Adolescent Readers in the Search for Meaning: Guiding
Teens to Sacred Texts
ALAN Research Grant Proposal
For
several years, in the wake particularly of the spate of school violence
reports, I have been considering ways to address the loss of meaning and sense
of hopelessness that mark the lives of so many adolescents. Research regarding Generation Y or the
Millennial generation also supports that notion, that adolescents do have a
spiritual sense and a concern with finding sources of harmony in their lives. In addition, my doctoral study focused
on identifying literature that could be a site of the sacred or a source of
meaning allowing humans to address the large questions of human existence as
well as those dealing with relationship to God, to some deity, or some source
beyond the human. In that study, I
discussed the underlying concept that all people have the potential, and many
the desire, for a spiritual existence, though they many not find this ultimate
meaning in a theology or particular orthodoxy. Adolescents are one particular group engaged in searching
for the spiritual and their needs have not necessarily been addressed or
identified.
During
the last five years, I have spent much more time with Young Adult literature
and with adolescents. Specifically,
I have created proposals and presentations for NCTE, ALAN, and the North
Carolina Association of Teachers of English which have addressed a curriculum
of non-violence and stories leading readers from prejudice and bias to
tolerance and acceptance. My ALAN
research proposal then goes a step further to focus on identifying literature
that young adults might find significant in their quest for meaning or
spiritual depth and literature that fills the voids many youth experience. I anticipate creating an annotated
bibliography of these books or other genres; the bibliography might parallel
the Books for You kind of
publications, but it could also include commentary or teaching strategies for
using the literature. The audience
for such a work would be young adults, teachers, parents, and any group
interested in guiding adolescents on the journey to adulthood.
One part of the research involves a questionnaire for
high school students that will help identify works these students already
value. I anticipate working
through high school English teachers throughout the United States, having them
conduct the actual survey using my questionnaire so that I will have a fair
sample of students providing input.
The questions will be similar to the following: What are the most
important issues in your life at this point? Where do you seek answers to your questions about life? Have you ever read anything that
offered you answers to your concerns?
What was this? If you were
recommending some book or reading to a friend what would that be? I anticipate
beginning the surveying in early November, the start of my research for this
project.
Part two of the project involves working with existing
literature. I plan to read and
review both the more “classic” works like The Chronicles of
Narnia and canonical works as well as
current YA selections. I have a
number of works in a course outline for Literature and the Sacred that would
appeal to young adult readers, however, to expand my knowledge of the options,
I need to read as many current YA titles as possible.
Donna Fisher, a former librarian and high school
English teacher, is my co-researcher on this project. Her initial plans are to work with some poets like Denise
Levertov or Kathleen Norris or John Donne or Gerard Manley Hopkins, who do the
“dare to challenge God” writings; novels of redemption and
discovery like Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, or with journals and letters by Dickinson, Alcott,
and others. Her explorations would
not be limited to the above; these were ideas. We would both like to interview writers for their
perspective on YA literature of the quest for the spiritual. I have already begun with an informal
interview with Sue Ellen Bridgers.
As an accomplished author of young adult literature and of works I
intend to include in the collection as well as someone who can be an on-site
consultant, Bridgers will obviously be one key writer, but there are many
others who could enrich the study.
Bushman,
John H. and Kay Parks. Using
Young Adult Literature in the English Classroom,
second edition.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill, an imprint of Prentice Hall,
1997.
Gregg,
Gail P. and Pamela S. Carroll, eds.
Books and Beyond: Thematic Approach to Teaching
Literature
in High School. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon
Publishers, l998.
Kaywell,
Joan, ed. Adolescent Literature
as a Complement to the Classics. Volumes One-Four.
Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon Publishers.
Reed,
Arthea J.S. Reaching
Adolescents. New York: Merrill, an imprint of
Macmillan College
Publishing
Company, l994.
Paper and toner for producing the questionnaire,
postage, $200.00
Data Analysis of the questionnaire $450.00
Phone and costs related to interviewing authors $350.00
Total $1000.00