Modalities Matter

Abstract

This thesis is a qualitative study that seeks to investigate pupils’ experiences, preferences, and attitudes when reading a fictional novel on different modalities. The motivation behind this study is a wish to spread the love of reading to a generation consisting of digital natives. We, therefore, wanted to explore how we could use fictional novels in the English classroom. A common thread that runs through our study is the focus on phenomenological immersion. We consider immersion to be the key element for a positive reading experience, and thus we have attempted to facilitate the reading experience for the pupils to enter this mindset.

Our research was conducted in a 9th-grade classroom and lasted for four weeks. During these weeks, the pupils read the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2003) by using the E-book, paper book, and audiobook. In order to answer our research question, we have collected data from observation, interviews, reflection logs, questionnaires, and our personal continuous reflection log. Our overall methodology was action research, which allowed us to implement changes and interventions we believed to improve the reading experience for the pupils. By following the development of each pupil’s reading experience, we have gotten an impression of how their mindsets change and are affected by the book being read, and the modality the book is read on.

We have found that attitudes towards the book and comfortability with the modality are essential factors that affect the experience of reading a novel. Our study suggests that a reader may enter four different mindsets based on how they relate to these factors. If the reader is comfortable with the modality and has a positive attitude toward the book, the reader achieves immersion. If the reader is comfortable with the modality but has a negative attitude toward the book, the reader experiences boredom. If the reader is uncomfortable with the modality but has a positive attitude toward the book, the reader feels stressed. However, if the reader is uncomfortable with the modality and has a negative attitude toward the book, the reader gets disengaged. We have created a model called “The Mindset Map of Pupils’ Reading Experiences” to visualize this interplay of factors. Our intention for the model is in no way to label the pupils as one certain type of reader. On the contrary, we wish to visualize the dynamic process of reading, and how easily affected a reading experience can be.