Graduation Date
Fall 2024
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Education
Committee Chair Name
Libbi Miller
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
AmyK Conley
Keywords
Reading, High School, Male Literacy
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
There is a clear and consistent gender gap between students who view themselves as readers and those who do not (Love & Hamston, 2003). Overwhelmingly, young men report a lower self-perception of their ability and interest in reading and literacy, and this in turn impacts their growth and motivation in literacy learning. Through this study, I interviewed six students, specifically male high school students who self-identified as bad at reading or disliking reading. Through one-on-one interviews and focus groups, I explored how they viewed themselves as “non-readers” and why their reading self-perception is negative. The findings show how the lack of validation of alternative literacy and lack of agency and choice within reading instruction play roles in why these students have lost connection with reading as a subject and tool, even when they previously viewed themselves as readers. These findings illuminate the ways boys view literacy and reading through the lens provided to them by schools and adults and are often reinforcing their own negative self-perception as readers, even when they can demonstrate clear and successful literacy skills.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Talmadge, Aimee, "“Bad at Reading”: Narratives of Boys with Negative Reading Self-Concept" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 800.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/800