Young Readers Research Articles

Bravery and Friendship in Children's Literature through the Lens of Van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis

This research utilizes Van Dijk's (1977) Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to investigate the themes of bravery and friendship in the children's stories "The Brave Little Squirrel" and "Milo's Magical Map." The primary objective is to examine how discourse influences social identities, values, and interpersonal relationships through narrative structures and character dynamics. Using qualitative methods, the study conducts a detailed textual analysis focusing on thematic elements, character dialogues, and the moral lessons delineated in both stories. The findings indicate that these narratives portray bravery not solely as a heroic quality but as an expression of aiding others, thereby nurturing a sense of community and companionship. Additionally, the analysis uncovers the underlying social values presented in these narratives, underscoring the significance of empathy and collaboration for young readers. This research enhances the understanding of children’s literature as a crucial factor in shaping social and moral growth, offering valuable insights for educators and parents regarding themes that can effectively instill positive values in children.

Examining the Role of Self-Determination Theory in AI-Enhanced Personalized Blended Learning Environments for Primary School Chinese EFL Learners

It is pertinent to mention here that EFL education in Chinese primary schools has emerged as an important focus of the last few decades due to rising globalization and development of economosaic(Cosmopolitic)eti fluence of China (Wang & Kirkpatrick, 2022; Li et al. , 2023). Today, Ministry of Education, China has laid policies to begin English learning from the third grade; this is an indication that learning should begin early in a childhood so as to learn the language and have the ability to communicate through it (Zhang & Liu 2024). However, many concerns still exist in EFL educational environment such as great class size, less opportunity to interact with real contexts, and curriculum stress on examinations (Chen et al. , 2023; Wu & Johnson, 2024). The literature review of the present study has also stressed on the fact that new strategies are being called for to tackle these issues. For example, Yang et al., (2023) stated that conventional paradigm C loses the interest of young readers and Zhao and Smith (2024) noted that more entertaining and user-centred learning approaches have to be established. In addition, Liu and Wang (2023) pointed out that the present EFL curriculum implemented in Chinese primary schools does not incorporate the sociocultural context and fails to provide authentic language practice to the learners which is essential for second language acquisition.

A Matter of Memory? Age-Invariant Relative Clause Disambiguation and Memory Interference in Older Adults.

Past research suggests that Working Memory plays a role in determining relative clause attachment bias. Disambiguation preferences may further depend on Processing Speed and explicit memory demands in linguistic tasks. Given that Working Memory and Processing Speed decline with age, older adults offer a way of investigating the factors underlying disambiguation preferences. Additionally, older adults might be subject to more severe similarity-based memory interference given their larger vocabularies and slower lexical access. Nevertheless, memory interference and sentence disambiguation have not been combined in studies on older adults before. We used a self-paced reading paradigm under memory load interference conditions. Older (n=30) and Younger (n=35) readers took part in the study online; reading times were recorded and measures of comprehension accuracy and load recall were collected. This setup allowed for the implicit measurement of attachment biases and memory interference effects interactively. Results show that similarity-based interference affected both age groups equally, but was more pronounced in NP2-biased structures, which took participants generally longer to read. Attachment preferences did not differ by group and were unaffected by Working Memory span. However, accuracy on recall prompts was predicted by Working Memory span in both groups. Findings of greater interference in syntactically dispreferred structures support unified processing models where parsing constraints naturally interact. The lack of age differences on our measures further aligns with research finding age-invariant implicit language processing.

Decoding Anti-Blackness in Children’s Literature

This dissertation critically examines the representation of Black authors and themes within the John Newbery Medal canon from its inception in 1922 to 2023. It explores how this literary award has mirrored or challenged societal perceptions of race, particularly in children’s literature. Utilizing a thematic content analysis methodology, the study investigates the works of the six Black authors who have won the Newbery Medal, using a priori coding to critically examine the racial narratives, themes, and authorial diversity presented in these titles. Despite the noted increase in diversity within children’s literature, this research identifies a persistent underrepresentation of Black authors and Black cultural themes in Newbery Medal recipients. The study highlights a significant gap in racial inclusivity, with a mere six Black authors receiving the Newbery Medal in over a century. This underrepresentation is not only a marker of racial disparity but also reflects broader systemic biases within the literary and publishing industries. This dissertation engages with theories from critical race theory and critical librarianship to interrogate the structural barriers that sustain this racial homogeneity. In examining the implications of these findings, the research advocates for a more equitable literary landscape, emphasizing the need for librarians, educators, and publishers to foster inclusivity in children’s literature. The ultimate aim is to ensure that young readers encounter a more representative spectrum of narratives that celebrate racial diversity and promote inclusiveness.

The Silent Unseen and Underground Soldiers: Polish–Ukrainian Conflicts and Collaboration in Amanda McCrina’s Second World War Fiction

The memory of the Second World War remains a bone of contention between Poland and Ukraine. The countries’ mnemonic discourses differ significantly, especially regarding the legacy of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Most local children’s and young adult authors avoid discussing historical nuances and offer their readers simple narratives about victims and oppressors. Thus, it is remarkable that in the last few years descriptions of the difficult Polish–Ukrainian relations have appeared in fiction written by Anglophone authors. This article considers the representations of the complex Ukrainian–Polish/Polish–Ukrainian dynamics in Amanda McCrina’s Traitor (2020) and The Silent Unseen (2022), two young adult novels set in Second World War eastern Poland/western Ukraine. McCrina, an American of Polish descent, introduces teenage protagonists with liminal identities and agency limited by their historical circumstances. This article underscores the importance of McCrina’s literary techniques – especially her use of alternation of perspectives – that highlight the complexity of history and challenge the discourse of morality typical of young adult historical fiction. Moreover, it argues that the minor simplifications introduced by McCrina are necessary for Anglophone young readers to grasp the entanglements of the history of what Timothy Snyder termed the ‘Bloodlands’. Thus, her approach to addressing multifaceted and problematic topics exceeds morality plots based on the victim–oppressor binary.

Good People Do Not Eat Others?! Moral Ambiguity in Japanese Fairytales from the Late Nineteenth Century

In 2015, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK aired an educational series that re-examined traditional fairy tales by putting their characters on trial for their immoral behavior, such as revenge, violence, and dishonesty. These tales, rooted in premodern Japanese folklore, were widely available in various book formats by the late nineteenth century and, unlike modern adaptations, they did not sanitize violence or evil. This study analyzes four miniature picture books from the late nineteenth century that recount the story, Kachikachi yama (The Crackling Mountain). This analysis focuses on both verbal and visual representations of good and evil, with attention to themes of loyalty, filial piety, and virtuous revenge. The findings reveal that these picture books presented young readers with complex moral lessons, where the boundaries between good and evil were blurred. Additionally, they illuminate the prevailing image of children during that era, depicting them as “little adults” expected to be educated and prepared for the practical realities of the adult world.

THE PLACE OF THE DETECTIVE IN THE MODERN LITERARY PROCESS AND THE STUDY OF WORKS OF THE DETECTIVE GENRE AT SCHOOL

In the modern world, there is a pressing question about what school-aged children read, as their minds are actively shaped by social media and the vast array of information available on the inter-net. It is essential to include works by contemporary authorsin the school curriculum, whose texts act as intertextual and hypertextual dialogues that engage with the literary works of previous eras, guiding young readers in the right direction. In this paper, we attempt to identify the need for study-ing detective literature in schools as the most popular genre. This genre is represented by various subgenres, such as historical detective and new detective. This is due to the phenomenon of post-modernism, which inextricably links literature and cinema, and features such as rethinking of histo-ry. The study of such works at school is seen as one of the right solutions to the problem of reading both in literature lessons, as well as history, geography, since the way of knowing the world through a work of art is one of the key ones in the formation of personality and the formation of the worldview and moral position of the younger generation.

The Joy of Queer Science Fiction Reading, or: Will Queers Destroy Science Fiction?

The paper seeks to examine the connections between “queer reading” and “science fiction reading” from the perspective of readers’ recollections of their juvenile experiences of “looking for clues” in queer sf narratives. Using Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s concept of reparative reading, I discuss the idea of queer adolescent reading as a possibly transformative experience that offers exciting theoretical opportunities for academic scholarship on the fantastic. By turning attention to selected testaments of adolescent queer readerly experiences, written by both writers and fans, I hope to demonstrate both the personal (individual) and collective nature of queer self-recognition through these intense and affective engagements with sf texts. A closer examination of a collection of short essays in which authors reflect on the provocative idea of “queers destroying sf,”also based on individual recollections of engaging with sf as young readers, expands the discussion to incorporate fan activity and the question of queer canon-forming.

Education of mercy as a traditional Russian value based on a modern teenage book

Introduction. The problem of studying ways and means of educating the younger generation of high moral ideals is an acutely urgent task of modern science, since it is a response to the challenges of the time, laid down in the basis of state policy to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. The purpose of the article is to present the results of a study of the educational impact of a modern children's and youth book on the example of Elena Mamontova's novella "The White Owl" on understanding and strengthening such a traditional Russian spiritual and moral value as mercy. Materials and methods. The tools for socio-pedagogical research were 26 children's books – winners of literary prizes over the past ten years, from 2013 to 2023, and presented on official websites. Among them, the books most in demand by the children's readership were highlighted. The selection was carried out using the methods of analyzing readers' reviews, readers' forms of children's libraries and literary analysis of the ideological and artistic merits of the works. Based on the ideological and substantive criterion, the expert evaluation method selected E. Mamontova's novel "The White Owl" as having a spiritual and moral educational potential. Results. The author summarized the results of the experimental study. The subjects, 22 students of the 7th grade, teenagers of 13-14 years old, first independently, and then together with the teacher discussed traditional Russian values, primarily charity. After the initial independent reading of the book, 82% were able to understand the main idea of the work – the importance of mercy, which indicates the accessibility of the ideological and artistic system of the teenage book to readers. At the same time, special work in the lesson deepened and enriched the students' ideas about mercy: 100% realized the concept of mercy not just as a synonym for kindness, but as the ability to forgive out of compassion, humanity, and show leniency. 60% of the subjects somehow compare themselves with the characters of the story, noting a similar experience in their lives, which indicates a meaningful reading. In addition, some young readers, after special work with the book, were able to go beyond the specific situation and see the problem of mercy in a broad life perspective, talking about the fate of future generations. Conclusion. On an experimental basis, a conclusion is formulated about modern adolescent literature as an important resource for the spiritual development of the younger generation and the strengthening of its national identity. The conclusion is confirmed by the analysis of students' feedback on E. Mamontova's story "The White Owl", which contains moral lessons that allow preserving Russian national identity and help to educate a spiritually developed personality of a teenager.

МУТОЛАА ВА КИТОБХОНЛИКНИ ТАРҒИБ ҚИЛИШНИНГ БАЪЗИ УСТУВОР МАСАЛАЛАРИ

The article is dedicated to the meaning of book reading, the processes of organizing an event for the development and stimulation of book reading among the youth of Uzbekistan. The essence of the holidays “Young reader of books” and “Idea of reading” is revealed.

Invitations to join a new 2024 section of Ejtm and the 2025 Pdm3 from 25 to 29 March, Euganean Thermae, Padua, Italy.

This issue of the European Journal of Translational Myology (Ejtm) 34 (3) 2024 opens with a historic article by Roger Sabbadini, who recalls his years spent as a guest scientist at the Institute of General Pathology of the University of Padua, Italy and the many years spent valorising a fortuitous observation made in collaboration with the scientific group of Professor Giovanni Salviati, University of Padua, Italy. A further side effect of those years is the decision I recently made to add a new Section to the Ejtm Editorial board, namely: Myokines, Bioactive lipids, Adipokines, RNAkines (ncRNAs), Antonio Musarò, Roger Sabbadini, and Daniela Tavian, Editors. Readers are therefore warmly invited to contribute typescripts to this section. I am confident that young readers will be motivated to test preliminary in vitro and in vivo options for drug development, especially for the bioactive lipids. Furthermore, it is time to send your presentation proposals and registration/accommodation forms to participate in the International Meeting: Padua Days on Muscle and Mobility Medicine, which will be held at the Hotel Petrarca of the Euganean Thermae (Padua, Italy) from 25 to 29 March 2025 (2025Pdm3). The Preliminary Program is included, hoping that you will submit your abstract and the Registration forms by November 15, 2024.

David Kahn, in remembrance: an INS special forum

ABSTRACT David Kahn was one of America’s leading experts on the history of cryptology, the art and science of breaking the communications codes, ciphers, and secret writing of hostile nations and terrorist organizations – a vital intelligence tradecraft for anticipating potentially dangerous operations of foreign adversaries. As both a journalist and a professional historian, he pursued scholarly interests in cryptology as well as modern German history. His most well-known book, entitled The Codebreakers, influenced the field of cryptology and attracted many young readers to this intelligence profession. Kahn wrote many other studies on the topic and founded the journal Cryptologia. He received an array of honors for his work, including induction into the National Security Agency’s Cryptologic Hall of Fame. In addition, Kahn was a popular social fixture at prestigious clubs in New York City and a member of several boards of editors devoted to Intelligence Studies, including this journal.

Fiction books translations for children: publishing in Lithuania in 1940-1990

Translated literature comprises a significant portion of all children's books in Lithuania. Often, works originally written for adults become popular as children's literature worldwide (e.g., D. Defoe's, J. Swift's, A. Dumas', Ch. Perrault's, and others). As a result, many book editors face difficulties in determining the appropriate target audience for these books. Consequently, the same classic literary work, published in Lithuania at different times, may be aimed at various reader groups (for example, "Robinson Crusoe"). Fiction has always constituted the largest portion of children's books in Lithuania (in some years, up to 93%). Translations made up 54.7% of all children's fiction published from 1940 until 1990. The majority of these books are prose and are primarily aimed at younger and middle-school-age readers (65.9%), with the smallest portion targeted at older school-age readers (15.9%). Poetry accounts for 11% of all children's book translations, with the majority of it intended for younger readers. Between 1940 and 1990, 1881 translated fiction books for children were published in Lithuania. These books were translated from 29 languages representing 88 nations worldwide by more than 800 translators. The majority of these books were translated from Russian (about 45%). The literary and folklore books of various nations within the U.S.S.R. comprise 60.7% of all children's translations. Of these, 79.7% were by Russian creators, while the remaining 20.3% were by creators from 31 other nations within the U.S.S.R. There were many challenges associated with translations, most of which were dictated by central departments in Moscow that regulated all publishing activities in the Soviet Union.

Comedy and Masculine Hegemony: Adapting Masculinities in Humorous Children’s Fiction

AbstractSince the early 2000s, there has been increasing scholarly focus on the representations of masculinities in children’s literature. In part, this is due to the growing field of critical studies in men and masculinities coupled with wider public concern about boys’ development and education. This paper contributes to this work by analysing constructions of masculinity in four popular humorous series for children: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007–2022), The Treehouse books (2011–2023), The Bad Guys (2015–2023), and Planet Omar (2019–2023). Understanding genre as a reciprocal dynamic, the analysis demonstrates how these texts both intercede and shape the social and national milieu in which they are produced. As our understanding of acceptable masculine behaviours has adapted, so too has there been a shift in both the represented masculine dynamics and role of comedy in humorous junior fiction for boys. While some early series attempt to invert the hierarchical ordering of boys to validate alternative masculinities, the farcical genre conventions rest on limited models of masculinity, and frequently reaffirm the very tropes and behaviours that they seek to redress. In contrast, later series attempt to expand the repertoire of qualities that are acceptable for boys and men, challenging patterns of masculine hegemony, thereby revisioning what it means to be male. While humorous texts for young people may engage young male readers, the operation of humour and its relationship to masculinities is political, and can operate in either reductive or expansive ways.

The Environmental Function of Animal Characters Across Different Literary Genres

This article explores the remarkable versatility of animal images and characters through their function in literature. The representation of animals in literature has emerged as one of the powerful tools for promoting environmental awareness and advocacy. Across diverse literary genres, the use of animal imagery and characters serves a multitude of functions in catalyzing ecological consciousness. In lyrical nature writing, vivid descriptions of animals and their habitats evoke emotional resonance, inviting readers to appreciate the fragility and resilience of ecosystems. Allegorical narratives, meanwhile, employ animal protagonists to challenge societal norms and expose environmental injustices through metaphorical storytelling. Even in children's literature, charming portrayals of animal characters serve as accessible gateways for young readers to the natural world.

“My dear Stevie, from Nonno”: translations and illustrations of a Joycean verbal text for young readers

James Joyce (1882-1941) foi um dos mais revolucionários e influentes escritores modernistas, dentro e fora da literatura anglófona. Notoriamente, o autor não escreveu para crianças, mas uma carta enviada a seu neto, Stephen James Joyce (1932-2020), e publicada pela primeira vez em 1957, foi intitulada The Cat and the Devil e lançada como livro infantojuvenil. As traduções desta carta, realizadas em mais de vinte idiomas ao longo dos últimos 60 anos, trazem temas e elementos da escrita joyciana para adultos, ao mesmo tempo que se revelam como produtos de seu próprio tempo e da sociedade em que se inserem. Partindo desta perspectiva, este trabalho buscou analisar o percurso de ilustrações e traduções da obra The Cat and the Devil/O Gato e o Diabo, sob o viés da leitura intersemiótica de jovens leitores. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam as traduções da obra como transições entre sistemas semióticos, em atos criativos e interpretativos de apropriação e resgate tanto do tradutor quanto do ilustrador. Evidenciou-se o potencial semiótico/semântico presente na multimodalidade do livro ilustrado quanto às possibilidades de exploração e engajamento dos jovens leitores, extrapolando o destinatário único da carta original e a transformando em uma significativa obra da literatura infantojuvenil.

Effects of word extension on decoding development in Brazilian young readers: Theoretical and practical implications

AbstractPurposeAlthough the knowledge of decoding acquisition has expanded in the past years, theoretical information is still needed to guide practices concerning decoding skills in clinical and educational scenarios in languages other than English. Thus, we aimed to investigate the word‐length effects on decoding acquisition regarding the time spent on decoding and the accuracy—the number of correct words/nonwords read per minute—in Brazilian Portuguese‐Speakers.MethodsThe study included 250 children enrolled in elementary school from first to fifth grade, and we used stratified random sampling to select the participants. To assess their decoding skills, we used a linguistically balanced list of words and nonwords designed according to Brazilian Portuguese decoding rules, word length variation, and the frequency of these words in the children's experiences.ResultsGenerally, data provide evidence of a stimuli length effect on accuracy and decoding time for words and nonwords. Data bring essential indicators for discussion in the acquisition and development of decoding since it adds another layer to investigate: intralinguistic features.ConclusionThe current findings contribute significantly to the area by indicating that the process of acquiring decoding has a multifactorial nature, and different interactions between variables can positively or negatively influence this process. Also, the present study may enlarge the knowledge by providing data from a transparent orthography encouraging more studies on the theme and cross‐linguistic studies to understand how such variables here studied may vary in different orthographies.

Exploring Immediate Memory and Its Influencing Factors Among Young Arabic Readers: Insights from Letter and Symbol Recall Performance

Exploring Immediate Memory and Its Influencing Factors Among Young Arabic Readers: Insights from Letter and Symbol Recall Performance

L’esprit géographique dans les romans de Xavier-Laurent Petit : l’appel du dehors

Travel literature for young people provides an opportunity to follow the construction of identity around a double didactic knot: the here and the elsewhere. Geographical space is a key element of the novel, and places are the foundation of the narrative. As part of a humanist heritage, the writer creates a journey and an experience of the living: space and species. Xavier-Laurent Petit's work naturally suggests to readers that they belong to the world. In this literary geography, the author weaves together the perceived, experienced and represented space. He highlights landscapes and a geographical gaze that is very reminiscent of Kenneth White's geopoetic approach. This approach anchors our thinking in a triple perspective: scientific, philosophical and poetic. What is this world we live in? This question seems to be entirely contained in this call from the outside and the experience of movement. At the frontier between literature and geography, and drawing on different types of knowledge about the living world around us, travel writing for young readers has the power to question the world. Through language, it gives a space, a landscape, and even sometimes a path to read.

The effect of modality on reading comprehension of struggling and typical readers in the second and third grades

AbstractBackground“Screen inferiority” refers to a well‐established phenomenon observed among adults and teenagers, wherein they demonstrate higher reading comprehension when reading from paper compared to screens. However, there is limited research focusing on readers in the initial stages of reading development. The current study aims to investigate reading comprehension in both screen and paper settings, as well as modality preferences, among young typical and struggling readers in the second and third grades.MethodsThe study included 342 second graders and 284 third‐grade Hebrew readers. Their reading comprehension performance in both modalities and their preferences for a particular modality were assessed.ResultsThe results suggested no differences in reading comprehension between the two modalities in the second and third grades. The only group that showed numerically higher performance on paper over computer was struggling readers in the second grade. The numeric proportion of modality preferences was higher on the computer rather than on paper.ConclusionsThe current study did not find an effect of modality on reading comprehension in the second and third grades. We did find that children in these grades prefer to read on screens. It is essential to examine the specific characteristics of the digital task to determine when it benefits young readers and when it may be detrimental to them.