Maïté Eugène's Thesis Defense

Maïté Eugène will defend her dissertation on October 18, 2021, to earn a Ph.D. in Education and Training Sciences from the University of Montpellier.

Thesis Title:Non-Readers Facing the Challenge of Literature Instruction: A Study of Non-Reading in School Settings in a 10th-Grade Class.

The defense will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall No. 011 at Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 University, Saint-Charles campus.

Jury Members:

Ms. Marie-France Bishop, Professor Emerita, CY Cergy Paris University, Reviewer
; Mr. Stéphane Bonnéry, Professor, University of Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis, Examiner
Mr. Jean-Louis Dufays, Full Professor, UCLouvain, Reporter
Mr. François Le Goff, Full Professor, University of Toulouse II Jean Jaurès, Examiner
Ms. Brigitte Louichon, Full Professor, University of Montpellier, Director
Ms. Patricia Richard-Principalli, Associate Professor with HDR, University of Montpellier, Examiner

Thesis Abstract:

This dissertation examines non-reading in schools and, in particular, high school students who do not read—that is, high school students who shirk the academic requirement to read the works they are studying in their French classes. Although sociology and educational theory have examined non-readers, this phenomenon remains relatively under-documented; it raises questions about the boundaries between reading and non-reading and the practices of teaching literature. The aim of my work is to shed light on this phenomenon through field research. Having observed a 10th-grade class at a general and technological high school over the course of one school year, I sought to describe and understand the practices of non-reading students (NLS). Building on the definition of “non-reading” as an activity, as formulated by P. Bayard in his book *How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read* (2007), I collected student statements (through questionnaires and interviews), their academic work (both oral and written), and filmed literature instruction sessions. Classifying students as “school readers” or “non-school readers” poses significant theoretical and methodological challenges. Once the classification tool was developed, my research revealed that non-reading in school is not a marginal phenomenon in this 10th-grade class. However, being a “non-school reader” is not a fixed status, given the wide variety of (non-)reading practices in school. Similarly, “non-school readers” exhibit a great deal of diversity. Rarely inactive or unproductive, non-school readers employ multiple and sometimes effective strategies to compensate for their lack of reading, both prior to and during class sessions devoted to the work they have not read. These strategies can be compared with practices in the teaching of literature. The comprehension work conducted in class on the works appears to be crucial for understanding the practices of non-readers. Analysis of non-readers’ work (oral and written) shows that it is possible for a non-reader to forge a special connection with the “phantom book” (Bayard, 2007) through the mediation of literature instruction. Some NLSs even seem more engaged in literature classes than some academic readers. However, this observation does not apply to all NLSs, and my research results in a typology of NLSs that distinguishes between “converted” NLSs, “perplexed” NLSs, and “reluctant” NLSs. This dynamic typology aims to open new avenues for the teaching of literature by highlighting that it can influence even NLSs.