WHAT are the (YA) READERS LIKE?

-- from an early version of "Letting students use Web 2.0 tools to hook one another on reading." Knowledge Quest, 40(3):36-39, Jan/Feb 2012.

What are the readers like in terms of

§ Comfort zone for mobile technologies

§ Preferences for literary genres

§ Reasons for reading

Eighty-four seventh graders, enrolled in the Digital Media Literacy (DML) class during 2009, provided the initial participants pool. We made sure that participation was entirely voluntary and that grades would not depend in any way on their participation in the Program. No identifiers were used to associate students’ responses with their names. Students who expressed interest to participate were asked to complete a one-page questionnaire on their use of mobile devices (e.g., cell phones, smartphones, iPods), and Social Networking Services (e.g., blogs, Instant Messaging, FaceBook, Twitter). Upon reviewing students’ responses, a blog was created and posted throughout the School. From their early comments, the students were excited that they would be reading what they wanted and leading the Project themselves.

These data were triangulated with observations of students’ reading patterns in their library, and what transpired during focus group discussions among students, teachers, librarians and administrators. One of the questions in the group discussion was to elicit students’ answers to an open-ended question, “I read because…”. Students encouraged library staff to expand “reading for pleasure” collections into different genres, expressions, and media. For example, some of the students who were accomplished musicians wanted more CDs and DVDs. Since the conversations were kept informal and were not linked to required readings, students felt welcomed to discuss and share their insights. They also felt important to be heard about their reading preference.

Students’ responses from focus group discussions revealed that students read a lot and especially when reading was voluntary, when they were in charge, when they could read when they wanted to, and under minimal guidance. As predicted, among the most widely given purposes for reading among middle school students was reading for assigned projects, finding factual information, and for glancing over current events. For most of these readings, students are required to include specific types of sources (e.g., encyclopedia(s), books, journal articles, visuals, primary sources, RSS news feeds). Finding information on fashion, popular culture, places, and consumer goods was the predominant category of students’ self-motivated reading (e.g., Google, FaceBook, YouTube). Several students made connections between reading and writing, and wanting to have different expressions based on the same work. Finding the voice that students could identify with was the most often given as a response to “I read because…”. Students seek similarities with their own issues (perceptions others have formed about them, about bullying, fitting in, and teasing), family conditions, sexual orientation, self-esteem, health specific problems, racial, language or cultural characteristics. One student was determined to become a famous scientist; she read everything on Marie Curie (Nobel Prize in 1911). Others were seeking information about famous people and celebrities they aspire to become. Some students wanted to read about “little people that you never ever get to meet or see.” Students wanted to read more about living in multi-racial, unconventional or dysfunctional families, and about coping with various chronic diseases and pressures. Several students connected reading with writing because they wanted “to improve,” communicate better, and express thoughts more clearly. Reading was mentioned to experience something that “is very different from my family;” to develop a relationship (e.g., friendship), a particular mood (e.g., forgiveness). One student said that reading helped “to get an idea, insight and to be a part of something that wouldn’t be possible without reading experience.” The purpose of reading, for a few students, was to help organize thoughts and to put in order certain events.