What, Why, and How They Read: Reading Preferences and Patterns of Rural Young Adults

The purpose of this study is to better understand the reading patterns and preferences of rural teen readers and the cultures of reading that do or do not exist in the rural communities in which the teens reside. In addition, the researchers sought to discover, by conducting a series of focus groups, whether rural teen readers felt connected to mainstream young adult literary culture and in what ways this connection might manifest itself. The results suggest that rural teens enjoy reading books, followed by magazines and online content; that they obtain their reading materials through borrowing from friends and family and purchasing from retail outlets rather than from local libraries; that they talk to family, friends, and teachers about books and reading; and that they feel strongly connected to the current world of young adult literature, using it as a vehicle through which to explore and develop their evolving identities.