Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1990

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

J. Estill Alexander

Committee Members

Mark Christiansen, Michael G. Johnson, Lester Knight

Abstract

Although the methods used to teach reading change frequently as old theories of the reading process fall from favor and new ones gain ascendancy, certain practices have been acknowledged as of unquestioned value in the acquisition of literacy and in the development of mature reading skills. One of those unchallenged practices is that of reading itself -- of persistently performing the reading act. Because of the centrality of practice to reading development, finding ways to motivate individuals to read is among the primary challenges of reading research. Now, at a time when both illiteracy and aliteracy are increasing among young people, it is particularly important to identify ways to encourage reading practice. Some individuals spend considerable leisure time engaged in independent reading because they find it pleasurable and rewarding. The project described here was designed to discover the nature of that kind of reading experience and particularly those aspects of the experience which render it rewarding. Data were collected from 13 western North Carolina school children, ages 11 to 13, who were identified by parents and/or teachers as able, enthusiastic (bibliophilic) readers. Data were also collected from one or both of each of the children's parents. Each child participated in a tape-recorded qualitative interview conducted by the investigator regarding their most rewarding and pleasurable reading experiences. The interviews were loosely structured by an interview guide. The parents were briefly and informally interviewed by the investigator regarding landmark events in their children's lives with emphasis on the children's reading histories. Transcripts of the children's interviews were typed and the resulting text subjected to a four-process qualitative analysis. Written summaries of the parents' interviews were reviewed as the analysis progressed. It was found that the primary factor motivating the children's bibliophilic behavior was a kind of aesthetic fugue which the investigator labeled engagement. The children reported reading in order to achieve the engaged state, a type of alternative consciousness which occurred when they became sufficiently engrossed in the text to lose their awareness of the concrete, temporal world around them and become immersed in an internal book-world produced by the interaction of reader and text. The children reported that engagement could occur only in the presence of certain enabling conditions: (1) an intense curiosity about unfolding story events, (2) the formation of strong sensory images, (3) identification with characters, (4) a compelling story (almost exclusively narrative), and (5) a quiet, distraction-free environment. It was found that the children sought out the engaged state as a means of escape from psychological discomfort--boredom, loneliness, anxiety, or anger. From the parents' interviews, it was found that the bibliophilic subjects were read to and exposed to books from an early age, that they learned to read early and easily through various formal and informal means, and that they enjoyed being regarded as bookworms and considered the status the label bestowed to be an important dimension of their identities. It was concluded that affective factors play an important role in reading motivation. The findings suggested that schools can design instructional materials, environments, and experiences which foster engagement. By doing so, educators may be able to increase reading practice, elevate interest in and attitudes toward reading, and ultimately, to increase reading ability as well.

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