (from 100-200 books delivered to each primary school participated into the project) show a dramatic improvement in reading, and other language skills as well as the positive changes of children's attitudes towards reading [74]. Other investigation also reveals that students are more interested in reading if they access or find the desired books [56,86] and even, the time spend by US urban adolescents to read could be reduced (from 6 days to 2 days per week) due to the lack of wanted books [87]. The investment in school libraries with a variety of reading materials should be increased in order to enhance learners' reading and achievements [88].…”

Reading engagement and school achievement of lower secondary school students

“…Adolescents seek their own styles of spending leisure time, including reading (Hamston and Love, 2005;Knoester, 2009;Love and Hamston, 2003;Wiliams, 2006). Counterconditioning may also occur when the positive influence of family on developing reading attitudes is lacking, when the individual is eager to read despite low cultural capital, and in the absence of implemented patterns of reading practice in the social environment.…”