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ERIC Number: ED567268
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 209
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-3037-6761-6
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
"Just Don't Call It a Book Club": Boys' Reading Experiences and Motivation in School and in an after School Book Club
Lattanzi, James A., Jr.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick
Much has been written about the "boy crisis" in the last two decades in regards to achievement in school and the struggles boys face in literacy learning. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data demonstrate that girls consistently outperform boys in reading and writing (Educational Alliance, 2006). Therefore, the importance of reading engagement and wide reading cannot be undervalued. It is commonly accepted that frequent and wide reading leads to increases in student achievement (Guthrie & Alvermann, 1999). The purpose of this study was to capture and understand how an informal book club for boys might lead to insights about their reading motivation and engagement in order to inform literacy instruction, to obtain the perspectives of middle school boys in what may motivate them to read widely outside of school-based assignments, and to understand how social interactions influence their desire to read. A purposeful sample of seven middle school boys who demonstrated a range of resistance to reading was the basis for selection. Book club meetings were based on three novels of the boys' choosing which were read and discussed. Observations were used to note changes in attitudes and spontaneous comments about reading and school. Three focus group interviews were conducted to provide data on boys' perspectives on reading experience in school and the book club. Additional data was obtained through individual interviews reflecting on the book club experience approximately a month after the book club stopped meeting. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A