Harry Potter Casts Positive Spell, According to Study

A new college study supports claims that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series sends positive messages to children. Study timed to coincide with book release, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (July 16, 2005).

West Hartford, CT (PRWEB) July 8, 2005 -- J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter fantasy series casts a positive spell on children, suggests a study completed by three Saint Joseph College professors.

The four-year study Harry Potter: Are Children and Adults Reading the Same Books?" was completed by Mary Whitney, Ph.D., Elizabeth Vozzola, Ph.D. and Joan Hofmann, Ph.D., of Saint Joseph College.

The researchers hope to share their findings about the positive messages found in Rowlings novels with educators, librarians and parents worldwide. The work also represents a resource for parents and teachers to use when discussing moral stories with children.

Last November, Professors Whitney and Vozzola presented their research at the Association for Moral Educations International Conference in Dana Point, CA. The study contests claims made by groups across the United States that the Harry Potter novels confuse children about magic and lead them to the occult.

Many teachers and librarians across the nation are under siege for supporting the Harry Potter series," said Dr. Vozzola. Our research program found absolutely no evidence that reading Harry Potter leads children to the occult -- the moral messages these books send are overwhelmingly positive."

We recently edited our conference paper for publication in the hopes that we can share our findings with organizations of librarians and teachers across the United States," continues Dr. Vozzola. Our study will hopefully initiate a nationwide dialogue between concerned parents and their children about how the Harry Potter novels teach lessons of courage and friendship -- not black magic."

This month (June 2005), the study was accepted for publication in the Journal of Research in Character Education.

Saint Joseph College (http://www.sjc.edu) in West Hartford is Connecticuts only four-year womens college. Consistently cited on the national level for the quality of its academic programs, the College offers The Womens College, and for men and women, The Prime Time Program for the way women and men live and learn and The Graduate School. The Gengras Center serves children with special needs from more than 40 towns. The renowned School for Young Children is one of the oldest early childhood centers in the state and Connecticuts model laboratory school.

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