Afrikaanse literatuur en die jong volwassene

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:There is a sharp decrease in the reading habits of learners in the seniorsecondary school phase. Interest in Afrikaans literature is decreasing amongstboth high school learners and the broader public. From an early age, readersprefer to read English.This thesis examines the reading culture of young adults. The literature studytakes a look at the nature and the extent of young adult literature, with specificfocus on the characteristics unique to young adult literature, the value of youngadult literature and the role played by popular literature. The reading world ofyoung adults is examined with reference to their reading habits, readingpreferences and the reasons why they do not read. The factors that playa role inthe reading habits of this target group are also discussed. This includes readingneeds, disinclination to read, eagerness to read, reader guidance, the library,parents, the peer group, free time, age, the media, the cover, the title, the author,cost of books, literature education, the availability and obtainability of books,gender, reading pleasure, socially disadvantaged communities, culture andgeographical position.The questionnaire involved 308 16- and 17-year-old young adults and focused ontheir reading habits, reading milieu, free time expenditure, language and bookpreferences and aversions. The reading habits are analysed on the basis ofcriteria such as how often the respondents read books, how many books theyhad read in the previous month and how often they visit the library. The readingmilieu refers to the book, newspaper and magazine reading habits of the parentsof the respondents and to the visits to the library by the respondents in theirearlier youth. The role of variables such as gender, geographic position andpopulation group is also examined.The results of the questionnaire examination confirm the hypotheses stated inthis study:There is not an established reading culture among Afrikaans-speakingyoung adults (16- and 17 year aids).Afrikaans-speaking young adults prefer to rather read English than to readAfrikaans.In conclusion, a summary of proposals is provided that, if implementedsuccessfully, could promote the reading habit and establish a positive attitudetowards Afrikaans literature. There is a specific look at proposals with regard toliterature education, the role that is played by libraries, parents, authors and thepeer group, as well as marketing, book sales and projects that promote theculture of reading.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University