Middle schoolers’ book selection and reasons for discontinuing reading

Abstract

In this qualitative research we employed the case study method to identify the factors that affect Turkish fifth to eight graders’ selection of books to read and the reasons that cause them to stop reading the books they have selected. To identify those factors and reasons, data were collected from a total of 32 participating students who were selected using stratified purposive sampling. A group was formed for each grade. Each grade group included 8 students who borrowed books from public libraries and voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were interviewed using open-ended questions. Interviews revealed that in selecting books to read, the students considered theme, genre, and structural features such as title, cover design, author, publisher, and recommendations made by peers, teachers, and family members as criteria. The students also stated that the events and themes in the books, language features, font size, insufficient time to read, and the library’s requirement to return a book in 15 days were the reasons to give up reading a selected book.

Full text

South African Journal of Education, Volume 43, Number 2, May 2023 1
Art. #2076, 13 pages, https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v43n2a2076
Middle schoolers’ book selection and reasons for discontinuing reading
Halit Karatay and Kadir Vefa Tezel
Department of Turkish, Faculty of Education, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bolu, Türkiye
halitkaratay@gmail.com
Ahmet Demirel
Department of Turkish, Faculty of Education, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş University, Nevşehir, Türkiye
In this qualitative research we employed the case study method to identify the factors that affect Turkish fifth to eight
graders’ selection of books to read and the reasons that cause them to stop reading the books they have selected. To identify
those factors and reasons, data were collected from a total of 32 participating students who were selected using stratified
purposive sampling. A group was formed for each grade. Each grade group included 8 students who borrowed books from
public libraries and voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were interviewed using open-ended questions.
Interviews revealed that in selecting books to read, the students considered theme, genre, and structural features such as title,
cover design, author, publisher, and recommendations made by peers, teachers, and family members as criteria. The students
also stated that the events and themes in the books, language features, font size, insufficient time to read, and the library’s
requirement to return a book in 15 days were the reasons to give up reading a selected book.
Keywords: factors that affect book selection; reading habit; reading motivation; reasons for discontinuing reading a book
Introduction
Reading is an activity that individuals of all ages do for different reasons such as “information, restoration,
inspiration, and enjoyment” (Hiebert, 2009:xii). Acquiring the reading habit is especially important for students
as it enables them to develop metacognitive strategies that help them become good comprehenders in their
courses (Brown, 1980; Pressley, 1998), develop communication skills necessary for social life and recognize
good character traits as human beings (Karatay, 2018b; Narvaez, 2002; O’Sullivan, 2004). Therefore, improving
students’ reading skills is among the main goals of educators.
Reading habits as an area of investigation has attracted the attention of researchers and educators. Families,
schools, and libraries play an important role in people’s acquisition and development of the reading habit (Ateş,
Çetinkaya & Yıldırım, 2012; Clark, 2010; Oriogu, 2015; Wicks, 1995; Yılmaz, 2004; Zickuhr, Rainie, Purcell,
Madden & Brenner, 2012). Numerous studies have been conducted on the reading habits of individuals at
different age levels (Aksaçlıoğlu & Yılmaz, 2007; Clark & Foster; 2005; Hopper, 2005; Loh, Sun & Majid,
2020; Majid & Tan, 2007; Mohr, 2006; Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995; Oriogu, 2015; Rimensberger, 2014;
Sangkaeo, 1999; Shen, 2006; Summers, 2013; Tella & Akande, 2007; Wicks, 1995; Zickuhr et al., 2012).
Students’ reading habits and interests in reading have also been investigated (Clark & Rumbold, 2006; Doiron,
2003; Harris, 2008; Moss & Hendershot, 2002; Schraw, Flowerday & Reisetter, 1998). Among those, the
studies that focus on the reading habits of school children describe the genres that students prefer, the books
they enjoy reading and their daily and weekly reading frequency and duration (Aksoy, 2014; Balcı, 2009;
Bouknight, 2016; Devrimci, 1993; Dökmen, 1990; Hanedar, 2011; McKenna, Conradi, Lawrence, Jang &
Meyer, 2012; Mete, 2012; Odabaş, Odabaş & Polat, 2008; Owusu-Acheaw & Larson, 2014; Suna, 2006; Tanju,
2010).
Gender and its role in shaping students’ reading habits and preferences have also been investigated.
Vostrovsky (1899) found differences between boys and girls aged 9 to 19 in terms of their preferences and the
selection of books to read: girls mostly preferred books that reflected the characters’ inner worlds and boys liked
adventure books. In his study on the reading habits and book choices of children aged 13 to 15, Wicks (1995)
found that almost all children enjoyed reading fiction. He also found that children preferred to read the blurbs on
book covers, paid attention to genres, authors, and preferred to read books in the humour, fantasy, and horror
genres. The results of that study also show that the majority of boys did reading only before going to sleep
whereas girls did reading at different times.
Another factor that affects the reading habit is age. Karatay (2018b) reports that students aged 7 to 12 read
books with family, nature, and animal themes, and chose to read books in the adventure, humour, travel, and
fantasy genres. He states that there appeared to be no difference between boys and girls in terms of the themes
and genres in the books they read. He adds that students aged 12 to 15 from both genders continued to read
books in those four genres; girls also chose to read books with love as theme, and boys preferred books with
history, heroism, and suspense as themes.
The factors that positively and negatively contribute to the development of the reading habit are clear from
the available literature. Among the negative factors, low income emerges as the primary factor that hinders
students from developing the reading habit as their economic status plays an important role in their access to

2 Karatay, Tezel, Demirel
books and the development of the reading habit.
Ogunrombi and Adio (1995) found that low family
income, which forced students to work to earn
money, and illiterate parents were the main factors
that prevented students from developing the
reading habit. They also reported that as the
students did not have the economic means to access
and read different genres of books such as novels,
stories, and poetry, they only had course books to
read. This finding is supported by other studies that
show that socio-economic factors affect the
development of the reading habit (McKool, 2007;
Oguz, Yıldız & Hayırsever, 2009; Osunrinade,
2018; Şahin, 2009; Schramm & White, 1949).
Other factors that negatively affect the
development of the reading habit are playing
computer games and watching television
(Aksaçlıoğlu & Yılmaz, 2007; Igbokwe, Obidike &
Ezeji, 2012; Majid & Tan, 2007; Mokhtari,
Reichard & Gardner, 2009; Neuman, 1988).
The features of the books that the students
choose to read are among the positive factors that
help them develop the reading habit. Hopper
(2005), on the reading behaviour and book choices
of students aged 11 to 15, found that students’ prior
knowledge about a book or its author, the book’s
appearance, and recommendations about a book
were factors that maintained their interest in
reading. The results of that study also show that
movies or digital media advertisements about the
kinds of books that students liked to read and books
that were favoured and read by their peers guided
book choices and contributed to the development of
reading habits. Mohr (2006) also identified the
factors that positively affected the book choices by
first graders, namely, theme, text features, book
genre, and students’ social connections. The author
also reported that text type, pictures, front cover,
title, difficulty level, and social values were factors
that influenced students’ selecting of books to read.
The available literature shows that genre and
theme are factors that positively affect the
development of the reading habit, and these factors
reinforce the reading habit and contribute to its
becoming robust. Majid and Tan (2007) determined
that the most preferred genres by students in the
fourth to sixth grade were stories, comics, and
magazines. In their study, theme emerged as
another factor that positively affected book
selection; students mostly preferred books with
adventure, mystery, crime, and humour as themes.
The students also stated that they did reading to
achieve higher grades on tests and exams, improve
their language skills, learn new information, relax,
and do homework and projects.
The sources that students used to obtain books
and their effects on the students’ reading habits are
other areas of investigation; Tella and Akande
(2007) report that sixth and seventh graders
obtained books mostly from libraries, teachers,
families, and peers. Children also choose public
libraries and bookstores when selecting other kinds
of reading materials (Majid & Tan, 2007).
Vostrovsky (1899) found that children viewed
libraries mainly as sources of storybooks and
borrowed scholarly books to do homework
assignments. Some recent studies such as Özden
(2017) also report that students perceive libraries
not only as sources of books but also as
environments to establish and foster friendships.
The studies that focus on the reading habits of
school children describe the genres they choose to
read, the books they enjoy reading and their daily
and weekly reading frequency and duration
(Aksoy, 2014; Balcı, 2009; Bouknight, 2016;
Devrimci, 1993; Dökmen, 1990; Hanedar, 2011;
McKenna et al., 2012; Mete, 2012; Odabaş et al.,
2008; Owusu-Acheaw & Larson, 2014; Suna,
2006; Tanju, 2010). Although students’ reading
habits have been investigated in many studies, no
studies have been done about the books that middle
school students choose and the reasons why they
gave up reading those books.
Theoretical Framework
Several theories are relevant for the scope of this
research. The first focuses on book selection by
children and the second dwells on readers’
responses to the books they read. Children’s
choosing their own reading materials is discussed
in Olson’s theory of child development (Kragler &
Nolley, 1996). W Olson (1959:402) states that
children are “self-seeking, self-selecting, self-
pacing organisms.” Allowing children to choose
reading materials themselves motivates them to
read, allowing them to gain an interest in reading
and develop reading habits (Harms & Lettow,
1986; Moeller & Moeller, 2007). When someone
else chooses the books for children, the books often
do not appeal to their interests (Arizpe & Styles,
2011). Yokota (2011) states that the books that
children choose to read differ from those chosen for
them by adults. However, adults with enough
knowledge of children’s preferences help children
choose books that appeal to them. Therefore,
students need the help of teachers who are
knowledgeable about their areas of interest when
choosing books (Wise, 2007).
The second theory is Rosenblatt’s (1978)
reader-response theory, which emphasises the
relationship between the reader and the text and
focuses on the role of the reader’s experiences in
constructing meaning. According to Rosenblatt
(2016), readers’ personal interests, wishes, and
experiences are important in creating meaning. The
reader-response theory is, thus, predominantly
reader-oriented (Woodruff & Griffin, 2017).
According to Rosenblatt (2016), readers respond to
texts in two ways. Davis (1992) describes them as

South African Journal of Education, Volume 43, Number 2, May 2023 3
stances “that the reader takes while reading” (p.
74). Rosenblatt (1978:27) explains that a reader
adopts one of these two stances and performs
activities in relation to the text s/he is reading. The
first one is efferent reading, which refers to the
reader’s taking the information given in a text. In
this type of reading, “the reader’s attention is
focused primarily on what will remain as residue
after the reading – the information to be acquired,
the logical solutions to a problem, and the actions
to be carried out” (Rosenblatt, 1978:23). The
second direction that a reader may follow is
aesthetic reading in which the reader’s primary
concern is “the associations, feelings, attitudes, and
ideas that these words and their referents arouse
within him” (Rosenblatt, 1978:25). Rosenblatt
(2016) states in the preface of her book that these
two stances are not opposites but are parts of a
continuum of possible transactions a person may
make with a text. According to different purposes,
readings of the same text may fall at different
points on the efferent-aesthetic continuum. Thus,
Rosenblatt (2013) characterises reading as a
process that starts with making a choice to select a
text that is believed to satisfy the reader’s
expectations, goals, and emotions. She adds that the
choices made by the reader affect the reading
process either positively or negatively. Social,
cultural, and economic environment, the structural
features of the book, its content, its author, and the
previous experiences of the reader may also be
influential in book selection. Factors such as the
title, which gives an idea about a book, the author,
the length of the book, language use, availability of
a summary, and the book’s genre also play a
significant role in children’s book selection
(Reuter, 2007). The socio-cultural environment
may also be effective in book selection (Reuter,
2007; Rosenblatt, 2016). Teachers can help their
students if they become aware of and realize the
students’ needs and concerns and how the students
shape their choices. This teacher knowledge may
be beneficial in terms of ensuring that the students
select the right books, which will result in
improving their reading habits (Rosenblatt, 2016).
Therefore, teachers’ investigating the factors that
affect children’s book selections, the reasons for
their giving up reading the chosen books, and
becoming informed about them may contribute to
their understanding of the reader’s behaviour in
aesthetic reading and improve their students’
reading habits by guiding them in the selection of
books.
Many researchers also theorise that when it
comes to independent reading, low motivation may
be due to the inability to choose the right book
(Krashen, 2004; Moeller & Moeller, 2007). In
various studies, physical features that affect book
selection have also been discussed (Kragler &
Nolley, 1996; Moss & Hendershot, 2002; Reuter,
2007; Swartz & Hendricks, 2000). In addition,
some studies have shown that readers’ age and
gender may also affect book selection (Boraks,
Hoffman & Bauer, 1997; Reuter, 2007; Simpson,
1996). While these studies show that book selection
is a complex process affected by many factors, they
also point out the importance of the reader’s
interests, experiences, and expectations as well as
the features of the book (Rosenblatt, 2013).
Purpose of the Study
In light of W Olson’s (1959) and Rosenblatt’s
(1978) theories, we aimed to obtain the
perspectives of students on the positive and
negative factors affecting the development of their
reading habits. Having knowledge on these issues
may help teachers, parents, and librarians guide the
development of the students’ reading habits in a
more informed way.
Research Method and Design
This study was qualitative by design and we
employed the case study method as it is used to
understand and describe an individual, group, or
culture (Akar, 2016; Büyüköztürk, Kiliç Çakmak,
Akgün, Karadeniz & Demirel, 2016; Karasar,
2012; Olson, K 2016; Türnüklü, 2000). Semi-
structured interviews were conducted, using eight
questions prepared by us and formulated based on
the studies outlined in the literature review and
theoretical framework sections. Six of those
questions were for reasons on book selection and
two were on discontinuing reading. Data were
collected from fifth to eight graders who used
public libraries to determine the factors that
affected their book selection and the reasons that
caused them to give up reading those books. Semi-
structured interviews were chosen as technique as it
allows researchers to get both fixed-option answers
and in-depth information on an area of interest
(Büyüköztürk et al., 2016; McIntosh & Morse,
2015). The interviews were conducted over a
period of 8 weeks.
Participants
Stratified purposive sampling was used in the
formation of the study group as it is preferred in
showing, describing, and making comparisons of
the characteristics of subgroups of interest
(Büyüköztürk et al., 2016). The study was
conducted with 32 students; 16 (50%) were male
(M), and 16 (50%) female (F). The participants
were evenly distributed in each of the four grade
groups, and each grade group consisted of eight
students. The research was conducted having
received the approval of the Ministry of National
Education Innovation and Educational
Technologies General Directorate dated 21 January
2020 and circular number 81576613-10.06.02-

4 Karatay, Tezel, Demirel
E.1563890 (2020/2). The demographics of the
study group are given in Table 1.
Table 1 Study group demographics
Grade
Gender
Age
n
5
5 (M), 3 (F)
11–12
8
6
4 (M), 4 (F)
12–13
8
7
3 (M), 5 (F)
13–14
8
8
4 (M), 4 (F)
14–15
8
Data Collection and Analysis
During the interviews, the students were asked
questions to identify the factors that influenced
their selection of books to read and to identify the
reasons that caused them to give up reading those
books. Relevant professional literature was
examined to formulate the questions. Initially, 13
open-ended questions were drafted. The questions
were reviewed by three field experts. Based on
expert opinion, some questions were reworded for
clarity. The final number of the interview questions
was reduced to 12 after piloting them on a similar
group.
The interviews were recorded and content
analysis was subsequently conducted. Content
analysis is used to study the trends and patterns in
documents (Stemler, 2001). Two field experts did
the content analysis. The students were identified
by a letter and number coding system to conceal
their identities as P1, P2, P3 in which P indicates
participant. The participants were then categorised
in terms of their grades as follows: fifth grade P1 to
P8, sixth grade P9 to P16, seventh grade P17 to
P24, and eighth grade P25 to P32.
Findings
Students’ Reasons for Book Selection
The analysis shows that six factors shaped the
students’ book selections. In terms of importance,
they were theme, genre, structural features, book
author, publisher and recommendations.
Theme
Theme appeared as the principal factor in book
selection and six themes emerged. The findings are
displayed in relation to gender and grade level.
Table 2 shows that the most preferred theme
selected by both genders was adventure. This was
followed by horror and detective themes, each of
which was preferred by one student from each
gender. Comedy was preferred by female students
with a low frequency of 2. The least preferred
theme by both genders was mystery which was
preferred by one female student. Three students
(two males and one female) stated that they
preferred reading books that had any of these five
themes. An interesting finding was that female
students selected all themes whereas male students
did not prefer comedy and mystery; their
preferences for horror and detective themes were
also significantly low with one selection for each.
Table 2 Theme selection by gender
Gender/Themes
1
Adventure
2
Horror
3
Comedy
4
Mystery
5
Detective
6
All themes
Male
12
1
-
-
1
2
Female
10
1
2
1
1
1
Total
22
2
2
1
2
3
In terms of grade levels, the results in Table 3
show that adventure was once again the most
preferred theme. Horror was indicated by only one
fifth and one seventh grader. This low frequency
was the same for comedy for sixth and eighth
graders. Mystery was preferred by only one sixth
grader. The detective theme was the second most
preferred theme for seventh graders with a
frequency of 2. Finally, three eighth graders
reported that they would select books in any of
those five themes.
Table 3 Theme selection by grade
Grade/Themes
1
Adventure
2
Horror
3
Comedy
4
Mystery
5
Detective
6
All themes
5
7
1
-
-
-
-
6
6
-
1
1
-
-
7
5
1
-
-
2
-
8
4
-
1
-
-
3
Total
22
2
2
1
2
3

South African Journal of Education, Volume 43, Number 2, May 2023 5
Table 4 presents the students’ preferred book
themes and reasons for the preference.
Table 4 Preferred themes and reasons
Themes
Reasons
1) Adventure
1) Fun (10 students)
2) Fluid (6 students)
3) Attractive (5 students)
2) Horror
1) Enjoyable (2 students)
3) Comedy
1) Fun (2 students)
4) Mystery
1) Enjoyable (1 student)
5) Detective
1) Enjoyable (2 students)
6) All themes
Two students
The analysis shows that students generally
paid attention to themes when they selected a book.
The most preferred theme was adventure. This was
followed by books with horror, mystery, detective
and comedy themes. As for the reasons for
selecting books with the adventure theme, the
students stated that they considered adventure
books to be more fun, interesting, easy to read, and
enjoyable. Variety in terms of themes increased as
the grade level increased. Eighth graders expressed
interest in horror, comedy, detective, and mystery
themes in addition to adventure. In the fifth grade,
the interest in the adventure theme was expressed
by seven students and the number dropped to six in
Grade 6, to five in the Grade 7 and to four in
Grade 8. Theme preferences varied as grade and
age varied. Students who preferred the comedy
theme explained that the theme was enjoyable.
Those who preferred the horror theme declared that
they enjoyed books with that theme. The analysis
shows that students preferred books with the
adventure theme more at early ages, but as they
aged, their interest shifted towards different
themes.
The students stated that, in selecting books to
read, they expected a theme to have the features
given in Table 5.
Table 5 Theme features that students considered
Theme features
1) personally interesting (2 students)
2) supported with visuals (2 students)
3) arousing interest (2 students)
4) informative and exciting (2 students)
5) related to real life (1 student)
The analysis shows that the students preferred
books that were personally appealing, aroused
interest, were informative and exciting, and
included real-life themes supported by visuals
which made the plot more explicit. They did not
prefer books with ambiguous themes.
Genre
Another principal factor for the selection of books
was genre. The students preferred three genres.
Table 6 shows that novel was the most preferred
genre by both genders. Story was second. Memoir
was selected by only one male student and no such
preference was reported by female students. A total
of three students (two males and one female)
reported that they would select any book in any of
these three genres.
Table 6 Genre selection by gender
Gender/Genre
1
Story
2
Novel
3
Memoir
4
All genres
Male
6
8
-
2
Female
4
10
1
1
Total
10
18
1
3
As seen in Table 7, novel was the most
preferred genre by students in all grades. Story was
second, followed by memoir selected by one
student only. A total of three students (one sixth
grader and two eighth graders) stated that they
would read any book in any of those genres.
Table 7 Genre selection by grade
Grade/Genre
1
Story
2
Novel
3
Memoir
4
All genres
5
3
4
1
-
6
4
3
-
1
7
1
7
-
-
8
2
4
-
2
Total
10
18
1
3
The students’ genre preferences and reasons
for selection are provided in Table 8.
Table 8 Genres preferred and reasons
Genre
Reasons
1) Novel
1) Narrates events better and is
interesting (4 students)
2) Eventful and realistic (6 students)
3) Exciting (6 students)
2) Story
1) Easier to understand and fun (7
students)
2) Eventful and didactic (3 students)
3) Shorter and takes less time to
finish reading (2 students)
3) Memoir
1) Realistic and interesting (2
students)
4) All
genres
Three students
The analysis reveals that the students mostly
considered the genres and that novel and story were
the most preferred genres. The analysis also shows
that fifth and sixth graders’ preference rates of
stories and novels were almost the same. In
Grades 7 and 8, novel which is more voluminous
than story, was the preferred genre. Fifth and sixth
graders preferred stories as they considered them to
be more understandable, more logical, more fun,
shorter, and didactic. Seventh and eighth graders
stated that novel was their preferred genre and
explained that it was more explanatory,
informative, realistic, and attractive.

6 Karatay, Tezel, Demirel
Structural features
The students paid attention to the internal and
external structural features of books when they
selected them: they considered pictures, colours,
information on the book spine, cover design, font
size, and title when they selected books. In terms of
priority, the students considered title, cover, theme,
pictures, and colours respectively. They stated that
titles helped them understand the content and that
they wanted the title to be eye-catching, exciting,
and intriguing. Most of the students expressed that
they attached importance to the colours on the
cover, the pictures, the blurb on the back cover, and
the covers being new. They also stated that the
books should not be too long in order for them to
finish the books within the loan period imposed by
libraries. In addition, some students remarked that
they did not want to read just one very long story
and that they instead wanted several short stories
that were independent of each other. Based on
these findings, it may be said that reading long
stories appeared to be tedious for children because
it required a longer period of time and more effort.
It may also be concluded that the students
considered reading short stories of three to four
page more fun than long stories.
Another feature that the students considered
was pictures. The majority of the students did not
want the number of pictures to be too few or too
many. Fifth to eighth graders stated that too many
pictures in a book meant that the book was written
for young children, and that they considered a book
boring when there were very few pictures in it.
The students also considered font type and
size as important. They stated that, for a book to be
read with ease, the typeface should neither be too
small nor too big and that an average typeface size
should be used. Fifth and sixth graders also
mentioned that they preferred books printed in
coloured fonts; seventh and eighth graders did not
express such a preference. These findings show that
adult reader characteristics begin to appear at
around Grade 7.
Another feature that the students considered
was the colours used on the cover and the interior
of the book. Almost 50% of the students stated that
they paid attention to the colours used in the layout
of a book. They expressed that when the colours
used in the design of books were noticeable,
vibrant, and matched each other, it made reading
them more enjoyable. The structural features that
students considered are summarised in Table 9.
Table 9 Structural features considered in selecting
books and reasons
Book features
Reasons
1) Pictures
1) Make the book fun (6 students)
2) Not too many nor too few (7
students)
3) Attract attention at first glance (8
students)
4) Related to plot (3 students)
2) Colours
1) Warm colours (4 students)
2) Vibrant colours (4 students)
3) Attract attention at first glance (3
students)
4) Colourful front cover (5
students)
3) Book
spine
1) Information about the book (3
students)
2) Information at first glance (3
students)
4) Cover
design
1) Colourful cover design (5
students)
2) Attention getting visuals on
cover (5 students)
3) Information on back cover -
blurb (4 students)
4) Attention attracting cover (8
students)
5) Font
features
1) Legible fonts (3 students)
2) Not too big nor too small font
size (2 students)
3) Colourful fonts (2 students)
4) Plain fonts (3 students)
6) Book
length
1) Not too long nor too short (9
students)
2) Readable within a 15-day loan
period (2 students)
7) Title
1) Content related (2 students)
2) Eye-catching and exciting (7
students)
3) Arousing interest (1 student)
4) First thing to look at (4 students)
Author
Twenty-three students stated that the author was
not a priority in selection because they either did
not consider authors to be important or did not have
any knowledge about them. It may thus be deduced
that as the students did not have sufficient
experience in reading, they did not have an interest
in any particular author. On the other hand, eight
students stated that as there were authors they knew
and liked, they primarily looked for books by those
authors. They also considered authors
recommended by teachers and their peers. The
findings show that the students’ familiarity with
authors and the recommendations of their teachers

South African Journal of Education, Volume 43, Number 2, May 2023 7
and peers were influential in the selection of books.
The students’ considerations regarding author are
presented in Table 10.
Table 10 Students’ consideration of authors and
reasons
Preference
Reasons
Author
considered
1) author matters (3 students)
2) well-known, popular authors
(5 students)
Author not
considered
1) having limited knowledge (2
students)
2) author unimportant (21
students)
Publisher
Twenty-one students reported that they did not
consider the publisher important when selecting
books. They explained that they did not pay much
attention to publishers because they either did not
consider publishers important or did not have
sufficient knowledge about them. Only three
students stated that they paid attention to publishers
because of their teachers’ recommendations. Thus,
it may be said that either publishers did not matter
much to the students or they were not informed
about publishers. Some students also did not even
know the meaning of the word “publisher.” The
students’ views about publishers are given in
Table 11.
Table 11 Students’ consideration of publishers and
reasons
Preference
Reasons
Publisher
considered
1) Publisher important (3 students)
Publisher not
considered
1) Publisher unimportant (9 students)
2) Having limited knowledge (8
students)
3) Meaning of the word “publisher”
unknown (4 students)
Recommendations made by others
Twenty five students stated that they considered the
recommendations made by family members,
teachers, and peers when selecting a book. They
added that if they, their peers or family members
watched a movie based on a book, this would lead
to them selecting it. Seven students expressed that
they made book selection decisions on their own
and did not seek any advice. The findings are
presented in Table 12.
Table 12 Recommendations made about book
selection
Recommendations/Grade
5
6
7
8
1) Teachers
-
1
2
4
2) Family members
5
3
4
-
3) Peers
-
-
2
4
4) No recommendation
3
4
-
-
Total
8
8
8
8
Students’ Reasons to Stop Reading a Book
From the analysis six factors appeared as reasons
why students stopped reading the books selected.
They were events and theme, language features,
font size, book length, insufficient amount of time
resulting from too much homework and the
obligation to return the book. The most important
factor was events and theme because when they did
not appeal to the students, they stopped reading.
The students wanted a book to have a clear style
and comprehensible language features. They stated
that the font size should not be too small and the
books should not have too many pages. One of the
reasons why students stopped reading was that they
sometimes did not have enough time to finish a
book as a result of too much homework. They also
stated that they were obliged to return those books
to the library in 15 days. In other words, loan
periods imposed by libraries was one of the reasons
why they stopped reading. The students’ reasons
for giving up on a book are given in Table 13.
Table 13 Students’ reasons for stopping to read and
explanations
Reasons
Explanations
1) Events and
themes
1) Uninteresting and not
arousing curiosity (6
students)
2) Unappealing events and
characters (2 students)
2) Language
features
1) Unclear style (4 students)
2) Complex sentence
structures (3 students)
3) Font size
1) Too big or too small (3
students)
4) Book length
1) Too many or too few pages
(3 students)
5) Insufficient
time
1) Too much homework (4
students)
2) Social media and computer
games (5 students)
6) Book return
policy
1) Returning book to teacher
(2 students)
2) Returning book to library in
15 days (2 students)
Discussion and Conclusion
With this study we identified the factors that
affected students’ selection of books to read and the
reasons why they stopped reading them. The results
show that theme was an important factor in book
selection and that the students preferred themes that
were personally appealing, arousing interest,
informative, exciting, related to real life, and were
supported by visuals to make the plot more explicit.
The students preferred adventure books as they
considered them as fun, easy to read, and attractive.
This preference was expressed by both male and
female students in all grades. This was followed by
horror, comedy, and detective themes as the
students considered them enjoyable. The least

8 Karatay, Tezel, Demirel
preferred theme by both genders was mystery. Only
eighth graders stated that they would select books
in any of those five themes. The students generally
enjoyed reading adventure books; this is in
accordance with the finding that almost all children
enjoyed reading fiction (Dilidüzgün, 2018;
Karatay, 2018a; Sever, 2012; Wicks, 1995). These
themes allow students to have new experiences,
enrich their already gained experiences, become
aware of new places, and learn about different
cultures and people. The students also stated that
they stopped reading a book when they realised that
it had an ambiguous theme. This supports the
theories of researchers who argue that children’s
motivation may decrease when they cannot choose
the books to read that are appropriate to their
interests and ages (Krashen, 2004; Moeller &
Moeller, 2007), and those who point out that book-
related features such as theme and topic are
effective in children’s book selection (Reuter,
2007; Rosenblatt, 2016).
The second factor the students took into
consideration was genre. The students preferred
books in the novel genre the most because,
according to them, the novel genre was eventful,
realistic, exciting, interesting, and narrated the
events better. The second most preferred genre was
story because students found storybooks easier to
understand, and, as they were shorter in length and
it took less time to read. The students stated that
they found storybooks eventful, didactic, and fun.
The other preferred genre was memoir as it was
considered realistic and interesting. Only some
eighth graders expressed that they would select
books in any of these three genres. It may be
concluded that as the students’ reading experiences
increased and their age and class levels progressed,
theme and genre did not exert much influence on
their book selection. While these findings support
those of researchers who argue that genre is
effective in book selection (Ateş et al., 2012;
Reuter, 2007; Rosenblatt, 2016; Wicks, 1995), they
also point out that genre preferences can expand as
reading experience, age, and grade levels increase.
Structural features were also among the major
factors that affected book selection. The students
primarily considered the title, cover, and pictures in
a book. The title of the book helped them to
understand the theme and raised their interest. The
students also considered the clear visibility of the
title on the book spine important. Clearly printed
titles on the book spine made it easy for them to
read even from a distance regardless of whether a
book was standing vertically or horizontally on a
shelf. Book cover and its design were especially
important for students who came to the library
without a certain book in mind. Those students
stated that they paid attention primarily to the cover
design. This is in line with Ateş et al. (2012) who
report that students initially paid attention to the
cover design of a book and secondarily to its theme
and genre. Although the findings support the
researchers (Kragler & Nolley, 1996; Moss &
Hendershot, 2002; Reuter, 2007; Swartz &
Hendricks, 2000) who point out the importance of
the structural features of the book in book
selection, they emphasise that what attracts
children’s attention directly at first encounter with
a book is its cover, title, and the pictures in the
book and they point out that those have a
determining effect on children’s preferences.
In selecting books to read, fifth and sixth
graders stated that the cover design of a book,
colours used on the cover and inside, pictures on
the cover, the blurb on the back cover and cover
being new were the structural features that made a
book appealing. As for colours, the use of different
colours made books more interesting for fifth and
sixth graders. For seventh and eighth graders the
colours used in a book’s design were no longer
considered a priority, and the proportions of the
pictures to the text were considered more
important. In previous studies on the issue, experts
(Dilidüzgün, 2018; Kara, 2012; Karatay, 2018a;
Sever, 2012; Wigfield, Gladstone & Turci, 2016)
state that pictures in children’s books should be
related to the theme and plot and bring coherence
and cohesion to the page layout. Well-designed
books that include these features motivate children,
attract their attention, and support their efforts to
develop the reading habit (Kara, 2012; Karatay,
2018a; Sever, 2012).
Another structural feature that affected book
selection was font size. The students stated that
they did not want books with too big or too small
fonts. Large font sizes created the impression that
the book was written for young children, and when
the font size was too small, legibility became a
major problem. This supports studies that suggest
that books’ physical features play a role in the
selection thereof (Kragler & Nolley, 1996; Moss &
Hendershot, 2002; Reuter, 2007; Swartz &
Hendricks, 2000).
In terms of length, students preferred books
that contained neither too many nor too few pages.
Reuter (2007) concludes that book length was an
important factor in children’s book selection and
that children looked for reading materials that were
of adequate length for themselves. Thick books, in
particular, negatively affected their desire to read.
The library requirement to return books in 15 days
and students having too much homework were
other factors that prevented the reading of the
selected books in their entirety. The students stated
that this requirement put strain on them as they felt
pressed for time. Some students stated that, instead
of reading long books, they considered reading
books that had shorter, interrelated sections or
stories because such books would be easier to read
and more enjoyable.

South African Journal of Education, Volume 43, Number 2, May 2023 9
As for the significance of the authors, the
students expressed that they generally did not
consider authors when selecting books. This
finding contradicts the theories of researchers who
point out the influence of authors on the choice of
books (Reuter, 2007; Rosenblatt, 2016). This
finding stems from the fact that middle schoolers
did not know much about authors and focused more
on the inner and outer features of a book rather than
its author. Those who took authors into
consideration did so when their teachers or
someone in their family guided them. Similarly, the
students generally did not take publishers into
consideration when choosing books. The reason for
this behaviour is that they did not know the
meaning of the word “publisher.” Those who
considered the publisher did so when their teachers
guided them in that regard. All these point to the
importance of teacher guidance in gaining interest
in reading and developing the habit, as pointed out
by Rosenblatt (2016).
Recommendations made by others also played
a significant role in book selection. The majority of
the students stated that they took the
recommendations made by family members,
teachers, and peers into consideration. Rosenblatt
(2016) also emphasises the impact of an
individual’s social and cultural environment on
their reading preferences. It is known that students
who live in social environments in which reading is
valued, develop the reading habit and have higher
motivation to read (Huang, Capps, Blacklock &
Garza, 2014). Students are highly influenced by
teachers and peers when choosing books (Kragler
& Nolley, 1996) and if they live in a nurturing
social environment and are consciously guided by
teachers and parents, they acquire the reading habit
(Ateş et al., 2012). If they do not live in such an
environment, they do not develop an interest in
reading and do not develop the reading habit – even
if their families and teachers may so desire (Can,
Türkyılmaz & Karadeniz, 2010). Finally, the
interviews showed that in selecting books to read,
having watched a movie based on a book and the
book being a part of a book series were also
influential factors. These results confirm
Rosenblatt’s (1978) theory and point out that
personal experiences and interests, desires, and
expectations are predominantly effective in
children’s book selection.
As for their reasons to stop reading a book,
the students stated that they stopped reading
primarily due to the themes or events not being
interesting. Language features of a book, its length,
excessively large or small font sizes, insufficient
time, and the 15-day book return policy of libraries
were factors that caused the students to stop
reading a book. In addition, social media and
playing computer games also played a negative role
in the development of the reading habit (McGeown,
Duncan, Griffiths & Stothard, 2015). Caution
should be exercised at this point as research
(Owusu-Acheaw, 2016) shows that the time spent
on social media adversely affects students’ reading
habits.
The results of this study show that four of the
six factors that appeared to have a role in students’
book selection, namely, theme, genre, structural
features, and recommendations played significant
roles. The other two factors – author and publisher
– did not play a decisive role in the process. The
recommendations made by family members,
teachers, and peers were also influential in
students’ book choices. The support and guidance
provided by teachers and families were important
for the students to be able to choose age and
grade-appropriate quality books and to create
reading environments – something that should
continue until the students are able to select books
on their own (Caperna, 2007) and have developed a
strong reading habit.
The interviews also showed that six factors
caused the students to stop reading a book: events
and theme, language features, font size, book
length, insufficient time, and book return policy.
These factors appeared to hamper the development
of the reading habit in students. The first four
factors indicate the importance of satisfying
expectations as the lack of those may result in the
interruption of the reading process (Rosenblatt,
2013). The other two factors, insufficient time (a
result of too much homework) and the libraries’
15-day book return policy also contributed to
students stopping reading the books they had
selected.
We trust that the findings of this study will be
of practical value to teachers and parents who wish
to instil robust and sustainable reading habits in
their students and children.
Authors’ Contributions
All authors participated equally in all phases of the
research study, data analysis, and writing of the
manuscript.
Notes
i. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
ii. DATES: Received: 16 June 2020; Revised: 20 May 2022;
Accepted: 15 November 2022; Published: 31 May 2023.
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