Four groups of British primary school special education teachers (total N=30) met to identify and discuss the special education needs books that most influenced their work. The 47 books identified indicate that these practitioners value extending their knowledge base by reading both theoretical and practice-based books. (Contains 11 references and…

There is evidence that the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) has led to a sustained increase in literacy attainment, especially in reading, although recent international comparisons also suggest some additional issues regarding pupil performance in England. The relative success of the NLS may at least partly lie in the policy application of several…

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), introduced in 1992-93, is a credential and formal qualification within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). SACE was recently subjected to a review that led to a series of significant recommendations. These recommendations came out of a process that began with the Review Panel…

In the Education Commission Report #4 of Hong Kong, three dimensions of learning are noted: cognitive, interpersonal, and aesthetic. In most Hong Kong schools, teaching focuses on the cognitive dimension and to some extent on the interpersonal. The aesthetic dimension is largely ignored, except for the ubiquitous class reader and a handful of…

This study investigated how 9 readers, aged 13-14 years, made sense of prose fiction, specifically short stories in the British school system. Subjects wrote down their impressions of selected texts in the text margins, followed by student-led individual or group discussions that were audio-recorded. Findings revealed Past-Oriented Predictions…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the June 1998 administration of the English 33 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…

This article describes a series of Scandinavian studies in reader response from 1968 to 1990. Studies chronologically discussed in the article are: (1) "Rhythm in Poetry"; (2) "The Esthetic Experience"; (3) "Meaning in Literary Texts"; (4) "Tension"; (5) the "Ram" study; (6) the…

The reader is a component part of the only form of a text which can be discussed meaningfully as a message. As readers with different linguistic backgrounds experience texts in fusions with their own personalities and their own social and cultural backgrounds, these dynamic texts differ in different languages. Accordingly, intranslatability exists…

This lesson plan for teaching students about the epic poem of India, the "Ramayana," encompasses literary, artistic, and moral themes. The lesson plan states that: (1) students are told the story; (2) students illustrate a part of the story; and (3) students write the moral lessons to be derived from the "Ramayana." The lesson…

Explores the relationship between responses to literature and the complex world views of four bicultural students, three Asian American and one of Jewish and European descent. The focal literary work of the study was the cross-cultural text, "Homesick," by Jean Fritz. Participants were interviewed about their experiences with the text. (Author/VWL)

Reports on ways in which an undergraduate English course can be structured to invite wide-ranging forms of response. Describes how this was done through an expository reading and writing course based on rhetorical modes and noncanonical texts. Claims that student satisfaction and achievement were excellent. (HB)

Argues that many educationists place an unwarranted emphasis upon the social construction of masculinity and literacy and give it primacy when outlining a framework for change. Claims a literacy program, which meets the needs of all students, will acknowledge that those needs vary greatly within gender groupings as well as across these groupings.…

Examines interview responses of Mexican eighth graders about an adolescent novel that related the adventures of a female conquistador, including: their conceptions about gender, dynamics between the reader and the text, and the expression of response. Results revealed students' anxieties about gender issues, noting that how they understood these…

"Manga," or Japanese comics, differ from American comics by their lack of color, the attitude of their audience, and their acceptance of nudity. Several science fictional and action-oriented "manga" for young adult and general audiences are described. (AEF)

The importance of establishing a connection with readers in academic writing is now widely acknowledged. The growing literature on this topic, however, has largely concentrated on published "expert" texts and on the ways that writers use language to project their stance or identity. In contrast, this paper will focus on strategies which…