I-Search

Part I
I knew before I began this assignment that I wanted to focus on literature, rather than language or writing. I considered choosing a specific work, but as I looked over the list of required novels I noticed something—nearly all of these works were what we would consider “classics”. There were very few books that had actually been specifically written for young adults. This reminded me of the rather commonly held notion that young adults books are somehow inferior to books written for a general audience. I decided to research using young adult literature in the classroom.
Young adult literature as a genre is something that I am very knowledgeable about and I’m also quite passionate about exploring, analyzing, and promoting quality work for young readers. Yet, I am not so knowledgeable about the intricacies and challenges of actually incorporating young adult novels in the secondary English classroom. I can’t remember ever studying young adult literature in my high school classes, and everything that I’ve read or observed has focused on teaching the classics. Despite this, I feel that it would highly benefit both teacher and students to veer away from the canon and embrace a more diverse reading list—one that would include literature specifically written for adolescents. I hope that in my research I can discover practical and engaging methods of instruction for young adult literature, as well as valid reasons to include it in the curriculum.
Part II
I’ve taken several young adult literature classes and I read much of it in my spare time as a hobby. I feel very familiar with the genre in terms of authors, subgenres, structure, style, common themes, etc. Also, based on prior knowledge and experiences, I assume that many people believe that this genre is inferior by its very nature. They assume that because the books are directed towards younger readers that they lack any sort of depth, intellectual challenge, or relevance. I strongly feel that this belief is fallacious for a number of reasons, and I hope to find support for my ideas through my research.
At the same time, however, I do believe that young adult literature is experiencing a kind of renaissance in the wealth of talented writers and beautifully written, challenging stories that are available. The popularity and acclaim of such works as Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series and Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy is leading the general public to realize that these works have great value also. I hope to take advantage of this developing respect for the genre by helping kids learn how to love reading.