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The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the values, beliefs, and ideas in school reading textbooks (Readers) in Taiwan and in Texas. It intended to examine the social control function of school Readers, with which a culture deliberately molds its young generation. This study employed primarily qualitative methods. The collection of data used the technique of content analysis, student surveys, and teacher expert panel discussions. The analysis of data followed a constant comparative approach. The themes shared by the two sets of Readers included family, friends, humans and living creatures, political ideals, reading/writing, appreciation of nature, science, indomitable spirit, turning danger into safety, setting goals, education, desirable and undesirable qualities or behaviors. Despite the similarities of these themes, the substance or focus of them may vary. The themes unique to the Texas Readers were content knowledge, cultural diversity, dilemma and choice, observations about people, words, tomorrow's technology, winning, and general truth. The themes unique to the Taiwan Readers included life philosophy, learning, necessary difficulties, sensitivity, and military strategies. The theme occurring most frequently in both sets of Readers was the desirable qualities or behaviors. The values advocated in the Taiwan Readers were idealistic and had a society-centered focus (for example, patriotism, appreciation of others, serving others, and honesty). Absolute moral principles were taught. A group orientation and altruism were evident. In contrast, the Texas Readers did not have such an emphasis on the concept of group. Personal feelings, individual accomplishments, and self-centered values (for instance, effort, courage, determination, talent, and independence) received more attention. The values were perceived to be relative to the situation. The Taiwan Readers, produced by a national education system, transmitted traditional Chinese beliefs and values. The Texas Readers, with the publishers' intent to avoid controversies, presented more general or universal values. Although the sources of control were different, they influenced textbook content in a similar way.

Reading English literature can help learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) to develop their reading ability as well as other language skills. Reading can also have other benefits for EFL students such as learning about the target language’s culture or an English variety in written form. This present study investigates what types of literature are used in Swedish upper secondary school, the EFL teachers’ attitudes towards short stories compared to simplified novels/graded readers and their preferred assessment methods associated with literature teaching. The majority of the teachers that took part in this survey have a positive attitude towards short stories and use them in their EFL classes. The results also show that after the students have completed reading a short story, most of the teachers that participated in this survey preferred to combine examination methods such as a group discussion with a written test.The title of this paper comes from one of the informants’ comments when asked if she would rather use a short story or a graded reader in her English class. This informant had used graded readers in her English language classroom, but she and everyone that took part in this survey chose short stories over graded readers.

This thesis examines the possibilities of social-context issues in interpretation. A group interpretation script relating the current difficult conditions of rural Iowa was compiled. Three experts in the field of interpretation were asked to evaluate the potential of this social-context script. It was discovered that a compiled interpretation script of Iowa literature can successfully depict the social concerns facing the family farms of Iowa.

The problem of this study was a comparison of the responses of students to three techniques of teaching literature. From this comparison, the most effective technique of teaching literature was identified. The three techniques selected for the study were silent reading, Readers Theatre, and videotape Readers Theatre. These three techniques were compared on achievement and attitude response. Effectiveness of each technique was examined by noting each grade level and the pooled-technique effectiveness scores. Also, black and white video-tape scores were examined in comparison to scores from the presentation of color video-tape. The analysis of data revealed that Readers Theatre resulted in significantly higher mean scores on attitude-scale tests than either of the other two techniques. The teaching technique of silent reading produced significantly higher mean comprehension scores than did either Readers Theatre or black and white video-tape, although Readers Theatre resulted in higher mean comprehension scores than did black and white video-tape. Silent reading produced a higher mean score than did black and white video-tape on the attitude-scale tests. Since silent reading produced significantly higher scores on comprehension of literature, it was concluded that silent reading is the most effective method for achieving comprehension. However, it was also concluded that Readers Theatre is of importance in the domain of attitude and affect. This study isolated Readers Theatre as the most effective teaching technique for attitude response toward literature.

The purpose of this thesis has been to prepare a script based on the life and works of Dante Alighieri, with special attention to the effects of medieval culture and politics on him and his works. Chapter I includes a discussion of the reputation and poetry of Dante, as well as the purpose and procedure followed in this thesis. Chapter II describes the historical and cultural background of Medieval Europe during Dante's time. Chapter III describes Dante's life and works. Chapter IV contains the script and a production concept that offers ideas and suggestions concerning the production of the script.

The purpose of this project was to prepare a group interpretation script which is derived from the books cited in the title. An effort was made to prepare a unified script reflecting contemporary American Indian concepts of mysticism, philosophy, ecology, psychology, and education by selecting appropriate portions from the three books. The thesis includes a production concept, production procedures, the rationale for selection of excerpts, and the finished script, It is designed to employ seven readers and is divided into six parts. Those elements may be altered to fit various physical arrangements and program lengths.

E-readers have been available for many years, yet many people are still hesitant towards reading digitally in their spare time. In previous studies in the field of Human-Computer interaction (HCI), new e-readers have been designed, e-readers have been evaluated, and the attitude towards digital reading have been studied. The need to look at books from a larger perspective have been identified, to understand what properties desirable e-readers should have. Now, e-readers almost exclusively let users read books but fails to enable other actions that paper books allows. In this study, to allow for an analysis of books in different contexts and what roles books play in those contexts,DeLanda’s assemblage theory have been used. The research question this thesis answer is: what material and expressive properties of paper books are important in different contexts and how should these be implemented into e-reader? The study followed an ethnographic approach by collecting data from interviews with eleven book lovers, at home observations, and public observations in places where books were present. From the gathered data, ten assemblages were identified and four of them, namely ‘Evening with friends in the living room’, ‘Time for bed’, ‘Let time fly by during the flight’, and ‘Browsing the library’, were described in depth. After identifying what material and expressive roles of paper books were important in these contexts, seven implications for design of e-readers were presented. Inconclusion, aspects that should be implicated into e-readers are ‘Travel compatible’, ‘Reminding’, ‘Personalized organization’, ‘Display collections’, ‘Encourage nostalgia’, ‘Provide inspiration’, and ‘Security and continuity’ to accommodate for the goals users have when using books in different contexts.

The efficacy of reading interventions on elementary students’ decoding and word reading skills and reading comprehension has been well-established in the literature. The efficacy of online reading interventions, however, is unknown. This study adapted an in-person reading fluency intervention for synchronous online implementation and examined its effectiveness in a single-case research design. Three struggling readers in grades 2 and 3 participated in an 8-week online reading intervention. Pre-test, post-test, and progress monitoring data were collected and analyzed. The results indicated that the online RAVE-O intervention was effective in increasing the participants’ accurate word reading and decoding skills as well as their reading comprehension. The adapted intervention was implemented with fidelity and maintained its efficacy in an online setting. For struggling readers who cannot access intervention resources in person, an online reading intervention such as the one used in this study could have a positive effect on their reading skills. / Graduate

The purpose of this project was to prepare a script for group interpretation based upon the theme of "alienation" as it occurs in selected works of contemporary American poets. The script was produced for an audience on the North Texas State University campus under the direction of the writer. The thesis includes the script, a discussion of the process of adaptation, and an evaluation of the production. The evaluation is based, in part upon the written critiques of four expert guest critics.