7: Learning from the Boys

Each of the preceding three chapters provided an in-depth look at the unique reading experiences of three adolescent boys by examining how the boys' reading environments of home, school, and activities influenced their reading beliefs and practices. As stated in Chapter 2, in a crosscase analysis (Merriam, 1987), core categories and main themes from each individual case are compared to the core categories and main themes of the other individual cases. This is done in order to “build a general explanation” (p. 112) for boys' reading experiences. The following chapter also makes connections between these main themes and the literacy researchin Chapter 1.