Text-as-Mentor? Alternative Means of Mentorship for Possibility Development

• In Event: Practical Approaches for Youth Mentoring

Abstract

This multipart mixed-methods study explores the manners through which reading might nurture possibility development (Markus & Nurius, 1986; Nakkula & Schneider-Muñoz, 2018) akin to mentorship. Mentorship is generally a developmental asset yet is not available to all young people; thus, alternative means of delivery must be investigated. Reading, a skill for developing autonomy, is neither an innocuous nor isolating activity. Various campaigns (e.g., #RepresentationMatters, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, We Read Too, JustUsBooks.com & "Banned Books,") imply a social awareness concerning the influential prowess of text. Formal schooling makes literacy materials (e.g., books) inescapable by youths during significant developmental periods; hence, understanding what else a text could be affording young people beyond factual knowledge is crucial.

Authors

• Laronnda V. Thompson, University of Pennsylvania

• Michael J. Nakkula, University of Pennsylvania