Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative critical discourse analysis study was to determine if there was a benefit to using a young adult adaptation of a canonical piece to increase student comprehension in the 9th grade English-Language Arts classroom. The use of young adult literature in the secondary classroom is a prevalent topic that continues to circulate amongst educators and researchers. This research study addresses how canonical literature is far removed from the current set of twenty-first century students and its disconnect in the classroom. This study sought to discover student thoughts and perceptions on a specific set of text pairings to answer the research question: How, if at all, does young adult literature better inform canonical literature in the 9th grade English-Language Arts classroom. This qualitative study uses critical discourse analysis methods to examine four students' written and verbal transactions through the use of a pre-survey, Google Forms "Quiz", a Zoom interview, and a post survey as a means for critical interpretation. Using critical discourse analysis the researcher identified themes that reflected the following results: students identified with the young adult text because they can relate to the character's struggles and current events, colloquial and neologisms were used to convey understanding, and participant's silences expressed confidence, even when their words did not. Student's through their own narratives have indicated that there is a benefit and need to use, a more culturally relevant young adult literature adaptation alongside a canonical piece to increase student understanding in the high school setting.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2020
Semester
Summer
Advisor
Olan, Elsie
Degree
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
College
College of Community Innovation and Education
Department
School of Teacher Education
Degree Program
Secondary Education; English Language Arts Education
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0008126; DP0023462
URL
https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0023462
Language
English
Release Date
August 2021
Length of Campus-only Access
1 year
Access Status
Masters Thesis (Open Access)
STARS Citation
Bernozzi, Amber, "How Young Adult Literature Better Informs Canonical Literature in the 9th Grade English Language Arts Classroom" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-. 177.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/177