YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE EVOLUTION WITH RESPECT TO ITS PEDAGOGICAL IMPACT ON ADOLESCENT LEARNERS

Abstract

Young Adult literature, being a growing and evolving genre, requires attention and examination of its characteristics, also in its pedagogical dimension. This article constitutes a discussion of the issue of American Young Adult literature and highlights important historical events and factors which shaped this genre in the USA. An outline of the evolution of this genre with its indicated characteristics is confronted with educational aspects. It also presents some consequences such as the level of adolescents’ literacy, free accessibility to books, and the evolution of the characters and themes in such novels. Narrative synthesis for the qualitative studies of Young Adult literature history was performed to explore, interrogate, and cross check different researchers’ works for meaningful systematized results. This integrative review brings a more comprehensive understand-ing of the pedagogical dimension of the Young Adult literature phenomenon. Publications and research work with regard to the pedagogical dimension of this genre are evoked, pertaining to Art Literacy classes and ESL teaching. This paper also aims at determining the gap in existing re-searches in Young Adult pedagogical area.