Reviews the evolution of relevant research in both response to literature and in the enactment of response-based practices in classrooms. Examines research on text, readers, and contexts. Examines research exploring how readers construct texts as cultural worlds, construct identities through participation in worlds, and share responses through…

The Walsh and Carballo evaluation of the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education programs in five Massachusetts communities, has the following flaws: (1) the sample of school districts studied suffered from "self-selection bias"; (2) the sample does not include a single large, urban school district; (3) the student samples…

Expectation research has frequently assumed that teachers respond differently to students, based upon their perceptions of student ability. Because general student behavior is correlated with ability, however, it is possible that teachers are responding to differences in behavior rather than ability. A study examined the relationship between…

One of the prevalent misconceptions that severely limits the possibilities of curriculum change in schools is the belief that theory has no direct relevance to pedagogical problems and that what is really needed are practical ideas for classroom instruction. Serious curriculum change requires an explicit dependence upon improved applications of…

The papers in this collection focus on the integration of child language development research into curriculum and instruction, which was the general topic of four conferences held in conjunction with the 1979 and 1980 annual conventions of the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Section one, on child…

Stressing the importance of choosing either a child-centered or a subject-centered orientation in developing a children's literature program, this paper discusses the characteristics of child-centered and subject-centered approaches to literature and then focuses on the dominant literary theories of structuralism and revisionism. Maintaining that…

There are many critical problems that are influencing the status of literature and the teaching of literature in the United States today, according to this paper. Some of the problems cited are the poor quality of recent best selling books; the smaller number of people who read books compared to the number of people who read magazines and…

Mainstreaming students means moving them out of segregated learning environments in special education classes and integrating them into regular classes with "normal" children. Mainstreaming also has relevance to gifted children. Both gifted and handicapped students are searching for meaning, for which the primary source is language. The main…

In response to a need voiced by a number of English teachers for new materials that discuss the censorship problems of the 1970s, this book presents articles that analyze the current climate regarding censorship, define the issues and pressures that surround the subject, and suggest ways to handle censorship when the problem arises within the…

Intended for preservice and inservice teachers at all educational levels, but especially for those in English education classes, this book examines the foundations of grammar instruction and supplies some definitions and examples of grammar usage. Part one of the book explores relevant language research, reasons for teaching grammar, the…

Offers a historical perspective on English instruction and suggests some modes of reintegrating communication skills and literature. (MM)

Discusses resources for initiating culturally pluralistic perspectives in English classrooms, and for using multiethnic materials in the English curriculum. (JT)

This article explores the connections between strategic writing instruction and social identity formation in a ninth-grade combined English/social studies inclusion class. It shows how a combination of process writing and strategic writing instruction helped in their writing. Strategic writing instruction helped students view themselves as…

Overviews the teaching of languages, particularly English, over a long time span. For centuries, the creative process of language learning, as opposed to the formalized pattern of language teaching, was largely ignored. It is suggested that there is nothing doctrinal about teaching methods, language learning will never be an exact science, and…

Presents a summary of research done in the field of young adult literature from 1967 to 1992. Summarizes research done in areas such as methodology, booklists, author studies, critical analysis, social issues, reader response, and reading advocacy. (HB)