by Florencia Gonzalez and Karina Moreschi
“Dark settings. Love and all that... Generally love-themes with a good plot-line (For MOST females). And PLEASE no more vampires! Though some of the girls here are saying vampires, I beg you don't. More than 3/4 of the writing site I'm on hate stories that includes 'Vampires'as it's a bit overused after the twilight series + vampire diaries and 'vampire' this 'vampire' that.
Generally something romantic for females with a bit of action and a dreamy type of guy (being the stereotype). But not all the girls I know read stories about romance, anything that is eye-catching, new and with colored, realistic or likeable characters. Stories that are well-written and something a reader can sympathize with”…(Silver V.)
This answer, taken from a web page about what teens want to read, may prove that adolescents from here, there and everywhere share the same feelings. This paper will show the preferences of some Argentinian students from secondary school when reading outside the classroom’s walls without parents or teachers’ guidance. Many surveys carried out in Argentina alert parents and teachers about the lack of young adult’s interest in reading. The development of this skill is fundamental in this stage of maturity, when adolescents can achieve formal and critical thought. The analysis of the results of this survey will provide us with an important source for the classroom when deciding proper reading material for our students in order to find a possible solution to the lack of young adult’s interest in reading.
Theoretical Framework
There are many variables to take into account when carrying out the task of selecting reading material for our classrooms. First, our job as teachers is to undestand teens as growing people and to acknowledge the stage of development they are going through. Their growth is not only physical but also emotional, psychological and intellectual. They are dealing with body changes; they have to adjust to a new intellect and they are developing their identity (Koelling, 2004). Their needs are as complex as their developmental process. Besides, their necessities for entertainment and information are different, so that the reading that once captivated adolescents does not longer attract them.
At this point, it is worthwhile to make an overview of the characteristics of Young Adult Literature (YAL). The Young Adult Service Division of the American Library Association defines “the age range of an adolescent or young adult as 10-19”. Young adult literature is usually given the birth date of 1968 with the advent of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. Other forms of literature prior to this date may have had young adult protagonists (such as Huck Finn), but it was usually intended for an adult audience. Characteristics of a young adult novel usually include several of the following: a teenage (or young adult) protagonist, first-person perspective, adult characters in the background, a limited number of characters, a compressed time span and familiar setting, current slang, detailed descriptions , positive resolution, an approximate length of 125 to 250 pages. (“Public Iastate”, accessed October, 2011 http://www.public.iastate.edu/~dniday/394syllabuss99.html) as main characteristics.
Recent Research Studies Involving Young People and Reading
In our country, a recent study alert about the lack of interest in reading by adolescents. One may think they would prefer TV instead of reading, but, what caught the researchers’ attention greatly was that there is no linear relationship between reading and watching TV. Those who are from four to six hours per day in front of the TV, read the same number of books per year than the ones who watch TV for just one hour per day. The same study did not evidence any correlation between reading and the use of computers, so the reason why adolescents don’t read is neither the computer nor the TV. (“Consumo cultural de los argentinos de 11 a 17 años, accessed on October, 2011, htttup://portal.educ.ar/debates/educacionytic/debate/consumo-cultural-de-los-argentinos-de-11-a-17-anos.php).
Other research which was carried out in Australia, that involved interviews with 14 secondary English teachers and 53 of their students, showed that
(…) the majority of young people experienced a ‘disconnection’ between home and school reading. These young people mostly read popular rather than classic fiction. (Collins, Kenway & McLeod, 2000)
These researches are examples of reasons why adolescents don’t read in general or at school. In our survey we tried to find out about their preferences as regards literary genres. If you know about them, it is possible to find a way to solve the lack of interest or the “disconnection” between home and school reading.
Methodology
This survey was carried out in order to learn about the Ituzaingo’s teens’s preferences as regards literary genres. Data for this qualitative and quantitive research were collected in two different schools, one private and one public. Both schools were located in Ituzaingó, Argentina. The focus group was formed by boys and girls aged from 15 to 18 years old. The survey was carried out with a questionnaire made of of a combination of close and open questions.The analysis of the data was carried out deductively and inductively. Finally, the answers of boys and girls were compared.
Results
To the first question of the survey about adolescent preferences as regards literary genres (see Appendix A), 30,19% of the students chose “Horror” as their first alternative, 16,98% chose “Science Fiction”, and 13,21% chose “Romantic” (see Graphic 1).
It is important to notice that the “Romantic” genre was placed in the first position only by girls, while boys’ preferences pointed to “Horror”, “Science Fiction” and “Detective or Crime novels” as their first option.
As regards the open question which asked for a justification of their first option, most of the girls answered that they like romantic stories because they enjoy of “love”, “stories about princesses and princes” and “happy endings”. “Horror” which was the first option for most students was chosen because they liked “to be scared”, they liked “mystery” and “suspense” (See Appendix B).
The last alternative chosen by the majority of the focus group’s members (30,77% of the sample) was the “magazine or newspaper article”. The “Romantic” genre, “Fables” and “Historical Fiction” follow it (see Graphic 2).
It is necessary to mention that the “Romantic” genre was left in the last place by most of the boys; this is the reason why this literary genre was placed both among the first and last options in the adolescents’ preferences. This would make evident the differences in the student’s interest according to their genre. It seems that, while girls like romance, boys like guns.
The complete information expressed in percentages is presented in table A.
Table A. Percentage of genre preferences.
Genre/Position Science fiction Horror Drama Romantic Fable Magazine/newspaper article Historical Fiction Detective novel Legend
1 16,98% 30,19% 11,32% 13,21% 0,00% 1,89% 7,55% 11,32% 7,55%
2 18,87% 15,09% 15,09% 16,98% 1,89% 1,89% 3,77% 15,09% 11,32%
3 7,14% 17,86% 16,07% 16,07% 10,71% 7,14% 8,93% 8,93% 7,14%
4 16,36% 7,27% 20,00% 9,09% 10,91% 3,64% 5,45% 18,18% 9,09%
5 20,75% 7,55% 9,43% 7,55% 5,66% 9,43% 11,32% 13,21% 15,09%
6 3,64% 5,45% 12,73% 7,27% 18,18% 7,27% 16,36% 12,73% 16,36%
7 7,27% 3,64% 3,64% 3,64% 20,00% 10,91% 20,00% 10,91% 20,00%
8 5,56% 3,70% 9,26% 7,41% 14,81% 27,78% 14,81% 5,56% 11,11%
9 3,85% 9,62% 1,92% 19,23% 17,31% 30,77% 11,54% 3,85% 1,92%
Another way to interpret the results of this survey is to consider the total values of each genre to show a ranking as in table B.
TABLE B
1 Horror
2 Science Fiction
3 Drama
4 Detective
5 Romantic
6 Legend
7 Historical Fiction
8 Fable
9 Magazine/Newspaper article
Pondering the results in this way, we can see that “Drama” appears in the third place. Students who favoured this choice said that they liked it because it was “more connected to reality”.
Discussion
The importance of engaging the students in the process of learning makes us think about the necessity of including the horror genre in our programmes. This genre not only matches most of the students’ likes, but also it can be related to YAL and it can serve a very important function in the cognitive development of our students. As perceived by many of the students who expressed their opinion in this survey (see Appendix B), this kind of fiction combines imagination and rational thinking attracting the young reader with unexpected and creative situations that have to be overcome with the use of logic and intelligence. This aspect of horror stories is much relevant for adolescents who are in the stage of developing increasing academic skills, critical and formal thought. So, it is possible to say that horror fiction can foster young adults’ mental growth (Florencia Gonzalez & Karina Moreschi 2011).
Another educational implication of this research is to consider Science Fiction and the Romantic genre, which were widely chosen by boys and girls respectively. If time is enough, it is advisable to incorporate at least one exponent of each genre in the curriculum. By gathering samples of this kind of texts, the preferences of the majority will be satisfied. The inclusion of these literary genres in the classroom will have significant effects in students’ motivation as well as in their “connection” between school reading and leisure reading.
Although, this research has its limitations due to the size of the sample, we believe that the focus group can be representative of many Argentinean students from Bs. As. and these findings can have important consequences for the broader domain of education, because if teachers consider their students’ needs they may facilitate their cognitive development.
References:
- Bucher, K. and M.L. Manning (2011), “Genre and reading preferences”
- Silver V. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/What do teens want to read about?)
- Florencia Gonzalez & Karina Moreschi (2011), “Horror Fiction And Yal: A Successful Combination Which Can Perfectly Suit The Demands Of A Difficult Decision-Maker Segment, Adolescents”.
- Holly Koelling (2004), “Classic Connections. Turning Teens on to Great Literature”, Libraries Unlimited, Page 73.
- Josephine Ryon (2005), “Young People Choose: Adolescents’ Text Pleasure.” Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. Volumen: 28. Issue: 1. Australian Literacy Educators’ Association, Gale Group.
- “Consumo cultural de los argentinos de 11 a 17 años, accessed on October, 2011, htttup://portal.educ.ar/debates/educacionytic/debate/consumo-cultural-de-los-argentinos-de-11-a-17-anos.php
Appendix A
Questionnaire
Nombre:..........................................
Edad: .............................................
Sexo: M F
Escuela:..........................................
Encuesta:
- ¿Qué tipo de género te gusta más? Ordenar siendo 1 el que más te gusta y 9 el que menos te gusta.
• ...... Ciencia Ficción
• ...... Terror
• ...... Drama
• ...... Romántica
• ...... Fábula
• ...... Artículo Periodístico
• ...... Ficción Histórica
• ...... Policial
• ...... Leyenda
- Justificar por qué elegiste la primera opción. ¿Qué características te atraen de ese género?
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
..................................................................................................
Appendix B
Answers to question: Justificar por que elegiste la primera opción. ¿Qué características te atraen de ese género?
First option: Horror
Nombre: Barbara
Edad: 17
Sexo: F
Escuela: Lourdes
“me gusta porque me gustan las historias que se cuentan, el suspenso que se le dan e imaginarme la historia”
Nombre:Brenda
Edad: 16
Sexo: F
Escuela: Lourdes
“de este genero me atrae porque me da ganas de leer mas hasta terminarlo”.
Nombre: Rocio
Edad: 16
Sexo: F
Escuela Lourdes
“me encanta sentir el suspenso a esperar a asustarme y me gusta sobresaltarme”.
Nombre: Facundo
Edad: 16
Sexo: M
Escuela: Lourdes
“del genero me atrae todo lo irreal, y la incorporación de objetos imaginarios que no existen.”
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