Secondary English Students' Engagement in Reading and Writing About a Multicultural Novel

Abstract

Abstract Twenty-two 9th-grade English students' reading engagement and interpretation of a young adult multicultural novel dealing with biethnic identity development was explored. This multicase study charted students' literary engagement in an urban technology magnet school and a rural Hawaii high school. Analyses of 7 students' journal freewriting, character interpretation dialogue journals, and research papers on the novel's cultural authenticity revealed that students (a) produced more personal and interpretive reactions to the novel than simple descriptions of events and (b) had a strong sense of agency and voice, supported by reader-based teaching. Students need to have opportunities to read and talk about literature that explores ethnic and cultural identity development.