READING RENDEVOUS IN THE ROCKIES: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF MALE HIGH SCHOOL READING ATTITUDES,

HABITS, AND PREFERENCES

BY

ABIGAIL JOANNE CONNOLLYUndergraduate Professional Paper

presented in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the University Scholar distinction

The University of MontanaMissoula, MT

Official Graduation Date: May 2014

Approved by:

James C. McKusick, DeanThe Davidson Honors College

Beverly Chin, Faculty MentorDirector, English Teaching Department

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Connolly, Abigail, B.A(s), May 2014 English TeachingCommunication Studies

READING RENDEVOUS IN THE ROCKIES: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF MALE HIGH SCHOOL READING ATTITUDES, HABITS, AND PREFERENCES

Faculty Mentor: Beverly Chin

ABSTRACT

Recent literacy research has acknowledged a statistically significant trend denoting a decline in male K-12 students’ interest in and time spent reading. While generalized nationwide trends have been recorded, I hypothesize that regionalism and gender-derived stereotypes play a large role in determining male students’ attitudes general interest in and emphasis on reading. Therefore, male students in Montana, a region noted for its outdoor, adventurist opportunities, will spend less time reading than their national counterparts and will hold significantly negative attitudes towards reading as a pleasurable, free choice activity.

For this research, I am utilizing Likert-type survey testing among Montana middle school and high school male students, as well as conducting several in-depth interviews to qualitatively measure male students’ personal reading habits, attitudes towards reading, book selection, and beliefs about reading. As a future English Language Arts educator, the knowledge obtained from this research will benefit me by illuminating glaring deficiencies in current curriculum reading lists and permitting the opportunity to select literary pieces, authors, themes, and genres that pique the interest of my male students. Additionally, increased knowledge of the reading habits, attitudes, and interests of Montana male students can greatly assist English Language Arts teachers across the state by making them aware of these regionalized reading tendencies, and thus helping them to tailor their instruction to meet the literacy needs of these disinterested students, and incorporate themes and genres of interest into their classroom instruction to encourage their male students to become avid, frequent, and engaged readers.

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INSPIRATION

My inspiration for this research project came after completing a semester-long Independent Study Literature class entitled Classic Literature in the Contemporary Classroom in which I designed multiple literature units for current high school students that engaged them with classic literary works. After I had completed my final presentation of my materials to my project mentors, one of the professors asked me whether I thought the books I had chosen would engage my male students. I had thought they would, as I had intentionally selected books with male protagonists and action-focused plot lines. However, this incident really set my wheels turning: what could I, as a secondary English teacher, do to encourage and teach my male high school students to be active, engaged readers? How could I encourage them to read beyond the classroom, and recognize the inherent value in the activity of reading?

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to assess the reading habits and attitudes of male high school students in a preliminary descriptive analysis study. I wanted to test the validity of the questions, the response rate of students, and gain some general knowledge as to the trends, patterns, and preferences regarding reading among these male high school students. First, I wanted to gain some basic background information about the attitudes these adolescent males held regarding reading as well as gain some insight into their regular reading habits in terms of how many books they read per year, how much time they spent reading per week, and whether or not they read outside of the classroom setting. Additionally, I wanted to look at some of the external variables that could influence how these male high school students view reading, particularly looking at whether or not they observed their parents reading regularly and whether they regarded reading as a feminine/female activity. Not many studies regarding male reading habits and attitudes have been conducted exclusively on high school students, so this research is relatively novel. All in all, I conducted this research study in order to gain a better understanding of the prevailing attitudes, current reading habits, and primary motivators that formed the reading preferences of these male high school students.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The onset of more rigorous Common Core cross-disciplinary literacy requirements and declining results of repeated international testing have one thing in our education system abundantly clear: we need to consciously and relentlessly pursue increased literacy levels among our adolescent students (Wendt, 2013). Administrators, teachers, and school librarians, anxious to find a remedy for this burgeoning “literacy crisis” (Tatum, 2008) are turning to contemporary research studies to analyze the reading habits and attitudes of today’s media-driven young people, and are turning up some profoundly interesting and highly informative findings that could change the way we present, assign, and encourage reading among our young adult students.

First, one of the most intriguing concepts of this literacy rejuvenation movement is the discovery of a “literacy ceiling” among students. When adolescents hit these “literacy ceilings . . . [they are] . . . “unable to independently access the knowledge and information embedded in the

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books and other printed materials that are part of a curriculum,” and most students are reaching these maxed-out literacy points during their middle school and high school years (Schoenbach, 2000; Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007). This trend is particularly troubling when considered in light of the substantial body of research that demonstrates “a significant association between early cultivation of children’s reading habits and their future success” (Chua, 2008). Previous research has also demonstrated the existence of “a strong relationship between the amount of out-of-school reading a student engages in and his or her success in school in reading” (McKool, 2007).

While the decline in literacy and reading habits affects both genders, adolescent male students are markedly more likely to experience difficulty with and express dislike for reading as an activity. But why is this literacy gender gap so evident? Research studies focused on adolescent reading habits and attitudes found that several of the common reasons these male students state as reasons they dislike reading include: preference for video games, watching TV, other activities, spending time with friends, and girls (Hughes-Hassell & Lutz, 2006). In summation, it is not that male students (at least those involved in these surveys) dislike the act or reading itself, they just prefer to engage in other activities (Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007).

Additionally, Alfred W. Tatum, in his research and advanced analysis of adolescent African American males reading habits, has identified the following:

“[There are] four major barriers to engagement with reading: . . . the fear of being public embarrassed if they failed in front of their peers, their limited vocabulary knowledge, the lack of attention their former teachers placed on reading books and engaging with texts, and their perceptions that teachers expected them to fail”

(Tatum, 2008).

Essentially, the male students in Tatum’s study actively chose not to read as face-saving practice, maintaining their secure identity in front of their peers.

Another underlying factor to higher percentages of reluctant male readers stems from the idea that the reading materials and literacy modes adolescent male readers engage in are seen as inherently less “academically legitimate” (Moeller, 2011). Gabriel, Allington, and Billen (2012) reviewed several themes revolving around young adult reading habits, specifically relating to magazine reading: one, a majority of students do not consider magazine reading to be “real reading,” many self-declared non-readers do read magazines, magazine reading carries different stigmas than does “traditional” book reading, and magazines can be viewed as more accessible due to the length of the reading selections. Additional primary research conducted by these authors regarding adolescent leisure reading habits reveal several new discoveries. First, student interest in reading magazines significantly increases with novelty, or the day a magazine arrives. These findings can be interpreted as the result of punctual curiosity and excitement built up around a new, limited resource. Additionally, students are more likely to select reading materials pertaining to topics that interest them, search out these materials for both informational and entertainment reasons, and selects materials that match their literacy level (Gabriel et al., 2012). For example, a study done by Hughes-Hassell and Rodge (2007) found that 63% of male students surveyed reported enjoying reading about sports figures. Additional research by Smith (2004) of successful young male readers found that they “all enjoy[ed] reading non-fiction texts, including books, periodicals, and computer-based reading” which was attributed to leading to “excellent general knowledge and confidence of the subject areas of their reading” (Smith,

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2004). This body of research and findings prove very beneficial to educators seeking new ways to motivate their student readers (Gabriel et al., 2012). In looking for ways to improve adolescent male literacy, some researchers are looking beyond the measurable factors and are attempting to uncover deeper, societally-constructed obstacles that these males encounter. In accordance with the principles of post-structural feminist discourse, these researchers claim that some successful readers are making “positive connections between reading and masculinity,” thus redefining regular reading habits as congruent with a modern version of masculinity (Smith, 2004). Additionally, Smith’s work confirmed previous research indicating that the reading habits of young males are significantly influenced by the reading habits of their fathers. Young students who were read to by their parents, had parents who practiced regular reading habits, and talked about reading materials with their parents were also more likely to voluntarily read (McKool, 2004). These findings further confirms the idea of reading being a socially-constructed, gendered, and even stigmatized activity for adolescent males.

HYPOTHESES/PREDICTIONS

At the beginning of this research study, I expected to see several general trends develop regarding the reading attitudes, habits, preferences, and motivators for these male high school students. Most of my original predictions were based on personal observation in the classroom, discussions regarding reading with male high school students (including my own brothers who are very successful students), and conversations with colleagues regarding their male high school students and reading (or lack thereof).

First, I predicted that a significant number of the high school male students would respond that they did not like reading and hold generally negative attitudes towards the activity of reading. I anticipated receiving a large number of responses that labeled reading as boring, feminine/female (non-masculine), and not enjoyable. I thought these negative attitudes toward reading would manifest themselves in low numbers of books read per year, few hours of reading done per week, and distinctly negative responses to the free response questions. In addition, I felt that most of the respondents who held negative attitudes regarding reading and demonstrated infrequent reading habits would not have view their parents regularly engaged in reading, thus missing the parental influence over their reading preferences. Overall, I suspected I would encounter a decidedly negative and discouraging response to most questions on this survey, and would eventually conclude that the significant majority of our male high school students did not read regularly or enjoy the activity of reading.

PROCEDURES

This original survey was distributed to approximately 185 students at Glacier High School in Kalispell, Montana. There are approximately 600 male students at Glacier High School, and 400 copies of the survey were printed, but not all were distributed due to decreased attendance on the day of distribution (the day before Spring Break started). Still, the sample size represents around 31% of the male student population at Glacier High School, and thus represents a statistically significant sample size.

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The survey was distributed to 8-10 teachers across the school in various disciplines, and these teachers asked their male high school students to take the survey throughout the day. Students were given the opportunity to not take the survey, but it appears that most of the students chose to take the survey. Therefore, some bias exists in the data due to its volunteer status, but it seems to be relatively minor. After the first class period of the day, teachers were asked to remind students not take the survey twice.

After school, I went around and collected the surveys from the teachers who distributed them. I then entered the data via a Google Form version of the survey and exported the results to a Microsoft Excel document. I then tabulated the results, categorized the answers, and created charts and statistics to assess the information.

PROCEDURES

LIKERT-TYPE RESPONSES

QUESTION TWO

2. Please select the answer that best describes your interest in reading as an activity.

Data Analysis: The second question on the survey (following the request for student consent to use their information in this body of research) asked students to characterize their general interest in reading as an activity. The wording of this question was intentionally broad, providing researchers with a more generalized sense of the surveyed students’ attitudes towards reading, and not limiting the research to reading as assigned by teachers or leisure reading.

Out of the 174 students surveyed, 22 students selected the choice “I very much enjoy reading,” 44 students selected the choice “I enjoy reading,” 55 students selected the choice “I am neutral about reading,” 29 students selected the choice “I do not enjoy reading,” 22 students selected the choice “I do not read,” and 2 student responses were unrecordable or were blank.

Taking out surveys that were assessed as unrecordable and/or no response, these response numbers break down to the following percentages: 13%* of students selected “I very much enjoy reading,” 26% of students selected “I enjoy reading,” 32% of students selected “I am neutral about reading,” 17% of student selected “I do not enjoy reading,” and 13% of students selected “I do not read” (data represented in Figure 2.1 below).

Analysis of this research shows that the population of male high school students respondents within this survey demonstrate a fairly well distributed spectrum of interests in reading as an activity. The largest percentage of students selected the category that they felt “neutral about reading” (32%), followed closely by 26% of students responding that they “enjoy[ed] reading.” The smallest percentages of student respondents (13% for both respectively) selected that they

* The percentages offered in this research study were calculated by dividing the number of responses in one category divided by the total number of recordable responses (unrecordable and no response answers were not included in these tabulations).

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“very much enjoy[ed] reading” and “do not read,” thereby representing the extremes of responses much as would be predicted.

22

44

55

29

22

2

I very much enjoy readingI enjoy readingI am neutral about readingI do not enjoy readingI do not readUnrecordable/No Reponse

Figure 2.1

Discussion: Overall, the distribution of student responses to how they would label their interest in reading as an activity remains fairly consistent with a traditional bell curve with most students qualifying their interest in reading as “neutral,” “enjoying,” or “not enjoying.” As expected, the smallest percentages of respondents rated their interest in reading with the two most extreme selections (“very much enjoying” and “not reading”). However, I was surprised by the fairly large number of male students who responded that they either “enjoyed” or “very much enjoyed” reading. Given the generally negative feedback most male students give educators when asked to read in the classroom setting or for homework, these findings are not as predicted, but are very encouraging, as it seems that more males high school students are interested in reading as an activity than most researchers would originally conjecture.

QUESTION THREE

3. Please select the answer that best describes your motivation for reading.

Data Analysis: For the third question in the survey, the male high school students surveyed were asked to select the answer that best described their motivation for reading. This question was attempting to understand the primary motivators for encouraging male high school students to engage in the activity of reading, and to determine if their primary motivation could be categorized as solely assigned reading (external motivation) or leisure-time reading (internal motivation).

For this survey question, 16% of the students* selected the choice “I regularly select reading materials on my own accord,: 29% of the students selected the choice “I occasionally select reading materials on my own accord,” 25% of the students selected the choice “I rarely select reading materials on my own accord,” 25% of the students selected the choice “I never select reading materials on my own but do read assigned materials for class,” and 5% of the students selected the choice “I never read materials , assigned or not.”

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I rarely select books and other reading materials on my own accord

I regularly select books and other reading materials to read by my own accord

I occasionally select books and other reading materials on my own accord

I never select books on my own accord; I only read assigned materials

I never read any materials; assigned or not

Unrecordable/NO answer

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Figure 3.1

Analysis of this data indicates that the largest majority of male high school students (29%) “occasionally” selected reading materials on their own accord, but again, the responses were fairly well spread across the spectrum of answer choices. Frustratingly, only 16% of students surveyed claimed they “regularly selected reading materials on their own accord” and 5% of the respondents responded that they “never read any materials, assigned or not.”

Discussion: I found the relatively even distribution of student responses along the answer spectrum for this question to be somewhat surprising. I had anticipated that more students would respond that they only “rarely,” “never selected reading materials unless assigned,” and/or “never read, assigned or not,” and this largely proved true to the research. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that a significant number of students claimed that “occasionally” or “regularly” selected reading materials on their own accord. All in all, while it is disturbing that only 16% of the male high school students surveyed claim that they “regularly selected reading materials on their own accord” (a number that needs to be significantly increased) and that 5% of respondents claimed that they “never read any reading materials, assigned or not,” I think that the number of respondents who claimed that they “occasionally” and even “rarely” independently selected materials can provide some hope. Perhaps with increased attention to presenting new novels with enthusiasm, increased teaching of close reading strategies at younger ages, and decreased stereotypes surrounding the choice of reading as a leisure-time activity, we can continue to see increases in the number of male high school students who reach for their library card on their own accord.

QUESTION FOUR

4. Please select the answer that best matches how much time you spend reading on a weekly basis.

Data Analysis: For this survey question, students were asked to select the answer that best matched how much time they spend reading on a weekly basis. This wording of this question

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ambiguously allowed for students to estimate their total time spent reading both for assigned school work and for personal leisure reading. The purpose of this question was to determine approximately how much time the surveyed male high school students spent reading, especially when correlated with their selected response as to how interested they were in reading as an activity.

In response to this question, 8% of the male students surveyed (14 students) selected the choice “I read more than three hours per week,” 11% of the students (19 students) selected the choice “I read two to three hours per week,” 20% of students (33 students) selected the choice “I read one to two hours per week,” 25% of students (44 students) selected the choice “I read 20 minutes to one hour per week,” and 36% of students (60 students) selected the choice “I read less than 20 minutes per week.”

Analysis of this data proves very close to the original predictions. 61% of the male high school students surveyed claim they read less than one hour per week whether this was for assigned reading for school or leisure reading. The remaining 39% of the surveyed male high school students read more than one hour per week, but only 8% of students claimed that they read for longer than three hours per week.

More than 3 hours

2-3 hours

1-2 hours

20 minutes-1 hour

Less than 20 minutes

Unrecordable/NO Response

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

14

19

33

43

60

6

Figure 4.1

Discussion: The results from this question are very interesting and informative for English Language Arts secondary instructors: it is important to know that a majority of our students spend less than one hour reading on a weekly basis. This information may affect how teachers choose to schedule their lessons in the classroom, for example, an instructor may choose to have students do the majority of their reading for a class novel in the actual class, and may choose to have the student complete the assignments outside of classroom in order to ensure that the students are actually completing the reading assignments.

QUESTION EIGHT

8. Please select the option that corresponds to your average grade in English Language Arts classes you have taken in high school.

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Data Analysis: For this question, researchers were purely looking for scholastic-demographic information, and sought to make sure that the male high school students surveyed were representative of the larger student population. Surveyed students were asked to select the grade choice that most clearly represented their accomplishments in their high school English Language Arts classes.****

In response to this question, 80 students identified themselves as A students, 12 students identified themselves as A-B students, 40 students identified themselves as B students, 3 students identified themselves as B-C students, 26 students identified themselves as C students, 9 students identified themselves as D students, and 2 students identified themselves as F students (in their high school English Language Arts classes).

80

1240

3

26 92 2

AA-BBB-CCC-DDD-FFUnrecordable/NO Answer

Figure 8.1

Discussion: Analysis of this data shows that 80 out of the 174 male high school students who took this survey claimed to typically receive an A grade in their English Language Arts classes. While this survey was distributed as randomly as possible, it appears that the results may not accurately represent the student population with a disproportionate number of English Language Arts A students having taken the survey. Thus, the results may be slightly misrepresentative of the general student attitudes and interests in reading as many self-identified A students in English Language Arts classes are more motivated and/or find more value in reading as activity.

QUESTION SEVENTEEN

17. How many books do you read per year (estimate)?

**** Some students selected two answer choices from the list (e.g., A and B), but I was able to mark these dual responses accurately within the data analysis.

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Data Analysis: This question was also intended to gauge how much reading (in book) the male high school students surveyed read on a yearly basis. This information can be compared to the students’ responses to their overall interest and attitudes towards reading to see if correlations develop.

In response to this question, 11% of the students surveyed selected “I read 0 books per year,” 57% of the students surveyed selected “I read 1-5 books per year,” 14% of the students surveyed answered “I read 5-10 books per year,” 14% of the students surveyed answered “I read 10-20 books per year,” and 5% of the students surveyed claimed “I read 20 or more books per year.”

Analysis of this data displays a predicted trend: 68% of the male high school students surveyed read five or less books per year, and only 5% of the students surveyed read twenty or more books per year.********

18

96

24

23 8 50 books1-5 books5-10 books10-20 books20 or more booksUnrecordable/NO Response

Figure 15.1

Discussion: The responses to this question were much as expected; the majority of students surveyed read less than five books per year. 11% of the students responding claimed they read zero books per year, a trend that is both disturbing and fascinating. Notably, this data did not differentiate between books assigned for school and/or other activities and books selected by the student on their own accord. Given the busy schedules of many students, the fact that they read up to five books per year is highly informative. This question does not take into account other types of reading materials students may select or specifically clarify online texts.

Yes-No Responses

QUESTION FIFTEEN:

******** NOTE: Students had two choices that included a measure of 20 books, so the information here is possibly incomplete.

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Data Analysis: For this question, high school male students were asked for simple yes-no (either-or) responses to the question:

15. Do you ever read about topics/ideas related to your hobbies/personal interests?

This question was intended to determine whether high school male students selected and read reading materials related to their personal interests and possibly disliked assigned school reading materials, or whether the students did not engage in reading even as a means to discover more information about their personal interests and hobbies.

After analysis, 86% of the students surveyed responded with “yes,” indicating that they did read about topics and/or ideas related to their personal hobbies and/or interests. 14% of the students surveyed responded that “no,” they did not engage in reading regarding their personal interests/hobbies.

Figure 15.1

Discussion: The significant majority of male high school students surveyed that responded that “yes” they did indeed read about topics and/or ideas related to their personal hobbies and/or interests is a very relevant statistic for educators. This finding indicates that male high school students are not exclusively adverse to all reading or even the act of reading itself and that they do recognize the inherent value of reading in searching for information about topics and ideas that interest them personally. In addition to revealing more about the reading habits and attitudes towards reading among these high school male students, this

information can also encourage educators to consciously try to select reading materials that appeal to their male students and that deal with their particular interests and hobbies in order to encourage higher levels of reading assignment completion.

QUESTION SIXTEEN

16. Do you ever read when you are not assigned to read for a class/activity?

Data Analysis: This question was intended to determine whether high school male students ever engaged in the activity of reading outside of the classroom or when not a part of a school- and/or activity-related assignment. The intent of this question was to determine whether male high school students limited their reading to compulsory classroom assignments, or participated in leisure reading behaviors such as selecting and reading materials on their own accord.

145

245

YESNONO Response

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After analysis, 67% of the students surveyed responded with “yes,” indicating that they did read when not assigned to do so for a class and/or activity. 31%****** of the students surveyed responded that “no,” they did not read when not assigned to do so for a class and/or activity.

Figure 16.1

Discussion: Interestingly, while 86% of male high school students responded that they read materials about their personal

interests and/or hobbies, only 67% of these same male high school students responded that they read any materials when not assigned to do so for a class and/or activity. This statistic can indicate two things: one, male high school students feel that at least some of the school-selected reading materials pertain to their personal hobbies and/or interests, and two, a high percentage of male high school students do not pick up a book or other reading materials unless they are assigned to do so for a class and/or activity. While the first implication may be encouraging, the latter finding is very discouraging and, based on this survey, leisure reading looks to be an area that needs to be cultivated and encouraged among male high school students.

QUESTION EIGHTEEN

18. Do you ever see either one of your parents regularly reading on their accord (not as part of their job)?

Data Analysis: The intent of this question was to attempt to assess the social influences on male high school student reading habit and attitude development. Previous studies have shown that parental reading habits and family discussions about reading materials can have a significant impact on students developing successful reading habits and positive reading attitudes. In addition, one of my colleagues hypothesized that she felt that parental reading habits and/or attitudes was the primary factor that influenced many of her students’ reading development.

In response to this question, 66% of the male high school students surveyed responded “yes,” indicating that they observed at least one of their parents regularly reading on their own accord. 34% of the male high school students surveyed responded “no,” indicating they did not observe at least one of their parents regularly reading on their own accord.

Figure 18.1

****** Rounding to the nearest whole number.

114

528

YESNOUnrecordable/NO Response

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Discussion: When we are trying to break down the many factors that go into forming male high school reading habits and attitudes, looking at the into the influence of parental reading habits is very important. Studies have shown that successful readers have parents who read and successful readers discuss reading materials with their parents. I found it very interesting and informative that only two-thirds of the male high school students surveyed in this study recorded seeing at least one of their parents regularly reading on their

own accord. The development of these reading habits and attitudes begins in the home, and if these students are not seeing their parents actively engaged in reading as a leisure activity, it is understandable how many of them act very similarly and do not place a high priority on reading in their daily lives.

QUESTION TWENTY

20. Do you regard reading as a feminine/female activity?

Data Analysis: This question was also intended to assess the social influences on male high school reading habit and attitude development. While previous questions looked at how these surveyed students felt about reading, how often they read, etc., and analyzed their current behaviors and interests, this question looked at some of the surrounding influences (perhaps unconscious influences) on these decisions.

In response to this question, 14% of the male high school students surveyed responded that “yes” they viewed reading as a feminine/female activity, while 86% of the students surveyed responded that “no” they did not regard reading as a feminine/female activity.

YESNO

Figure 20.1

Discussion: Overall, this question proved to be one of the most interesting responses to record in the results of this survey, largely because it was the question that students felt most passionate about commenting on outside of the survey limits. While students were asked to simply choose “yes” or “no” in response to this question, many wrote side comments next to the question such

YESNO

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as the inquiring “I don’t know what this means” or the more emphatic “reading is a non-gendered activity.” While these side comments were highly interesting (and sometimes entertaining), however, the data is still incredibly enlightening. Many student reading researchers have claimed that many male students see reading as a feminine/female activity, or at least consider reading to not be included in the typical and/or stereotypical vision of masculinity. However, with 86% of the male high school students surveyed responding that they do not consider reading to be a feminine/female activity, it can give us hope that this gendered stereotype seems to be dissipating, and that perhaps new visualizations of masculinity include activities such as reading.

QUESTION TWENTY-ONE

21. Do you think that you will have to read frequently as a part of your future career choice?

Data Analysis: This question was intended to inquire as to whether the male high school students who participated in this survey expected to read frequently as a part of their future career choice, essentially looking to assess whether the necessity of future reading expectations was motivating (or the lack thereof was stymieing motivation) these students to develop positive reading habits and attitudes.

In response to this question, 35% of the students surveyed responded that “yes” they thought that they would have to read frequently as part of their future career choice, 30% of the students surveyed responded that “no” they thought that they would not have to read frequently as part of their future career choice, and 35% of the students surveyed responded with “I don’t know” whether or not they would have to read frequently as part of their future career choice.

YES NO I don't know yet Unrecordable/NO Response

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Figure 21.1

Discussion: The results to this question were particularly interesting and informative. First, it was enlightening to know that only 35% of the male high school students surveyed thought that they would have to read frequently as a part of their future career choice. I think that this speaks to the lack of understanding on the part of many students regarding the role literacy and research-based reading plays in the large majority of career fields, as most (if not all) successful

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individuals engage in reading about new trends in their career field, new techniques, and current practices in order to stay competitive and effective as an individual/organization/corporation. The fact that many of these male high school students, many who cited engineering as their future career choice, do not feel that reading will be a frequent activity they will have to engage in shows that interdisciplinary, cross-curricular literacy education and emphasis on the importance of reading in multiple disciplines needs to continue to be addressed.

Notably, this question has some flaws given the demographics of the students surveyed. This survey was distributed to male high school students grades 9-12, and many of these students in the younger grades (specifically 9 and 10) do not have a firm grasp on what career fields they wish to enter, thus possibly generating more “I don’t know” responses to this question as a reflection of lack of knowledge/insight regarding their future career choice as opposed to lack of belief that they will have to read in a specific career field.

Free Response Questions

QUESTION 11 AND 12

11. If you like to read, please explain why here; if not, leave blank.12. If you do not like to read, please explain why here. If you do like to read, please leave blank.

Data Analysis: These two free response questions were designed to have the male high school students surveyed describe their attitudes toward reading in their own words, thereby using terminology and ideas that were relevant to them as students. Students were asked to fill in a response for either Question 11 or Question 12, depending on whether they self-identified as “liking” or “not liking” reading. However, despite explicit instructions, many of the surveyed students did not seem to follow these directions very well, so for my report, I have selected some of the responses that either typify or are very unique responses to these questions (unique responses are starred):

11. If you like to read, please explain why here; if not, leave blank.

“Builds knowledge and vocabulary. Also fun to read fiction.”“I enjoy to read because it gives me a chance to escape everyday life and enter a new world.”“Puts me in a new view and perspective. It also puts me in a whole new world.”“Like I said in Q#9, it simply makes me smarter.”“Reading provides examples of history, and stories that help with decisions of future life.”“I enjoy reading to see other perspectives, to learn, and to enjoy a good story.”“I like to read because it's like it takes me to a different place, one without bullying and drama.”“Like to soak up God's Word.”*“Because it can take you to a wonderful plane of existence, where anything goes, where the only limits are imagination.”

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“I love to read. I can relate my experiences to ones that people in books have.”“Reading is really run, and books work my brain.”

12. If you do not like to read, please explain why here. If you do like to read, please leave blank.

“It usually doesn't capture my attention.”“It's hard to sit and look at words that mean nothing.”“Technology has evolved and I could have a voice read something to me.”*“I can't focus and get bored.”“I don't like reading novels all the time because I'd rather go out and experience life instead of staring at paper all day. It's a waste of time.”“I don't like reading because I don't find any excitement in books.”“It's time consuming, I'm a slow reader.”“My mind gets lost in the words only if it's a good book. But personally there isn't that many good books.”“It's too time consuming; I have a short attention span-walnut sized”“I would rather do something active or watch a movie.”“Reading should serve a purpose I read for my class, and that's it.”

Discussion: Overall, I think that the student-derived answers to these free response questions pertaining to their overall interest and/or attitude in regards to reading are the most informative and telling assessments of these male high school students’ reading habits and attitudes. The students that took the time to describe their attitude towards reading and their average reading experiences provided me with a wealth of valuable information upon which to build future research.

First, in regards to Question 11 in which students who identified themselves as liking reading described why, the responses tended to express many motivations and underlying factors that influences these male high school students. Several respondents claimed that they appreciated reading for its intellectual value, enjoying the mental and academic benefits of reading. The large majority of respondents who self-identified as liking reading responded that they enjoyed reading because it offered them new perspectives, the ability to experience new things, and a form of escape from their real lives. For many of these students, reading serves as an alternative reality, a gateway to new life experiences, places, and people. One student cited reading as a way to escape from bullying and drama of his current life outside of the pages. This information is incredibly insightful and necessary for teachers to recognize when assigning reading materials and cultivating reading habits in their students. If we can see that successful and/or self-identified readers enjoy reading because they enjoy experiencing new perspectives then we can tailor our teaching to address these needs for struggling or less interested readers, adapting our lesson plans to possibly include more close reading and visualization techniques.

However, I also found the responses to Question 12 regarding students who self-identified as disliking reading to be highly informative as well. Most students who responded to this question quoted time as a major factor in their interest in reading, claiming that they did not have enough time, that reading was too time consuming of an activity, and that they were easily distracted and/or bored with reading. Some students responded that they would prefer other activities over

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reading, especially outdoor or more active and technology-based options.********** Interestingly, many of the surveyed high school male students who responded to this question acknowledged that they were slow readers, that reading failed to hold their attention, and that they were easily distracted. This is valuable information for teachers of reading because it could encourage educators to focus on developing successful reading techniques and time-saving strategies that would allow students to move through reading materials more quickly and successfully.

QUESTION TWENTY-THREE

Description: This question was an assessment of which books in the current high school English Language Arts curriculum were appealing to the surveyed male high school students. The information gained from this survey question can be useful to curriculum design specialists and classroom teachers as they analyze why these books are particularly interesting to these students, as well as look for similar books, genres, and styles to appeal to their male high school readers. Most English teachers at the school surveyed that I talked to were shocked by some of the books that were cited frequently as favorite books by these surveyed male high school students, and were highly encouraged as well. Figure 23.1 displays the titles of books that were mentioned by three or more students on the survey.23. What is your favorite book that you have ever read for a high school English Language Arts class?

Book Title Number of Respondents Who Identified Book as Their Favorite

Ender’s Game 17The Great Gatsby 7Kite Runner 8Into the Wild 8Of Mice and Men 8Lord of the Flies 10The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3To Kill a Mockingbird 13A Day No Pigs Would Die 3Julius Caesar 3Hatchet 3Figure 23.1

QUESTION TWENTY-FIVE

25. Who is your favorite book character? Why do you like them?

Description: The final question of the survey asked the male high school students who their favorite book character was and why did they like this character. This question was intended to find out more about what types of literature, and more specifically, what types of characters ********** This information can also be found and based off of another survey question which asked students what they would do in their free time.

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peaked the interest of the male high school students surveyed, and it did indeed provide this information. Most students cited male characters as their favorites, although several did cite powerful female characters such as Katniss Everdeen. Students who provided descriptions for their choice responded that these characters appealed to them because of the character’s strength of character, strong decision-making skills, cunning, stand up for oppressed individuals/groups, and ability to successfully overcome obstacles. This information is very insightful and highly informative because it gives us a sense of what these male high school students value in the books and look for in the characters that interest them. Interestingly, these responses also give us insight into how these male high school students are recognizing, learning from, and perhaps even modeling the positive behaviors and traits they see in their favorite book characters.

However, in addition to finding out more about what types of books and characters interested the male high school students who took this survey, I also observed some fascinating trends regarding the process of reading for these students. Out of the 174 students who took this survey, 72 of these students either chose not to respond to this question or provided an answer of “I don’t know.” This means that 41% of the male high school students who took this survey could not or chose not to identify a favorite book character. Now, while most of the students did not say why they did not provide an answer to this question, I think that it is informative and useful to make some inferences here. Successful adolescent readers who engaging in close reading strategies regularly make connections between themselves and characters in the reading materials they are making, and I would hypothesize that most female students who were asked to respond to a similar question would readily supply an answer. While some of the surveyed students may have chosen simply not to respond to this question for a variety of unrelated reasons, I still think that we should consider the idea that one of the primary reasons some of these male high school readers may be less engaged with the reading materials than their female counterparts is because they are failing to make positive, engaged connections with the characters in the reading materials. These young men need positive role models in their lives, and many successful readers find these role models in the characters in their reading. Therefore, I think that as English Language Arts instructors, we must carefully consider teaching students close reading strategies that encourage students (especially male students) to develop strong text-to-self and character-to-self connections in order to enhance their engagement with the text.

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS

Overall, I found the results of this survey to be significantly more positive and encouraging than originally anticipated. The male high school students surveyed were fairly well spread out along the spectrum of liking-disliking reading, and most read between one and five books per year, indicating that they are reading. A significant majority of the respondents indicated that they at the least occasionally selected reading materials on their own accord, and less than 5% of the students claimed that they never read any materials, assigned or not. Additionally, the majority of the male students could identify at least one book they had read during their high school career, and most offered a favorite title from their current high school curriculum. Thus, I think it is safe to conclude that most of the male high school students surveyed hold neutral to positive attitudes regarding reading, and most are engaged in regular reading patterns on a daily, weekly, or yearly basis.

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In regards to motivations and outside influences for reading, I also found the results to be ultimately more positive than negative. An overwhelming majority of the male high school students surveyed responded that they did not regard reading as feminine/female activity, and over two-thirds of the students surveyed claimed to observe at least one of their parents engaged in pleasure reading regularly. In addition, a vast majority of the male high school students read materials related to their personal interests and hobbies, therefore recognizing the inherent value of reading as a means of collecting information.

Perhaps most interesting were the student-derived answers in the free response sections of the survey, especially because these particular questions allowed students to describe their reading attitudes, habits, and experiences in their own words. Students who self-identified as “liking reading” indicated that they enjoyed the activity because it provided access to new perspectives, places, and experiences. Others claimed that reading provided them with an escape from reality, a way to avoid the drama, bullying, and issues that pervaded their day-to-day life. Those who self-identified as “disliking reading” cited reasons such as boredom, lack of time, and short attention spans. Some students requested that more reading materials focused on sports, action, mystery, and fantasy be included in the high school curriculum. All in all, the information gained from these particular free response questions can be used to prompt educators to teach students more efficient reading techniques and closer reading strategies that assist them in making connections between the text and themselves. Clearly, self-identified male high school students who enjoy reading actively engage with the text, allowing it to transport them to new places and introduce them to new ideas, so giving others students opportunities to develop these same skills could help them in developing their own interest in reading.

However, for me, the most fascinating results from any question on this survey came when asking students to name their favorite character from a book they had read. Just under half of the male high school students who took this survey either chose to leave this question blank or responded that they did not know who their favorite character from a book they had read. Those who did respond to this question most often cited strong male protagonists who overcame significant obstacles, protected different groups from persecution, set a positive example for others, and/or identified strongly with the respondent. As an educator, this data tells me that I need to focus on teaching these male students to more effectively make text-to-self and character-to-self connections in order to encourage my male students to form meaningful connections and actively engage with the reading materials. These connections could make the difference between these young men realizing the inherent power of great literary character examples and engaging with their reading, or just seeing meaningless words on a page.

LIMITATIONS

As with any preliminary research study, there are inherent limitations to the research and data collected. First, the survey was distributed on the final day of class before Spring Break for Glacier High School, so many students were absent on this day, thereby limiting the number of students available to take the survey. Additionally, the volunteer status of this survey may have given a slight bias towards more academically inclined students (possibly those who have more positive attitudes towards reading) and may have excluded some students. There were several questions that need to have their wording tweaked in future studies to avoid ambiguity, and

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eliminate the opportunity for students to select more than one answer choice. Importantly, surveys were not distributed in reading intervention classes, and therefore this study did not necessarily include male high school students who took their English Language Arts classes in separate (intervention) classroom environments. However, if these students were in any of the other disciplines, their results may be included in this research. Finally, due to the online nature of the data input, it appears that one set of results may have been duplicated, but it does not appear to significantly and/or statistically affect the data, results, or conclusions.

Future Studies: Future research in this field of study should be conducted to validate the results and conclusions contained therein. More studies in different schools would produce increased diversity and accuracy in the results. Additionally, this body of research can be improved by conducting one-on-one interviews and lengthy field studies on individual students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express gratitude to the following people for their immeasurable help with this research study:

Beverly Chin- Thank you for your unbelievable amount of patience, encouragement, and wisdom throughout this entire process! I definitely could not have done this without you, and appreciate your flexibility in working with me long-distance during my student teaching semester.

My family- A special thank you needs to be extended to my parents, siblings, and grandmother who dutifully listened to me bemoan the length of the research process, celebrated my successes, and always encourage me to keep pushing myself.

The Davidson Honors College Staff- I would specifically like to thank both Dean James McKusick and Karen Kaley for their constant support throughout this process and their guidance as I completed and presented my research.

The staff of Glacier High School- I could not have done this without the support of the Glacier High School teaching and administrative staff who allowed me and assisted me in distributing surveys and collecting the necessary data. Thank you all!

Insty Prints of Kalispell- An incredibly special thank you to Tamara Williams and Insty Prints of Kalispell who, upon hearing that this was my senior research project, printed 400 copies of my survey at no charge in support of research and the University of Montana. Thank you so much!

The male high school students at Glacier High School- Thank you all- I could not have gathered this research without you all volunteering to fill out this survey.

References

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Gabriel, R., Allington, R., & Billen, M. (2012). Middle Schoolers and Magazines: What Teachers Can Learn from Students’ Leisure Reading Habits. Clearing House, 85(5), 186-191. doi:10.1080/00098655.2012.681281

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Lutz, C. (2006). What Do You Want to Tell Us about Reading?: A Survey of the Habits and Attitudes of Urban Middle School Students toward Leisure Reading. Young Adult Library Services, 4(2), 39-45.

Hughes-Hassell, S. & Rodge, P. The leisure reading habits of urban adolescents. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(1): 22-33.

McKool, S.S. (2007). FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DECISION TO READ: AN INVESTIGATION OF FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS’ OUT-OF-SCHOOL READING HABITS. Reading Improvement, 44(3), 111-131.

Moeller, R.A. (2011). “Aren’t These Boy Books?”: High School Students’ Readings of Gender in Graphic Novels. Journal Of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 54(7), 476-484. doi:10.1598/JAAL.54.7.1.

Schoenbach, R., Greenleaf, C., Cziko, C., & Hurwitz, L. (2000). Reading for understanding: A guide to improving reading in middle and high school classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Smith, S. (2004). The non-fiction reading habits of young successful boy readers: forming connections between masculinity and reading. Literacy, 38(1), 10-16. Doi:10.1111/j.0034-0472.2004.03801003.x.

Tatum, A.W. (2008) Toward a More Anatomically Complete Model of Literacy Instruction: A Focus on African American Male Adolescents and Texts. Harvard Education Review, 78(1), 155-180.

Wendt, J.L. (2013). Combating the Crisis in Adolescent Literacy: Exploring Literacy in the Secondary Classroom. American Secondary Education, 41(2), 38-48.

Image from: http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=F274C1CA-155D-451F-67F12CC510281EFF

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