Researching Readers and Writers: The Role of Serendipity

Authors

• Elizabeth L. Jaeger, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USAFollow

Abstract

I trace here three case studies of readers and writers: third grade children participating in a Writing Workshop, fourth grade vulnerable readers in a tutoring setting, and adults with major mental illness interacting in a writers’ group. Specifically, I collected and analyzed data related to students extending a classroom practice called Class Meeting (during which they shared concerns and compliments) into the writing workshop context; expanding the focus of tutoring practice from children who struggled with comprehension of text to include those with English vocabulary and decoding issues; and changes when I moved from a participant in, to facilitator of, the writers’ group. Along the way, much of what I did was in response to events over which I had little control, so I highlight here the positive role of serendipity in the research process. I argue that it is important for researchers to develop clear plans but also to be flexible in executing those plans.

Keywords

serendipity, writing, reading, writing workshop, struggling readers, intervention, observation, interview

Author Bio(s)

Elizabeth L. Jaeger, Ph.D., is associate professor emerita of the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. Her research addresses two areas: supporting children whose path to literacy has not been an easy one and “volitional” writers—that is, people who write for personal fulfillment. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Publication Date

10-31-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Jaeger, E. L. (2026). Researching readers and writers: The role of serendipity. The Qualitative Report, 31(10), 6929-6948.

ORCID ID

0000-000281357401