By incorporating the roles on the Reading Response Log, the amount of writing was minimized which reduced the stress level of the students with lower literacy skills. Similarly, providing students with sticky notes assisted all students with marking items in the text to refer to when completing their response logs. The teachers also identified that students were provided with an opportunity to apply the literacy skills they had been learning. This statement supports previous research (Daniels, 1994, 2002; Campbell Hill, et. al., 1995; Routman, 1991) that literature circles provide an authentic reading environment. The teachers noted that the students enjoyed the interaction, learned to cooperate, respected the opinions of others, and improved their discussion skills. Finally, literature circles were deemed beneficial by the teachers in that they promoted critical thinking about literature and personal interaction with the text. These statements have been substantiated through the Case Studies presented above.
Boys need certain conditions to succeed as readers. According to Wilhelm (2003), boys need a challenging experience that is meaningful at their level and provides feedback. He states, "Boys want to be immersed in an experience that offers them a challenge at their level of skill. Boys look for purpose, goals, and immediate feedback" (Wilhelm, May 6, 2003).
The researchers believed that literature circles offered boys this type of experience. Literature circles enable boys to work at their own skill level. Students were presented a variety of texts (novels, information texts) at various reading levels. Secondly, allowing students to choose their own books to read permitted boys to find challenging experiences within school literacy based on their interest. Readers also chose how they would read the book, independently or to each other in their small groups, which also supported the need for boys to be challenged at their own skill level. Thirdly, students participated in discussions of their readings through different roles (Discussion Director, Super Summarizer, Word Wizard, Artful Artist, and Connections). These roles engaged boys at their skill level by offering them a choice through an active response. The small group discussion format of literature circles presented boys with a challenge to contribute to the group at their skill level. Finally, the literature circle strategy provided boys with purpose for reading, enabled them to set goals, and offered them immediate feedback through the discussions and projects.