A comparative content analysis of the temporal sequences, points of view, and perspectives employed in the 1996 Best Books for Young Adults' novels and the 1996 Young Adults' Choices' novels

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the temporal sequences, points of view, and perspectives employed in the novels on the 1996 Best Books for Young Adults' (BBYA) list and the 1996 Young Adults' Choices' (YA Choices) list. An analysis form was created to record coded data in relation to frequency and length. The temporal data coded and analyzed include the predominant narrative, as well as the frequency and length of the dialogue and narrative past reference, future reference, and present reference temporal shifts employed. The predominant point of view and the frequency and length of the first person; second person; third person, limited; and third person, omniscient point of view shifts employed were coded and analyzed. The predominant perspective, and the frequency and length of perspective shifts were coded and analyzed. Comparisons were made between the two groups of novels in relation to the coded categories. The BBYA novels have significantly more temporal sequence shifts. Both the BBYA and YA Choices' novels include more dialogue temporal shifts than narrative temporal shifts. In relation to narrative temporal shifts, the BBYA novels include a greater number of narrative shifts per title than do the YA Choices' novels. The first person point of view is the most prevalent point of view employed in novels on both lists, although more frequently in the BBYA novels than in the YA Choices' novels. A majority of all the novels analyzed were written with a predominant point of view and perspective.