| Scope and method of study. Although all students receive extensive reading instruction in school, not all students become proficient and actively engaged readers. Why not? The purpose of this study was to gain insight into that question by investigating the nature and life experiences of several individuals who read frequently and enthusiastically, by personal choice. The eight participants in the study ranged in age from seven years to seventy-four years. The criterion for participant selection was that each had been described as an avid reader. Each subject participated in a minimum of two long interviews which sought to probe personal characteristics and the history of reading experiences. The resulting data was analyzed according to McCracken's five-stage analysis process and Rudstam and Newton's approach, using stages of analysis called "unitizing" and "categorizing.".;Findings and conclusions. Through this analysis process, the themes of power, ritual, thoughtfulness, and worldview emerged as congruent portrayals of the essence of the reader nature and life. Findings included that the participants reported a nurturing reading environment, in early childhood and during school years, as more important than reading methodology. For the most part, they did not believe that schools overtly supported reading as an activity of choice. The readers viewed themselves as leaders in their own reading development, but all identified at least one significant adult who had empowered and encouraged them to pursue reading and make it a lifelong commitment. Further research into how lifelong readers develop, using the life experience of those who can and do read as the context, is recommended. |
