Resistance, Struggle, and the Adolescent Reader

An important research paradigm applied to the study of adolescent resistance to reading—listening to student voice—has yielded rich information regarding adolescent literacy practices, adolescent agency, and adolescent identity as components of resistance to reading. Instructional perspectives of teachers and researchers also serve to shed light on the phenomenon and provide insight on better understanding the interplay between adolescent resistance to reading and struggle with literacy acquisition. For some teachers, the “problem” with adolescent readers and resistance to reading lies outside their sphere of responsibility or influence; however, adolescent and researcher voices provide a somewhat different perspective. Understanding and addressing the disjuncture becomes particularly important when addressing the instructional needs of struggling adolescent readers: Readers who resist reading risk becoming readers who struggle, and those who already struggle with reading miss important opportunities for improvement through interaction with text. Instructional implications aimed at addressing resistance to in-school reading are also presented.