Lost in a Book: Story World Absorption and Reading for Understanding

Abstract

Reading engagement is an essential component of children’s reading achievement. This three-chapter dissertation considers a new approach to conceptualizing reading engagement through the lens of children’s immersion, or absorption, in a text. Chapter 1 examines the theoretical underpinnings of story world absorption, sometimes known as “enchantment” in the field of literary studies. Using Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials as a case study, I argue that enchantment is not only an experience in which words entrance and mesmerize, eradicating the boundaries of ordinary perception, but also one that advances the reader’s conceptual understanding. Chapter 2 empirically investigates the phenomenon of story world absorption, asking children ages 9–11 years old to report on their immersive reading experiences through a self-report survey and follow-up qualitative interviews. Chapter 3 builds upon Chapters 1 and 2, examining the epistemological distinction between reading for information and reading for understanding and arguing that understanding is an important yet overlooked dimension of reading education. When taken together, these chapters lend insight into the conditions for children’s story world absorption and present a new approach to reading education, one oriented towards improving children’s reading outcomes by promoting and sustaining students’ engagement in texts.