An initial study (Ram 1) in Denmark in 1970 determined whether methods could be developed to assess the effect of textual passages on readers' experiences of a short story. Subjects, 717 Danish secondary students, were given a questionnaire to check on the effect of specific auctorial techniques and to chart readers' attitudes and the way they…

Despite their impact on literary criticism, contemporary theories of reader response and deconstruction seem to have had little effect on the practice of teaching literature, and most teachers of introductory literature courses remain vague about what these "new" theories are and how they can be used. Proponents of some of these theories…

This article presents an account of how one teacher and one student work through James Joyce's short story, "Eveline," illustrating an important reconceptualization of literacy--the teacher struggles to make public those aspects of reading which are often only assumed or left covert, namely, entering the world of the text, groping for…

Because public schools are designed to serve the widest range of interests and are committed to the ideal of democracy, teachers cannot afford to avoid teaching works or presenting ideas that offend some members of communities. Students need to learn the value of controversy and of the challenges posed by a text. Richard Wright's "Native Son" and…

Outlined in this paper are the plans for three additional pilot studies to be conducted in Denmark as part of the interdisciplinary Turko-Danish Fairytale Project. The project is concerned with the collective versus the individual nature of reader response to literature and the three pilot studies are: introspection studies during the reading,…

Notes that syllabus requirements for British secondary school literature courses tacitly create a course in writing as well. Presents ways in which this writing component can be implemented, without isolating it from the literature component. (HTH)

Contrasts "layering" and "assimilating" models of learning, preferring the model in which new information is affected by and fused with previous knowledge. Considers how literature study can contribute to cognitive growth, calling for the focused use of in-class discussion to help students arrive at profound responses to literature. (DMM)

Describes an exercise to elicit student interpretations of Robert Wallace's poem, "Ungainly Things." (MM)

Points out that children's growth in response to literature is not assessed by existing standardized tests or by progress from one textbook to another. Suggests guidelines for teacher observation of children's responses and provides a checklist for assessing oral and written reactions. (FL)

Describes how the educational experience of sixth grade remedial readers was revitalized and enriched through a project that grew out of reading "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." Suggests using "real" books (literature) to liberate remedial students from skill drills and reading games. (NH)

Reveals four different categories of teacher-student books conferences. Reports findings of a study of four children's book conferences over a year that shows the teacher preferring different foci with different students. (FL)

States that teachers need to understand the appeal of novels that teenagers prefer to read and analyzes a popular romantic novel, "Flowers in the Attic." (DF)

Relates experiences teaching Philip Larkin's poetry. (HOD)

Describes a number of ways students can write in response to literature, an approach that forces the students to shape and form their vague responses to the text. (HOD)

Notes shortcomings in research efforts intended to discover children's picture book preferences. Describes a research approach adapted from the field of anthropology, in which the researcher conducted observations and interviews as children respond to picture books in natural classroom settings. (EL)