Students in the secondary English classroom have varying degrees of choice when it comes to selecting what literature titles (novels and plays) they will read. Allowing students to have more choice in what they read results in several positives, including more reading and better reading as evidenced by higher reading test scores.
Several national studies reveal that the reading skills of secondary students are alarmingly low. In addition, surveys of adolescents\u27 reading habits indicate that they are reading less. This has led to critics claiming that our nation faces a reading crisis among adolescents. Offering students more choice in what they read in school is an important first step in reversing this downward trend.
When teachers select literature titles, they generally select from the long-established Western canon that has dominated secondary classrooms for nearly half a century. These titles are often difficult for adolescents to enjoy and understand due to a lack of perceived personal relevance. When students have the ability to choose for themselves, they search for titles that have relevance in their lives.
A survey of teachers in the suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area reveals that the most commonly taught titles remain nearly identical to the titles taught in previous comprehensive studies from 1989 and 1963. Little has changed between what students were asked to read fifty years ago and today.
A survey of students at River Hills (a pseudonym), a suburban high school northwest of Minneapolis, suggests that students like to be able to choose what they read in class. Students commented that they would probably read more and like English class better if they were allowed to choose their own titles
