Readers assume that commonplace properties of the real world also hold in realistic fiction. They believe, for example, that the usual physical laws continue to apply. But controversy exists in theories of fiction about whether real "individuals" exist in the story's world. Does Queen Victoria exist in the world of "Jane Eyre,"…

The paper deals with the work of the Czech children's author Jaroslav Foglar from a gender perspective, reflecting on two themes in particular: the absence of heroines; and his understanding of boys' reciprocity and friendship with the adoration of physicality. The impetus for this analysis was data from a questionnaire survey, the aim of which…

Research in the field of reading has demonstrated the benefits of reading, including increased vocabulary (Anderson et al., 1986; Day et al., 1991) and comprehension (Anderson et al., 1986; Duncan et al., 2016), improved academic skills (Chen et al., 2017; Whitten et al., 2016), enhanced relaxation and pleasure (Gerlich et al., 2012; Kaiser &…

Readers are increasingly exposed to text that includes both words and images through comics, graphic novels, online materials, and video games. In this study, we use the medium of the 4-panel comic strip to examine how readers make meaning of the word/image composite. We propose a cognitive interactive framework that incorporates both the…

The paper presents findings from a reader response study conducted in February 2013 with 150 children aged 7-11 in which they discussed extracts and clips from Roald Dahl's "Matilda" (1988) and its cinematic adaptation (1996). Dahl and "Matilda" were chosen because they provoke emphatic responses from adults, often commenting…

The connection between evaluation practice and its ultimate goal--social betterment--is indirect. With little or no direct control over social programs and policies, many evaluators rely on the actions of stakeholders to bridge the gap between evaluation practice and its purpose. Consequently, communicating with influence becomes key. The present…

Reader expectations form across hierarchical scales of discourse (e.g., from coarse to fine: genre, narrative, syntax). Cross-scale interactivity produces word reading times (RTs) with multifractal structure. After introducing multifractals, we test two hypotheses regarding their relevance to reader expectations: (1) multifractal evidence of…

This qualitative case study explores the nature of reading engagement, taking a reader response approach to analysing and discussing the experiences and perspectives of real readers. The paper reports a collaborative research project in which a group of five primary-age children and a group of five adults of different ages were asked to read and…

The helpfulness of self-help reading was explored through interviews with 6 female self-help readers. Themes derived through phenomenological data analysis suggested that there is a distinct structure to the self-help reading experience, including self-help reading as a medium for revisioning of self. Implications for counseling practice and…

This article reports on two studies investigating reader stance, navigation, and response in expository hypertext. Subjects in the studies included 69 and 147 adult readers prompted to adopt either an efferent or aesthetic stance when reading a 36-node expository hypertext. Reading was followed by recall and essay writing tasks. Results of the…

This study assessed the utility of document prevalence and familiarity as predictors of adult document literacy performance. Three indexes--quantifying document prevalence, document familiarity, and the frequency of document use--were constructed using survey responses from an adult community sample and documents collected from government agencies…

Responds to article in which Nash et al. reported on effects of controlling for family environment when studying sexual abuse sequelae. Considers findings in terms of theoretical and statistical constraints placed on analysis of covariance and other partializing procedures. Questions use of covariate techniques to test hypotheses about causal role…

Nash et al. respond to Briere and Elliott's (this issue) comments regarding their study (this issue) on effects of controlling for family environment when studying sexual abuse sequelae. Cites limitations of Briere and Elliott's survey study database. Agrees with Briere and Elliott in call for longitudinal, multimethod designs for examining…

Examines characteristics of quality children's literature by analyzing both children and adult responses to Ezra Keats' story, "The Snowy Day." Concludes that good literature calls forth a strong narrative voice from readers exploring their own realities as they read. (MM)

This article, written in response to an invitation from "CLE," describes the origins and controversial content of "dunno," a first novel, self-published by Peter Inson, a former teacher and headmaster. Inson considers influences upon his writing, the thinking which led him towards self-publication and the process of personally launching and…