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Series Books: an Exploration of Middle School Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions

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Series Books: an Exploration of Middle School Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions Series Books: An Exploration of Middle School Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions Kari Jennifer Rakas A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION August 2009 Committee: Dr. Cindy Hendricks, Advisor Dr. Nancy Fordham Dr. John Sorg ii ABSTRACT Dr. Cindy Hendricks, Advisor Series books have been the favorites of young readers since the early 1900s. Since this time, series books have dominated the publishing industry and have created worldwide fervor over their characters, plots, and settings. These books have been the center of a great deal of controversy; many are quick to dismiss the value of series books, while others find great value between their covers. This study examined middle-grade students’ and teachers’ perceptions of series books. Students in fifth through eighth grades were surveyed, and select students (those who identified themselves as active readers of series books) were individually interviewed. Interviews with students focused on general reading habits as well as on student habits and beliefs regarding series books. The teachers of these students were also interviewed in an attempt to shed light on their perceptions of series reading and series readers. Data from student surveys, student interviews, and teacher interviews were collected and analyzed. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, my sincere thanks to Dr. Cindy Hendricks for her incredible guidance and support throughout this experience. My thanks extend to Dr. John Sorg and Dr. Nancy Fordham as well for their input and encouragement. Additionally, I’d like to thank Jake, my family, and the BGSU Reading Program GAs, all of whom kept me afloat during grad school. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 2 Research Question ...................................................................................................... 2 Rationale...................................................................................................................... 2 Definitions of Terms ................................................................................................... 3 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ......................................................................... 4 Series Books: A History ............................................................................................. 4 Edward Stratemeyer......................................................................................... 7 Other Authors .................................................................................................. 8 Series Books: Criticism .............................................................................................. 9 Series Books: A Modern Perspective ......................................................................... 10 Reading Habits and Choices........................................................................................ 12 Theoretical Orientation ............................................................................................... 13 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES ............................................................... 17 Methods ..................................................................................................................... 17 Research Design ............................................................................................. 15 Participants .................................................................................................. 17 Instrumentation ............................................................................................... 18 Procedures.................................................................................................................... 19 v Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 20 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 21 Summary...................................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ............................. 22 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 22 General Surveys .............................................................................................. 22 Fifth Grade General Survey................................................................. 22 Sixth Grade General Survey ................................................................ 23 Seventh Grade General Survey............................................................ 24 Eighth Grade General Survey.............................................................. 25 Student and Teacher Interviews ...................................................................... 26 Fifth Grade Student Interviews............................................................ 26 Fifth Grade Teacher Interview............................................................. 29 Sixth Grade Student Interviews........................................................... 31 Sixth Grade Teacher Interview............................................................ 34 Seventh Grade Student Interviews....................................................... 35 Seventh Grade Teacher Interview ....................................................... 38 Eighth Grade Student Interviews......................................................... 39 Eighth Grade Teacher Interview.......................................................... 42 Discussion of Results .................................................................................................. 44 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................. 48 Summary...................................................................................................................... 48 vi Conclusions.................................................................................................................. 49 Recommendations........................................................................................................ 52 For Teachers ................................................................................................... 52 For Further Study............................................................................................. 53 Summary...................................................................................................................... 54 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 56 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 60 APPENDIX A. GENERAL STUDENT SURVEY..................................................... 60 APPENDIX B. STUDENT SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ........................... 62 APPENDIX C. TEACHER SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW ............................ 65 APPENDIX D. TEACHER CONSENT FORM ......................................................... 67 APPENDIX E. PARAGRAPH READ TO STUDENTS PRIOR TO SURVEY ........ 69 APPENDIX F. PARENT CONSENT FORM ............................................................ 71 APPENDIX G. STUDENT CONSENT FORM ......................................................... 73 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Fifth Grade Survey Results.......................................................................................... 23 2 Sixth Grade Survey Results......................................................................................... 24 3 Seventh Grade Survey Results..................................................................................... 25 4 Eighth Grade Survey Results....................................................................................... 26 5 Series Books by Grade and Gender............................................................................. 50 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION In recent years, the hugely popular Harry Potter series has put children's series books in the reading spotlight. The release of each book in the Harry Potter series elicited excitement and fervor previously unseen in the literary world. With each new release came highly publicized book parties, countless fan websites, and veritable media frenzy. While the Harry Potter series has now drawn to a close, the relatively new Twilight series is currently gathering a rabid teen- aged fan-base of its own. While the intense popularity of series in mainstream media may be a relatively recent phenomenon, series books aimed at children and/or young adult readers are not new to world of literature. In the early to mid 1900s, Edward Stratemeyer (and his vast collection of ghostwriters) was responsible
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