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…

The act of reading is always interpretation through the lens of an individual's own culture and value system. In a World Literature class the encounter between American readers and a text from a different culture can produce 3 results: reading into it the individual's own world; translating the alien into the familiar; and appreciating its…

Over a 2-year period, several teacher book clubs were studied. Teachers' and preservice teachers' responses to a series of texts that focused on multiculturalism in American society were examined. Twelve elementary school teachers, representing four ethnic groups (European American, Asian American, African American, and Hispanic), volunteered to…

A preliminary study set the groundwork for exploring the challenges secondary school teachers and students face in reading texts drawn from their own culture and from cultures quite different from their own. Interviews were conducted with 89 secondary school students, and also with university teachers and secondary school teachers of African…

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…

Relates the implementation of a literature program for students in grade six based on reader response theory. (HOD)

Argues for the value of reading and interpreting autobiographical writing in a high school literature class. Explains a teaching method whereby students are asked to choose a special passage and respond to it in their journals from a personal viewpoint. Suggests that the sharing of these passages in class builds class chemistry. (TB)

Discusses the Facts and Feelings Response Diary strategy for assisting middle school students in inclusive settings to connect both efferently and aesthetically with informational text. Notes that this activity stimulates students to focus their attention on important facts and details and to use their prior experiences, feelings, interests,…

Reports on the findings of a survey of over 450 children (ages 7 through 9) in southwest England exploring aspects of their views about and experience of reading. Provides insight into what children read and what influences their choice of reading and response to reading. (HB)

Argues that nonfiction is growing in popularity as reading material among adolescents. Provides data and analysis of a study designed to measure the influence of nonfiction on the attitudes, values, and behavior of adolescents. (HB)

Presents a case study chronicling the written, oral, and fine art responses of four transitional readers and writers (second- and third-grade students) to the picture books of Patricia Polacco and Gerald McDermott. Discusses their responses in three categories: descriptive responses, interpretive responses, and thematic trends. (SR)

Discusses how psychologists use affect, behavior, and cognition (ABCs) to understand people. Argues that teachers can use these same three domains to learn more about readers, and to assess the ABCs of attitude toward the reading experience. Recommends the use of literature circles and dialog journals as simple, effective instructional techniques…

Looks critically at the theoretical and ideological underpinnings of the practice of story mapping. Discovers a deep contradiction between the author's definition of reading as a constructive process and the reductionist nature of story mapping, which inhibits students' potential to explore a diverse range of personal responses by promoting…

Discusses pedagogical strategies that encourage keener and more sensitive student reactions to the postcolonial problematics represented in two essays by Jamaican writer Michelle Cliff, essays which often provoke hostility in mainstream, White, middle-class undergraduates. Discusses ways to create a context in the literature or writing classroom…

Explores third graders' responses to the question "What's Canadian about Canadian Children's Literature?" Describes 6 picture books and summarizes students' responses to each. Finds students mentioned geographical aspects as characteristic of Canadian literature, and they felt Canadian children's literature should reflect Canadian "experiences."…