This Text Matters: Students' Experiences with Independent Reading. A Dissertation in Reading, Writing, and Literacy

摘要

SUMMARY: Learning how to select books and having access to a wide variety of genres and formats are key ingredients in developing avid readers. The focus of this case study was on the adolescents' view of what makes interesting reading rather than the prescriptive view of what students should read. Set in an urban school, the study participants included African-American students in the 6th grade who had varied reading identities and literacy practices. The school's support of daily independent reading was critical to providing time for adolescents to browse, read, and talk about their interests. Goulston Zwillenberg and educators developed a library of a few thousand texts from grant funds, donations (including 300 comic books), bargains from Scholastic, and purchases made from students' wish lists.