While these sufficed for some children, educators found that the mandatory reading of formalized literature often turned young minds away from literary experiences that they might have enjoyed later in their intellectual careers. With the burgeoning enrollments, teachers began to consider alternative methods of instruction. Researchers compiled psychological studies of adolescents and discovered that, contrary to popular opinion, older children did seek to broaden their experiences through reading. During this same time, May Lamberton Becker, an educational literature editor, compiled a survey of almost eight hundred young adults. Through their letters she found that most preferred romance and adventure tales such as Lorna Doone, Ramona, and Ben Hur. These results indicated that the adolescent reading problem stemmed not from a resistance to learning, but rather from a paucity of appealing material. Although educators debated over what types of new reading materials should be promoted, they nevertheless initiated a move toward the acceptance of popular young adult fiction.
By the 1960s, adolescent literature had matured into its own genre with three primary areas of concern: the individual and his or her growth; social problems and responsibility; and the youth's concern with world events.
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