Describes a hierarchy intended to interpret and promote students' aesthetic responses to literature. Finds that students in grades 7 through 10, in contrast to younger readers, have moved into reflective thinking and evaluation. (SR)

As an English teacher who has been teaching nearly 10 years in a college of southern Taiwan, the presenter reports his successful experience on a course, titled "Selected Readings from American Literature." In this try-out study, the presenter adapts a multigenre-response model via which he encourages Taiwan college students to bravely…

Compared the responses of four Pacific-islander readers and four non-Pacific-islander readers of Alan Duff's 1990 novel "Once Were Warriors," about the lives of indigenous Maori people in New Zealand. Non-Pacific-islanders saw parallels in the novel between the Maori and other downtrodden peoples, such as South African blacks, while…

This study describes the function of illustration in the books written by Maurice Sendak and Mercer Mayer. Fifty children between the ages of four and six years old, together with a parent, listened to two books by each author, during three storytime sessions. Children's spontaneous responses to the readings were recorded on videotape. Response…

A study examined whether students' reading ability affected their level of aesthetic reading response when reading level-appropriate literature. During the study, 28 fifth graders read books and wrote responses to what they read. Responses were scored on a rubric valuing aesthetic responses that demonstrated personal experiences. Students' reading…

By focusing on what and how students want to learn, shared inquiry between teachers and students is inherently motivating, supporting students' intrinsic motivation. When students themselves participate as educational theorists, learning experiences become more engaging for both students and teachers. The yearlong inquiry described in this paper…

A study examined how the third version of a questionnaire on readers' backgrounds (developed for the "Folktale project", which explores similarities and dissimilarities in the response to literature from and in different cultures) fared internationally under field conditions which would not immediately be controlled by members of the…

In spring 1987, a study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) to assess students' perceptions of the campus newspaper, "The Harbinger," in order to assist "Harbinger" staff in meeting student needs. A random sample of 240 degree credit students and 160 non-degree credit students enrolled in fall 1986 were surveyed by mail to…

This booklet presents the Written Response part of the English 30 Grade 12 Diploma examination in Alberta, Canada. After instructions for students, the booklet presents the first part of the examination in which students respond to Thom Gunn's poem "Tamer and Hawk," which addresses the nature and effect of a ruling passion in an…

An instrument was developed and used with grade 11 students and university teacher education students (intending English teachers) in British Columbia to explore their beliefs about appropriate ways to interpret segments of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." This is the second is a series of instruments designed to explore students' and teachers'…

This booklet presents the Written Response part of the English 30 Grade 12 Diploma examination. After instructions for students, the booklet presents the first part of the examination in which students respond to Patricia Keeney's poem "Swimming Alone," which addresses the complexities of risk-taking. The booklet then presents the second…

This paper briefly reviews the state of the art in reader response research with special reference to the Danish studies in reader responses. The paper then proceeds to a discussion of a number of methodological problems inherent in setting up questions for cross-cultural (and international) studies in general, and for reader response studies in…

Numerous studies have focused on attitudes toward reading and how to measure such attitudes. The present study examined the effects of both the survey format and the reading abilities of 82 sixth graders at a middle school in McDuffie County, Georgia. Since all of the students had taken the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, the language arts composite…

These booklets are intended for students in Alberta, Canada, taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30. The readings booklet presents 7 reading selections from fiction and nonfiction literature. After instructions for students, the booklet presents: (1) Lance Morrow's essay "Metaphors of the World, Unite!"; (2) Carl…

The National Center for Research on Literature Teaching and Learning's review of 45 commercial hypermedia literature applications from a response-based perspective suggests that applications currently available, though not supportive of response-based literature teaching and learning, indicate how such applications could be developed. Includes the…