Using novella in developing reading culture

In this study, the effect of the novella genre on the development of reading culture was examined. The research was designed with the action research method, one of the qualitative research methods. The study was carried out with a total of 79 students, 47 of whom participated and 32 of whom did not participate in the application of the research, studying at Taşağıl Anatolian High School in Manavgat, Antalya in the 2021-2022 academic year. The researcher is also the practitioner of the study. Data were collected through the Reading Culture Scale which is developed by the researcher, Student Identification Form, Interview Forms and Teacher's Journal. The research covers a total of 8 weeks with its preliminary preparations. During a 5-week period, 1 novella was read to the students every week and 9 learning outcomes determined by the researcher were transferred to the students. In the 6th week, 1 more novella was distributed to the students without any time restriction. At the end of the process, Interview Forms and Reading Culture Scale were conducted as a post-test on the students who participated in the application of novellas. Another Interview Form was conducted on the students who did not participate in the application of novellas to see the change in their views. Observations made throughout the process were noted in the teacher's journal. The data were analyzed with the SPSS 25.0 program. In the analysis of quantitative data, descriptive statistics, Dependent Sample t Test, Independent Sample t Test, ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis and Chi-Square tests were used. Qualitative data were transferred by the researcher by making content analysis. When the information gathered from the Student Identification Form was examined, it was determined that the participants came from a social background where the reading culture was not developed. In the study, common features were determined between the novella genre and the adolescence period of the participants. In addition, in terms of teaching principles, the novella genre can be used in schools to acquire a reading culture. Novella, as a genre, is more economical than other genres in terms of both time and cost. At the end of the process, an increase was observed in the reading culture of the students. During the application, more progress was achieved with the learning outcomes which were given according to the teaching principles of concreteness and clarity. Novellas liked and disliked by 11th grade students differ from 9th and 10th grades. As the disliked aspect of the novellas, the author's excessive use of foreign words came to the fore. The reason why novellas are liked is that they were written in a fluent language and the heroes consisted of animals. While there was a significant relationship between completing the novellas in the given time and gender, no relationship was found between the number of books at home, the reading status of the parents, the grade level, the reading status during the reading hours and the efforts made by previous teachers to make the students read. The same items were examined also for the relationships among the reading of the novella which was not given any time restriction. The novella, which was not given any time restriction, was read more in 11th grades than in other grades. While the students thought that they had learned something at the end of the novella readings, the willingness of the students who did not participate in the novella readings increased. In qualitative analysis, the topics of library use, shared book reading, fictional reality, social media influencers and interaction between students came to the fore. Keywords: Novella, Reading Culture, Adolescence, Teaching Principles