The Literary Lives of Marginalized Readers: Preadolescent Girls’ Rationales for Book Choice and Experiences with Self-Selected Books
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THE LITERARY LIVES OF MARGINALIZED READERS: PREADOLESCENT GIRLS’ RATIONALES FOR BOOK CHOICE AND EXPERIENCES WITH SELF-SELECTED BOOKS By JENNIFER MICHELLE GRAFF A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2007 1 © 2007 Jennifer Michelle Graff 2 To “The Girls’ Club” 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could not have completed this part of my life journey, filled with pit stops, side trips, exciting adventures, and extended stays, without the strength, love, and support of many people. I am extremely appreciative of my dissertation committee members, Dr. Danling Fu, Dr. Dick Allington, Dr. Linda Lamme, and Dr. John Cech, who warmly accepted my idiosyncrasies and kindly helped me channel my passion for research. Without their mentorship, I doubt I would have made it this far. The intellectual acuity and nurturing demeanor of my committee chair, Danling Fu, helped me improve my work and changed my approach to life. Dick Allington and his work with struggling readers was the catalyst for my pursuit of a doctorate. My research apprenticeship with him was invaluable and I still reel at the wealth of knowledge he not only possesses but willingly shares with others without hesitation. I am also thankful to have met and worked with Linda Lamme, with whom I share a passion for children’s literature and commitment to social justice. Our personal chats and email exchanges about children, books, and the powerful effects of their interactions, were enriching and will always be remembered. John Cech’s expertise in children’s culture was also helpful in multiple ways. I am grateful for their professional and personal insights and consistent encouragement. I thank my family who individually knew the best ways to support me in this endeavor. Especially during the last phases of this journey, my mother welcomed late-night phone calls and requests to engage in semantic and conceptual word play, and for that I extend special thanks to her. I am also indebted to my father whose technological expertise often saved the lives of me and my dissertation, and whose quantitative approach to research helped improve my ability to effectively use different discourses. My brother, sister, nieces, and nephew put “life” in perspective as it exists outside the realm of academia. 4 My extended family of colleagues and friends, which includes Jennifer Sanders, Ivy Hsieh, Nancy Shelton, Kate Kiss, Yildiz Turgut, Courtney Zmach, and Lunetta Williams, helped me understand the power of collaboration and taught me that seeking help can be a sign of strength. I will never forget our late-night theoretical discussions, commiserations, and wonderings about teaching, learning, and living. These dynamic individuals were my lifelines in multiple ways. Because of them, I never felt alone during a quest many consider to be isolating. Of course this research would not have come to fruition without the economic support of my department, the School of Teaching and Learning (STL) in the College of Education, and the participation of seven dynamic girls. STL’s financial assistance enabled the girls to access and own a wide variety of books. Their generosity exemplified their firm commitment to educating all children in a myriad of ways. The girls generously invited me into their lives and shared their opinions, wonderings, interests, and life-altering events with me. They became my teachers. I hold the utmost respect and appreciation for them and thank them for their participation. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................10 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................14 Problem...................................................................................................................................15 Purpose and Research Questions............................................................................................20 Significance ............................................................................................................................21 Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................22 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................24 Engagement & Engaged Reading...........................................................................................25 Taxonomy of Reading Motivation ..................................................................................27 Antecedents to Motivation and Engagement...................................................................28 Implicit models of reading .......................................................................................29 Transactional theories of reading response: Iser, Bakhtin, and Rosenblatt..............30 Culturally relevant literature ....................................................................................32 Educational Impact of Engaged Reading ........................................................................36 Students’ Views of Reading ...................................................................................................37 Reading Studies Focused on Students’ Perceptions or Conceptions of Reading and Readers.........................................................................................................................37 Literacy Studies Involving Conceptions of Reading and Readers ..................................41 Book Selection Studies...........................................................................................................43 Lineage and Foci of Book Selection Studies...................................................................45 Participants of Book Selection Studies............................................................................46 Data Collection Methods in Book Selection Studies ......................................................47 Book Selection Studies Identifying Children’s Book Selection Rationales....................50 Considerations of Book Selection Studies..............................................................................54 My Approach to Book Selection Studies................................................................................55 3 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................57 Introduction.............................................................................................................................57 Epistemology and Theoretical Framework.............................................................................58 Selection and Description of Setting ......................................................................................64 Selection of Participants .........................................................................................................69 Participant Overview.......................................................................................................72 Biographical Sketches of the Girls..................................................................................73 6 Developing Rapport.........................................................................................................79 The Study................................................................................................................................81 Data Collection .......................................................................................................................85 Data Sources ...........................................................................................................................85 Qualitative Interviews .....................................................................................................88 Interviewing children ...............................................................................................88 Interview authenticity...............................................................................................90 Types of Interviews Conducted.......................................................................................91 Initial and final semi-structured individual interviews ............................................91 Book selection open-ended individual interviews ...................................................91 On-going, open-ended individual interviews and spontaneous conversations ........93 Conduits for the Interview Process..................................................................................94 Audio-based documentation.....................................................................................94 Artistic responses .....................................................................................................95 Visual documentation...............................................................................................95 Girls’ Selected Alternatives.............................................................................................96