Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur gymnasieelever upplever litteraturläsning samt i vilken utsträckning estetiska läsningar görs. Vidare undersöks hur litteraturläsningens potentiella pedagogisk-didaktiska funktioner uppnås och/eller utnyttjas. Data har samlats in genom en enkät med öppna och slutna frågor. Genom diskursanalys har respondenternas svar kategoriserats och kommenterats. Resultatet visar att eleverna både genomlider och genomlever undervisningen och läsningen. Andelen estetiska läsningar är låg jämfört med andelen efferenta. En grupp respondenter signalerar att de inte kan skapa någon mening i och av sin läsning alls och det finns respondenter som gör uttalat efferenta läsningar och som därvid lyckas sämre med att skapa mening: dessa genomlider således. Det finns tecken på goda estetiska läsningar i respondentgruppen som ett resultat av ett genomlevande av litteraturen. Dessa läsningar lyfts sällan fram som bas för kunskapsutvecklande samtal kring läsning vilket sannolikt skulle gynna den förra gruppen respondenter. Studien visar även att vissa respondenters läsningsförmåga är svag och denna primärt behöver stärkas. Studien visar på en relativt svag uppfattning kring litteraturläsningens syfte: från disciplinär åtgärd via språkriktighet till insikt om den egna individen. Det finns utrymme för att öka litteraturläsningens didaktiska funktioner och positiva effekter på kunskaps- och personlighetsutveckling. Studien visar att detta kan uppnås genom att främja läsningsförmågan hos efferenta och allmänt svaga läsare genom en förstärkning av uppfattningen av litteraturläsningens syften, uppdelning mellan litteraturhistoria och utveckling av läsningsförmåga, stärkt stöd före och efter läsningen, gemensam läsning och bok- och textsamtal. Formativ bedömning skulle stärka individuella insatser i förmågansutvecklingen samt höja den kvalitativa nivån på elevernas läsningar.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to focus on the cause and effect of what has been referred to as intrinsic and extrinsic motivation when it comes to second language learning through literature, where the novel To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee served as an example. The study started off by presenting a definition of the so called intrinsic and extrinsic motivation respectively, as well as the three perspectives psychodynamic, cognitive and socio-cultural by which it was discussed, in order to cement the framework of it and problematize its boundaries accordingly. It later focused on where and how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation respectively came into play, and what possible outcome the two different types might result in when discussing language learning. The applied method was to do a qualitative hermeneutic study by presenting earlier research and having it as a basis when hypothesizing in order to solve the research questions. This study was limited to discussing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation respectively in order to ascertain how both phenomena manifest themselves and ultimately how they affect learning, and by presenting numerous examples in the analysis it was concluded that: a) extrinsic and intrinsic motivation tend to inescapably intertwine during the process of learning and thereby end up being in need of each other, and b) that the order to how one musters extrinsic motivation, when undertaking in the educational enterprise of reading a novel, was opposite from that of the intrinsic motivation as extrinsic motivation is based on an external source of reward and therefore merely in need of an external source rather than an intrinsic curiosity. Keywords Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic motivation, Cognitive perspective, Psychodynamic perspective, Sociocultural perspective, Zone of proximal development, Efferent reading, Aesthetic reading.

Book talks have become widespread in school as they are considered to be beneficial for pupils’ potential to develop their analytical and communicative skills. The study aims to investigate book talks from a teacher’s perspective in order to compare different teachers’ experiences of book talks in relation to research. To explore this, interviews were conducted with four teachers who have experience of book talks in the intermediate level of compulsory school. To identify the teachers’ perspectives on book talks and what they value in the method, their interviews were analysed, among other things, in relation to Michael Tengberg’s concept of readings and Louise Rosenblatt’s theory of efferent and aesthetic reading. The result shows that the teachers’ descriptions of the conversations encompass a variety of readings and reading activities. They choose to highlight different themes from the literature, ranging from questions of basic values to word comprehension. The teachers support their pupils through scaffolding in the conversations so that they can potentially develop new knowledge and become more autonomous in their way of working. Autonomy in the conversations among older pupils can also be identified as a difference between grades four and six. The teachers think that book talks are rewarding because the pupils have a chance to speak and share each other’s experiences. The challenges include finding good books and getting the pupils to feel a sense of engagement.

High-stakes testing and accountability have infiltrated the education system in the United States; the top priority for all teachers must be student progress on standardized tests. This has resulted in the predominance of reading for test-taking, (efferent reading), in the English, language arts, and reading classrooms. Authentic uses of print activities, like aesthetic reading, that encourage students to engage individually with a text, have been pushed aside. During a 3-week time period, regular level, English 3/American literature students in a Title I magnet high school, participated in this quasi-experimental study (N = 62). It measured the effects of an intervention of reading American literature texts aesthetically and writing aesthetically-evoked reader responses on students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding their comprehension of American literature. One trained teacher and the researcher participated in the study: student participants were pre- and post- tested using the Confidence in Reading American Literature Survey which examined their self-efficacy beliefs regarding their comprehension of American literature. Several statistical analyses were performed. The results of the linear regression analyses partially supported a positive relationship between aesthetically-evoked reader responses and students’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding their comprehension of American literature. Additionally, the results of the 2 (sex) x 2 (treatment) ANCOVAs conducted to test group differences in self-efficacy beliefs regarding the comprehension of American literature between treatment and control groups indicated a main effect for treatment (but not sex; nor was there a significant sex x treatment interaction), suggesting the treatment was partially effective in increasing students’ self-efficacy beliefs. Seven of the twelve ANCOVAs indicated a statistically significant increase in the treatment group’s adjusted group mean self-efficacy belief scores as a result of being exposed to the intervention. In six of these seven analyses, increases in self-efficacy beliefs occurred in tasks that required three or more higher-order levels of thinking/learning. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical, empirical and practical significance. Future research is recommended to extend the intervention beyond the narrow confines of a Title I magnet school to settings where the intervention could be tested longitudinally, e. g., honors and gifted students, elementary and middle schools.

Developing critical thinking and mastering its skills has been a vital priority for the curriculum in Swedish upper-secondary school. The National Curriculum for upper-secondary school and the syllabus for the English subject emphasize the importance of implementing and enhancing the development of the students’ critical thinking which leads to having active learners who are able to think creatively and keeps them away from becoming narrow-minded. The purpose of this study is to explore the prospect of teaching critical thinking through reading literature. Guided by the critical thinking skills that are defined in The Delphi Report including (1) interpretation, (2) analysis, (3) evaluation, (4) inference, (5) explanation and (6) self-regulation, this study explores the possibility of promoting critical thinking skills through reading literature. The study also examines the efficacy of the reader-response approach in helping the students to be critical thinkers and active readers. Using qualitative data from conducting interviews, this study analyses teachers’ perspectives and considered the implications for teaching literature in terms of fostering the students’ critical thinking. The study showed that the teachers’ awareness of the significance of integrating literature in teaching English was found to play a great role in fostering the students as critical thinkers. The study also showed that teachers emphasized the importance of in-class discussions about literary works in order to expand the students’ thinking horizons and enhance their sense of self-confidence as contributors to the learning process. It also showed that the reader-response theory has a significant role in fostering the students’ critical thinking even though it is not clearly stated in the teachers’ perspectives on teaching literature.

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