Educational Research AY2020/2021

Scholars concur that extensive reading instruction usefully improves language acquisition and supports academic achievement. To facilitate reading development, existing scholarship recommends that adolescents be exposed to books which augment reader engagement and comprehension. Culturally relevant books, which reflect the specificities of adolescents’ lived experiences, may be especially attractive to them. Nevertheless, to excite their curiosity in aforesaid narratives, we must discover what adolescents like and ply them with books that appeal to their ever-evolving interests. First, this study investigates the reading preferences of Singapore adolescents through a survey of 5,372 students, aged 13 to 17, in six secondary schools. The survey revealed that adolescents found series fiction enthralling, read fantasy and adventure novels extensively, and preferred middle-grade and young adult books. Next, this study presents a case study of three Singapore adolescents, being specifically attentive to their reasons for reading the culturally relevant RunHideSeek series. Findings reveal that adolescents found RunHideSeek’s sensitivity to Singapore’s cultural milieu appealing, but were more inclined to leverage on books as ‘windows’, through which they might apprehend culturally diverse others. Findings also suggest that adolescents appreciate creative-world building, invigoratingly novel plots, fast-paced storytelling, and complex, realistic characters. Singapore’s adolescents desire more books with these attributes.