Научно-исследовательская работа на тему Reading interests of teenagers

Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………3
1. Theoretical part………………..........................................................................4
1.1. What does the word “literature” mean?.....................................................4
1.2. Genres of literature ……..…………………………………………………5
2. Practical part……………………………………………………………………9
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..10
The list of the literature…………………………………………………………..11
Applications ..…………………….…………………………………………..….12
Introduction
The theme of my research is “Reading interests of teenagers”. I like reading very much and I can’t imagine my life without books. I’m sure there is no situation in life which is not described in this or that literary work. That is why books help us to find solutions to any problems and answers to any questions. Books play a great role in forming our life values and characters. They also give us an opportunity to look into the past or into the future, using our imagination. Besides, they help us in our self-education.
Last year I asked 100 students and found that only 1 percent of students chose reading as the most favourite doing. My hobbies are dancing, taking photos and reading. I think, the other students enjoy reading too but they didn’t tell about it.
The aim of this research is to determine if readingis popular with teenagers now and what kind of books they prefer.
There is an opinion that reading isn’t popular with modern teens. What is more, playing computer games and watching TV replace reading. I don’t agree, I dislike playing computer games. Besides, I know my friends enjoy reading, that’s why the hypothesis is optimistic: reading is popular with teens and if parents like reading, their children like doing it too.
The object of my research is 7th form students.
The subject is reading interests of teenаgers.
In my research I used a survey method by means of questionnaire.
There are two parts in my work: theoretical and practical. Theoretical part tells about kinds of literature. Practical part is about research in our school.
1. Theoretical part
1.1. What does the word “literature” mean?
Every language has its own literature. A majority of world's national literature can be broadly classified into English, Greek, Latin, Roman, African, Indian, American, French, Irish, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Persian, Sanskrit, Nepali, Russian, African-American, Canadian literature, etc. Literature is a form of language that deeply influences the minds of people of all ages. Moreover, literature is also studied as a scientific language for various aspects like grammar, usage, lexis, semantics, pragmatics, etc [1].
Literature is the mirror of society. Thus a book written in a particular time defines people, their thoughts, and the influences of that era. The works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci depict the era of Italian Renaissance, whereas Greek literature mostly comprises the accounts of Greek Gods and Goddesses. Romanticism is about nature and simplicity, while classicism defines complexity. A classic example is that of William Wordsworth who romanticized the Romantic era with his naturalistic writing.
Definitions of literature have varied over time; it is a "culturally relative definition". In Western Europe prior to the eighteenth century, literature as a term indicated all books and writing. A more restricted sense of the term emerged during the Romantic period, in which it began to demarcate "imaginative" literature. Contemporary debates over what constitutes literature can be seen as returning to the older, more inclusive notion of what constitutes literature. Cultural studies, for instance, takes as its subject of analysis both popular and minority genres, in addition to canonical works [2].
The common definition of literature: it is the class of writings distinguished for beauty of style or expression, as poetry, essays, or history, in distinction from scientific treatises and works which contain positive knowledge [3].
1.2. Genres of literature
The word genre is best understood when spoken of as something that it is used to describe the categorization of the different types of music, literature, or any other subject. A genre basically refers to a certain classification of works when they share a certain similarity, either in terms or character or maybe even technique. The word is essentially a French word, and is derived from the Latin word genus, generis, which implies either "type, kind, or sort". What helps with understanding the word genre is the fact that it is easy to identify a certain kind of book, and knowing what to expect by very simply taking a look at the synopsis given about the same. In general, when it comes to literature there are several genres, so how about taking a look at these various book categories.
As mentioned above, there is an amplitude of genres when it comes to books and literature, the two major groups however are fiction and nonfiction. How about getting started with them, and going over each of them in a fair bit of detail.
Fiction
The first major genre that is also perhaps one of the most popularly known genres is fiction. Literary works belonging to this category are probably among the more commonly found. Fiction books are all about imaginary or make-believe writing. The thing about fiction though is that it could often be partially inspired by a real-life situation, but that's about as far as it could go. Another characteristic about fiction is that it is a very large genre on the whole, and has a lot of subdivisions to it. Some of the more popular kinds of fiction are:
► Romance. Fiction of this kind mainly revolves around love, relationships and anything that resembles anything happy. Even if it's filled with emotional turmoil throughout the novel, books like these inevitably have a happy ending.
► Science Fiction: This type of writing is most often made up of time travel, stories set in space, aliens, intense technology and all such characteristics. At times it could well qualify as fantasy too. An important feature of this kind of writing is that even though the major set up may be fictional, there could be elements of scientific truth in them too. Elements such as scientific principles or laws are often stressed on, all while combining it with other highly make-believe instances.
► Historical Fiction: First off, books like these, as also those of science fiction, are sometimes referred to as cross-genre books too. Stories in books like these are always set in the past, and have a heavy historical undertone to them. In books like these, while the events or facts may be true (which they most often are), it is the characters that are absolutely fictional. Books belonging to this genre deal mostly with social settings from history, and lay a lot of emphasis on detail.
► Realistic Fiction: The best way to describe realistic fiction is by talking of it as being one of those situations which aren't real, but yet seem like they could happen with anybody, at any time. Books like these, more often than not are a product of a keen imagination, yet somehow, they manage to capture the readers attention well, especially since books like these may seem extremely relevant at times. This genre also normally focuses on a lot of mystery and adventure.
► Fantasy: Lots of magic and supernatural stuff going on here. Fantasy as the word suggests is something that is way out of the ordinary and beyond what one would expect or imagine. There is also a large use of mythical elements in these novels. Some of the common features of such fantastical works are talking animals, magical powers, and a larger than life setup. Long story short, fantasy is in fact all about make-believe.
► Mystery or Thrillers: Even though these two genres aren't the same, they could be spoken of as closely related. Take a look at what each of them is about.More often than not, mystery novels are about a detective solving a case, which normally gets solved by the time the novel seems to be coming to a close. These books are based on a logical way of thinking, they tend to make sense, keeping the reader interested. Thrillers on the other hand are always about heroes, and villains, about good guys and bad guys. It also involves a lot of action, lots of suspense, is fast paced, and is just very stimulating on the whole. Thrillers can be either crime thrillers (revenge, kidnapping, etc.) or sometimes even psychological works (obsessions, stalking, etc.).
Nonfiction
The next major popular genre is that of nonfiction books. The absolute opposite of fiction, this form of literature is more often than not, based on facts. This genre is made up of fewer components than fiction, as most literary works are graded as fiction. The most common kinds of writing that make up this part of literature are books such as biographies and autobiographies, encyclopedias, almanacs, and dictionaries.
► Biographies: in the simplest of words, a biography is a detailed account of someone's life. Needless to say, the person being written about is a popular public figure (actors, politicians). These books are always based on the facts of a person's life, and there is absolutely nothing fictional about them. Biographies give an exhaustive idea about the persons life, and all that has been significant, both on a personal and professional front.
► Autobiographies: as opposed to biographies which are a detailed account of someone's life, but written by another person, an autobiography is a personal write up about one's own life. It is always a true story about a person's life, and it gives the reader a detailed look into the author's life.
► Encyclopedias: before the advent of the Internet, these were sources of information. When in doubt, everybody referred to an encyclopedia. Providing very detailed information on practically any subject that one would need, encyclopedias were the one stop for all kinds of information. Very evidently since these books are about providing facts, there is nothing make-believe in them. Encyclopedias could vary from being either general ones, or some even for one specific subject. These days what has also become extremely popular are online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia.
Upon a close look, there are also genres such as fables, folk literature, poetry, drama, picture books, fairy-tales etc., (the latter few being amongst the more popular of the various book categories for children). For the most part of it, we've always been aware of the various genres that literature has been made up of, but not all of us have necessarily had the chance to explore them in depth. It also goes without saying that everyone of us has our favorite authors and genres, but don't hesitate every once in a while to get experimental and try reading something that you probably wouldn't read otherwise [4].
2. Practical part
To research this topic I asked 47 students in the 7th forms, it’s 100 percent [Application 1].
According to the survey most families like reading. They are 87%. Most teenagers like reading too. They are 81%. Besides, students, who enjoy reading are from reading families. 5% of respondents spend more 5 hours a week reading books. 30% read 3-4 hours a week. Most teens read 1-2 hours a week. They are 65% [Application 3].
Respondents prefer reading adventure stories, it’s about 36%. The second place is for detective, 21% of students. 9% of teens like horror. 6% of students like novels. 5% of readers enjoy comedies, science fiction, historical stories and biographies. 4 % of respondents are fond of thrillers, 2% of teens like fairy tales, other stories. Nobody likes poetry [Application 4].
As to favourite writers, students prefer reading books by foreign authors: Joanne Rowling, Anna McCaffrey, John Green, Mark Twain, Jack London, Arkady Fiedler and Arthur Conan Doyle. Russian authors are less popular: Nikolai Gogol, Tamara Kryukova, Max Frei and Ekaterina Vilmont. I’m surprised to know that students are interested in books for adults written by Stephen King, James Hadley Chase and Darya Dontsova. I think, teens shouldn’t read such kind of literature, because it can influence negatively on the teenagers’ values and character.
Conclusion
To sum, our hypothesis has been proved. So we can say that reading is popular with teenagers and if parents like reading, their children like reading too. Personal example is important for growing generation.
Teenagers prefer reading adventure stories, detective, novels, comedies, science fiction, historical stories and biographies. Nobody likes poetry.
As to favourite writers, students prefer reading books by foreign authors: Joanne Rowling, Anna McCaffrey, John Green, Mark Twain, Jack London, Arkady Fiedler and Arthur Conan Doyle. Russian authors are less popular: Nikolai Gogol, Tamara Kryukova, Max Frei and Ekaterina Vilmont. I’m surprised to know that students are interested in books for adults written by Stephen King, James Hadley Chase and Darya Doncova.I think, teens shouldn’t read such kind of literature, because books teach us to recognize what is right and what is wrong, they play a great role in forming our life values and characters. Everything has its time.
In conclusion I could say thatI’m happy to know that teens read and like doing it. As to others 19% of students who don’t like reading, I am sure, if they think reading is boring, they’re doing it wrong.
The list of the literature
Types of literature – Режим доступа: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-literature.htmlLiterature – Режим доступа: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LiteratureLiterature – Режим доступа: http://ardictionary.com/Literature/3778Types of literature – Режим доступа: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-book-genres.htmApplication 1
Questionnaire
1. Does your family like reading?
yes no
2. Do you like reading?
yes no
↓ Thank you!
3. How many hours a day do you read?
a)1-2 b)3-4 c)more 5
4. What kind of books do you prefer reading?
а) novels b) thrillers c) detective
d) adventure stories e) historical stories f) biographies
g) horror h) poetry i) fairy tales
j) stories k) comedies l) science fiction
5. Favourite writer
________________________
Thank you!
Application 2
Results of the survey
47 students – 100%
1. Does your family like reading?
Yes (41 students - 87%)
No (6 students - 13%)
2. Do you like reading?
Yes (38 students – 81%)
No (9 students – 19%)
3. How many hours a day do you read?
a)1-2(31 students - 65%)
b)3-4(14 students - 30%)
c)more 5 (2 students - 5%)
4. What kind of books do you prefer reading?
а) novels (3 students - 6%)
b) thrillers (2 students - 5%)
c) detective (10 students - 21%)
d) adventure stories (17 students - 35%)
e) historical stories (2 students - 5%)
f) biographies (2 students - 5%)
g) horror (5 students - 9%)
h) poetry (0%)
i) fairy tales (1 student - 2%)
j) stories (1 student - 2%)
k) comedies (2 students - 5%)
l) science fiction (2 students - 5%)
5. Favourite writers:
Joanne Rowling, Anna McCaffrey, John Green, Mark Twain, Jack London, Arkady Fiedler, Arthur Conan Doyle, Nikolai Gogol, Tamara Kryukova, Max Frei, Ekaterina Vilmont, Stephen King, James Hadley Chase, Darya Dontsova.
Application 3