Series Books: An Exploration of Middle School Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions
Four middle-grade teachers were identified as teachers of reading. After obtaining
consent from these teachers and their students, surveys were distributed to the students of these
teachers. These surveys were analyzed to determine which students in the class were active
readers of series books. The students who identified themselves as readers of series books were
then asked to participate in a semi-structured interview (Mertler, 2006) to identify more specific
aspects of their relationship with series books. The teachers involved in this study also
participated in a semi-structured interview to uncover their views, beliefs, and opinions towards
series books.
Student interviews took place during the school day at a time of teacher convenience.
Selected students who identified themselves as readers of series books on the initial survey were
removed from class for 10 to 15 minutes to complete the semi-structured interview. These
students were asked a minimum of 17 questions, with the semi-structured format allowing for
additional questions to be asked to uncover more relevant data (Mertler, 2006).