Degree Name
BS
Department
Teacher Education
College
David O. McKay School of Education
Defense Date
2023-05-01
Publication Date
2023-07-27
First Faculty Advisor
Paul Ricks
First Faculty Reader
Elizabeth Cutrer-Párraga
Honors Coordinator
Bryant Jensen
Keywords
Agency, Fantasy, Elementary education, Children's literature, Reader-Response Theory, Content analysis
Abstract
Given the need for upper elementary students to develop a sense of their own agency, this research explored depictions of the agentic behavior of protagonists within the five most recent Newbery-awarded texts from the fantasy genre. Included is a reflexive thematic analysis of the agentic behavior of protagonists in the texts, an exploration of ways the constructed themes of agency may positively impact young readers’ agentic development, and potential implications for educators. The thematic analysis describes different types of agentic behavior in which the protagonists engage and how transacting with these textual examples can help students develop their own senses of agency. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Dickson, Kelly, "Empowering the Heroes of Tomorrow: A Literary Analysis of Portrayals of Protagonists' Agency in Award-Winning Fantasy Novels and its Educational Implications" (2023). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 333.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub_uht/333