Volitional reading, ‘disturbing’ books, and the transformation of readers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21590061 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gay Ivey (0000-0002-6077-5129, Teacher Education and Higher Education, School of Education, University of NC-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA, corresponding author), Peter H Johnston (0000-0001-7440-3169, University at Albany, State University of New York), Peter Johnston (0000-0002-5115-3416, Department of Literacy, The University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, USA) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 617-634 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language and Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0950-0782 • E-ISSN: 1747-7581 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09500782.2024.2317944 |
| OpenAlex | W4391945419 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 26 |
Although reading comprehension research and instruction commonly focus on individuals’ ability to extract meaning from text, eighth-grade students whose teachers chose to focus on engaged volitional reading, rather than comprehension, demonstrated expansive forms of meaning-making and purpose. Interviews and observations across two school years indicated many of students’ preferred books were those they considered ‘disturbing’ – narratives that revealed difficult and complex realities about humanity and that frequently caused readers to be confused or uncertain, which might be deemed ‘incomprehension’. This reading provoked self-reflection and meaningful conversations that students linked to social, intellectual, and moral transformation. Meanings made through volitional reading, particularly of texts that produced uncertainty, suggest the need to expand what is meant by ‘comprehension’ and to shift the goals of instruction toward ‘a pedagogy of discomfort’ (Boler Citation1999) that produces dialogic tensions rather agreed-upon meanings
Linguistics · Mathematics education · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Media Influence and Health · Philosophy · Psychology · Themes in Literature Analysis
Reading Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind
Transformative Learning as a Metatheory
The Self in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
Reading Is My Window
The sense and the meaning of cultural-historical theory of L. S. Vygotsky
Engagement With Young Adult Literature
Educating Consciousness through Literary Experiences
The Fragility of Goodness
The dialogical self
Why do we read sad books? Eudaimonic motives and meta-emotions
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |