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Adolescents' attitudes toward talking about books: Implications for educators
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Adolescents' attitudes toward talking about books: Implications for educators

M.K. Merga, M. McRae and L. Rutherford
English in Education, Vol.52(1), pp.36-53
2017
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Abstract

Young people's frequency of engagement in reading books for pleasure markedly decreases as they move through the schooling years, reducing their exposure to this beneficial literacy practice. Young people's perceptions of the value of reading can be socially mediated, and positive perception of the value of reading is associated with frequency of engagement in reading. As such, considering how to generate positive social interactions around reading is an important concern when seeking to increase young people's reading frequency. We sought to investigate adolescents' attitudes toward talking about books in order to identify reasons for engagement in discussion about books, as well as factors that constrained engagement in such discussions, with a view to informing best practice for educators seeking to engage adolescents in reading. The findings suggest that adolescents' enjoyment of discussion about books may be related to common interests, enjoyment of discussion to facilitate critical exploration and comprehension, and the possibilities provided for recommendations and access. Adolescents' interests in and ability to engage in book discussions was shaped by mutual text exposure, opportunity, personal preference, disinterested peers and social status maintenance. Findings are considered in relation to classroom practice; the formation of Special Interest Reading Groups within the classroom is considered.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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#4 Quality Education

Source: InCites

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
6 Social Sciences
6.69 Language & Linguistics
6.69.218 Reading Acquisition
Web Of Science research areas
Education & Educational Research
ESI research areas
Social Sciences, general
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