Abstract
College students are sometimes reluctant to purchase textbooks for various reasons, but they still must study the necessary content in a course or academic program. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project examined college students’ perceptions of reading middle-grade novels in place of a traditional, formal textbook within an Adolescent Development course. All participants were part of a teacher education program at a four-year, public institution in the Midwest United States. Questionnaires were administered at the conclusion of two semesters, and respondents shared impressions about the middle-grade reading. Response to studying middle-grade novels instead of a textbook was highly favorable with nearly all participants stating they enjoyed the middle-grade reading and found it easier and more refreshing than other reading tasks. Analysis of written comments reflected that the middle-grade books also allowed the college students to explore implications of physical and intellectual development, as well as cultural differences, family and peer relationships, and other circumstances experienced by adolescent learners. Being invited to read current middle-grade books also gave future teachers ideas for literature to use in their own classrooms and allowed them to revisit a joy of books intended for younger audiences.
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Recommended Citation
Sackreiter, Heidi A.
(2026)
"Better than a boring textbook: Studying Development Through Middle-Grade Literature,"
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning:
Vol. 20:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2026.200106