ABBY PURSH

Abstract:

Controversial topics in young adult literature remain a key point of contention in the educational setting, resulting in book challenges. This study aimed to find to what extent X County high school students were comfortable with reading and discussing topics frequently used to challenge young adult literature in the English classroom, and utilized a small, nonrandom sample. A survey with 86 respondents, along with interviews of 9 participants, was used to determine comfort levels. It was found that students were overall comfortable with challenged topics in literature. Interviews revealed certain comfortable and uncomfortable conditions with regards to educational value of discussion and use of a novel, the role of the teacher, classroom environment and discussion setup, navigating the text, and challenged novels. These findings shed light on what and how high school students are comfortable with reading and discussing, and future research may further explore student voices regarding controversy in the ELA class.