Author: Rae Adams-Sinclair
Adams-Sinclair, Rae, 2024 Becoming Human: How Learning to Read Helped Transform a Teenage Murderer, Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Flinders University, South Australia. It explores the significance of learning to read for a man convicted of murder as a young teenager. This unique case study uses retrospective narrative inquiry and follows the transformative journey of the former juvenile detainee, identified here as ‘Ryan.’ His literacy journey parallels his moral growth, and as he approaches 30 years of age (while still in prison), he reflects on how learning to read has profoundly changed him, stating, “Reading made me human again.” The structure of the dissertation is inspired by Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet, (1957-1960) and tells Ryan’s story from multiple perspectives. The clinical and courtroom accounts of him are interwoven with Ryan’s personal narrative and with the researcher’s reflections on teaching him to read. Unusually, the author takes on dual roles of both the researcher piecing together Ryan’s narrative and, at times, the educator reflecting on teaching him to read at the age of 16. Ryan’s story is conveyed in the first person, capturing his perspective as a student in detention and giving him his voice. His story is then revisited from the teacher’s viewpoint, highlighting struggles common to many young detainees. Finally, the researcher synthesises and discusses his narrative through the lens of Recognition Theory. Rehabilitation for juvenile delinquency has typically been viewed as outside the discipline of education but is considered here through overlapping perspectives. Ryan’s perspective serves as the focal point with the educational lens intersecting with traditional juvenile justice and psychology viewpoints. This dissertation underscores the significant role educators can play in the lives of juvenile offenders and the rehabilitative importance of education within the juvenile justice system, emphasising the critical role of reading and the way in which this contributes to the development of empathy. Importantly, this research introduces new possibilities for the role of education and reading by highlighting the connections between reading, executive function, and empathy, and their collective role in rehabilitation. Although approximately 40 teenagers across Australia are convicted of murder each year, there have been few if any opportunities to hear directly from long-term incarcerated juvenile offenders. Ryan’s relationship and familiarity with the researcher, as his former teacher, allows him to give a remarkably candid and deeply personal account of his life both before and after the crime. Ryan uses his voice to shed light on the systemic shortcomings and the consequences of early marginalisation while showcasing the transformative potential of learning to read as a significant contributor to rehabilitation.
Keywords: Learning to read, rehabilitation, Juvenile Offenders, Empathy, moral growth
Subject: Education thesis
Thesis type: Professional Doctorate
Completed: 2024
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Helen McLaren