Increasing Boys Engagement in Literature through Supplementary Texts

The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings of a study on the effects of implementing a literature circle with adolescent boys disengaged with texts studied in their language arts class. The literature circle presented supplementary texts which supported the understanding of the primary text studied in the students’ class. The research was conducted with a group of four 10th grade boys who showed signs of disengagement in the traditional language arts classroom setting. The data collection methods used included teacher interviews, student surveys, observational tally sheets, attitude scales, and student journal entries. The results of the research indicated an increase in engagement when the students studied supplementary texts in the literature circle setting. The implications of this action plan include methodical changes to the way literature is taught in the language arts classroom, such as the formation of literature circles and the offering of texts to supplement primary texts studied