THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL FEATURES ON THE BOOK SELECTION PROCESS OF FOURTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS Bria Leigh Gibson 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 May 2011 Committee: Dr. Cindy Hendricks, PhD Dr. John Sorg, Ed. D. Dr. Angela Thomas, PhD ii ABSTRACT Dr. Cindy Hendricks, Advisor Reading education is a fundamental aspect of literacy development, however, it is often times difficult to discover what truly motivates children to read. This study was created as a way of trying to further identify the motivation behind students’ book preferences when given the opportunity to self-select. Several studies have been previously conducted that examine similar motivational factors, such as author, genre, and topic. This study delved deeper into the physical characteristics of books that motivate students after their reading interests have been considered. Twenty-nine fourth grade students and sixty- three eighth grade students were asked to take a brief questionnaire that discussed the physical factors that most impact their selection. Following the questionnaire, five were selected from each grade level to take part in a short interview session that was created to gain further insight into their reasons and methods for selecting books. The results from the questionnaires were then analyzed and tallied onto a spreadsheet to look for the patterns and themes. The interview sessions were transcribed and used to support reasoning for choosing a particular factor. The majority of the fourth grade students were influenced by the front cover, while eighth grade students were found to be most influenced by the back-of-the-book summary found on books. However, the researcher concluded that the same top three factors were considered by both fourth and eighth grade students. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................................... 2 Research Question......................................................................................................................... 3 Rationale .................................................................................................................................. 3 Definition of Terms .................................................................................................................... 4 Limitations .................................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................................. 6 Theories and History of Motivation ...................................................................................... 6 Motivation to Read........................................................................................................................ 9 Self-Selection and ChoiCe ........................................................................................................... 11 Book Selection Strategies........................................................................................................... 16 Physical Factors that Influence the Book Selection Process....................................... 18 Front Cover........................................................................................................................ 19 Illustrations ....................................................................................................................... 20 Title .................................................................................................................................. 21 Book Length....................................................................................................................... 22 Print Size............................................................................................................................. 23 Back-of-the-Book Summary ....................................................................................... 23 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER III. METHODS AND PROCEDURES................................................................................... 25 Methods .................................................................................................................................. 25 iv Research Design .............................................................................................................. 25 Participants........................................................................................................................ 26 Instrumentation............................................................................................................... 27 Procedures .................................................................................................................................. 28 Data Collection................................................................................................................................ 29 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 29 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS .............................................. 32 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 33 Fourth Grade Questionnaire Results ...................................................................... 33 Eighth Grade Questionnaire Results....................................................................... 35 Fourth Grade Interest Results ................................................................................... 37 Eighth Grade Interest Results.................................................................................... 38 Fourth Grade Interview Results ............................................................................... 39 Eighth Grade Interview Results................................................................................ 43 Discussion of Results.................................................................................................................... 46 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 47 CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.................................. 49 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 49 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................. 51 ReCommendations......................................................................................................................... 53 For Teachers...................................................................................................................... 53 For Librarians................................................................................................................... 55 v For Parents......................................................................................................................... 56 For Cover Art Designers............................................................................................... 57 For Further Study............................................................................................................ 58 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 59 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 61 APPENDIX A. PARENT CONSENT FORM ............................................................................................ 68 APPENDIX B. STUDENT ASSENT FORM ............................................................................................. 70 APPENDIX C. QUESTIONNAIRE............................................................................................................. 72 APPENDIX D. READING INTEREST SURVEY .................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX E. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .............................................................................................. 77 APPENDIX F. FOURTH GRADE QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS...................................................... 79 APPENDIX G. EIGHTH GRADE QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS....................................................... 82 APPENDIX H. INTERVIEW WITH “ALLIE”......................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX I. INTERVIEW WITH “CINDERELLA”............................................................................ 88 APPENDIX J. INTERVIEW WITH “ISABELLE”..................................................................................