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Identifier	Thesis 1614
Author	Dudko, Robert
Title	The study of female role models in adolescent literature / Robert Dudko
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date	2000
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Notes	This study was designed to assess the current and past state of female role models in young adolescent literature. Going on the assumption that there was indeed a shortage of strong, independent female protagonists in youth literature, the author set out to explore what constitutes a quality character that both boy and girl readers could enjoy and identify with. A review of the current literature on the subject confirmed the shortage of quality female main characters in young adolescent fiction. More often than not, research showed, female characters are portrayed as dependent on male characters or overly concerned with stereotypical themes such as romance and selfimage. While research noted that there has been a gradual shift in recent years to more quality characters, the need for what one researcher referred to as spunky girl characters remains, especially for minority and ethnic characters. Researchers called for more coming-of-age female characters equipped with the maturity and knowledge to solve complex life problems on their own. Characters should show growth and change throughout a work of fiction; employ humor, strength and smarts in problem solving; have healthy relationships with other characters; and provide a voice for those often not heard from in young adolescent literature. With this in mind, the author of this study wrote a seven-chapter, 62-page excerpt from the yet-completed novel, Sisters of the River. The author molded his 12- year-old character with the above criteria in mind that researchers have identified as key. The author designed a 12-question attitudinal survey to measure both generic questions about gender and literature preferences and specific questions about the novel Sisters of the River and its main character. The survey was administered to 23 fifth grade students (13 girls and 10 boys) after the author had read the novel's excerpt to them. The survey was limited by the small number of children queried; the fact that the author of the novel was the children's regular classroom teacher; and that the children were assessing a novel in which they did not know the outcome. The survey's sample population was all white, suburban and mostly middle class. Findings were slightly surprising, and yet, typical. With generic questions about gender and literature preferences, girls tended to show more flexibility than boys. Questions or statements aimed at the novel and its main character showed some flexibility on the boys' part. For example, given the chance to change the gender of the main character, the boys chose not to. Both boys and girls equally said they would recommend the novel to a friend. But boys did tend to disagree that they enjoyed the book more because the main character was female. In conclusion, this study has shown a clear need for administrators, teachers, librarians and book publishers to be aware of the need for a balance between books with strong male protagonists and strong female protagonists when it comes to young adolescent literature. Books need to feature female characters who are problem solvers, independent, strong and not crafted on the stereotypical notions of the past. And the traditional gender line based on girls tending towards female characters and boys leaning towards male characters rarely bends. This study also includes a sampling of young adolescent literature titles featuring quality female role models as characters.
Subject	Role models -- Juvenile literature Girls in literature
Department	Department of Reading and Language Arts
Advisor	Monti, David A.
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	eng
OCLC number	48115803
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