A Research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English Education at the University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, November 1998 / With the emergence of South Africa as a new democracy and the concomitant new constitution there has been interesting and subtle change in the context in which I teach. The composition of my classrooms has changed and thus I have used journal writing by the students to try to deal meaningfully and transformatively with these changes. My classroom had within a relatively short space of time, become a multi-cultural one in which silences, different from those I had previously noticed, emerged. [No abstract provided. Information taken from introduction]. / MT2017

Orientador: Maria do Rosário Longo Mortatti / Banca: Justino Pereira de Magalhães / Banca: Mirian Jorge Warde / Banca: João Luís Cardoso Tápias Ceccantini / Banca: Rosa Fátima de Souza Chaloba / Resumo: Nesta tese, apresentam-se resultados de pesquisa de Doutorado em Educação vinculada ao Grupo de Pesquisa e ao Projeto Integrado de Pesquisa "História do Ensino de Língua e Literatura no Brasil", coordenados por Maria do Rosário Longo Mortatti. Com o objetivo de contribuir para a compreensão da história do ensino da literatura infantil e sua relação com questões até então não exploradas sobre a história da formação de professores, focalizaram-se aspectos relacionados ao "ensinar a ensinar" literatura infantil nos cursos de formação de professores primários no estado de São Paulo, no período compreendido entre 1947 e 2003, datas, respectivamente, da primeira e da última vez em que se constatou a presença da matéria/disciplina "Literatura infantil" nos programas de ensino dos cursos de formação de professores primários desse estado. Mediante abordagem histórica, centrada em pesquisa documental e bibliográfica, desenvolvida por meio da utilização dos procedimentos de localização, recuperação, reunião, seleção e ordenação de fontes documentais e leitura de bibliografia especializada, reuniram-se referências de diferentes tipos de textos relacionados ao ensino da literatura infantil no estado de São Paulo. Dentre os textos localizados, foram selecionados para análise da configuração textual os manuais de ensino, por serem os mais representativos em relação aos objetivos da pesquisa. Essa análise possibilitou compreender que: a institucionlaização do ensino da literatura infantil na formação de professores esteve diretamente relacionada à construção de um saber escolar sobre esse gênero literário que, na ausência de um saber teórico ou saber de referência sobre o assunto, passou a "funcionar" como uma teorização. Esse saber escolar, formulado e disseminado no interior do ensino da literatura infantil na formação de professores, encontrou sua sustentação... / Abstract: In this dissertation, we present results of a doctoral study in Education in the scope of the Research Group and the Integrated Research Project "History of Teaching Language and Literature in Brazil", coordinated by Maria do Rosário Long Mortatti. Aiming to contribute to the understanding of the history of teaching children's literature and its relation to the history of teacher education, we focus on some aspects related to "teaching to teach" children's literature on teacher education courses for primary school in São Paulo State. The period is delimited between 1947 and 2003, respectively the first and last years in which we found the presence of "Children's Literature" as a school subject in the teaching programs of teacher education courses. Through historical approach, focusing on documentary and bibliographical research and using procedures of locating, recovering, assembling, selecting, ordering documentary sources and reading specialized bibliography, we gathered references of different types of texts related to teaching children's literature in São Paulo State. Among the texts that we found, we selected teaching manuals for the analysis of textual configuration, for being the most representative in relation to the research objectives. This analysis enabled us to understand that: the inclusion of teaching children's literature in teacher education has been directly related to the construction of a school knowledge about this literary genre that, in the absence of a theoretical or reference knowledge on the subject, proceeded to "work" as a theorization. This school knowledge, formulated and disseminated within teaching children's literature in teacher education, has been theoretically supported by concepts of Psychology. This has directly contributed to the formation of a concept of children's literature related to children's mental development. Finally, with the strength of an ... / Doutor

Orientador: Benedito Antunes / Banca: Ana Crelia Penha Dias / Banca: José Batista de Sales / Banca: Maira Angélica Pandolfi / Banca: Sérgio Fabiano Annibal / Resumo: O ensino de literatura, no Ensino Médio, frequentemente é questionado sob a acusação de que os jovens não gostam de ler os livros solicitados por seus professores em virtude de algumas listas exigidas em concursos vestibulares. Trata-se de um cenário que se apresenta em crise, no qual, porém, constatamos um movimento contrário na abordagem feita do literário em algumas práticas. Desse modo, cabe perguntar como algumas escolas, mesmo em um cenário caótico, conseguem competência leitora em avaliações como o ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio), por exemplo, e amenizam tal situação. Nesse sentido, o trabalho objetiva analisar as práticas de formação de leitores de literatura, no nível médio, de duas escolas, uma pública e outra privada, no estado do Paraná, localizadas, respectivamente, em Curitiba e Cascavel, que revelam boas práticas e foram escolhidas com base no resultado do ENEM de 2015. Nessas escolas, existe a formação de leitores? A literatura tem funcionado como uma experiência viva no processo de ensino? Optamos por um duplo viés, por considerar que os dados aliados à análise podem revelar um refinamento maior dos resultados. Na ordem quantitativa, interessou-nos saber: 1. Como a história de leitura dos professores impacta as aulas por eles ministradas; 2. Como os professores do Ensino Médio realizam suas escolhas de livros; 3. Identificar as práticas de leituras literária nessas escolas do Ensino Médio. Nesse sentido, a partir do cruzamento dos dados, pretendíamos id... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Resumen: La enseñanza de literatura, en la enseñanza media, es frecuentemente cuestionada bajo la acusación de que a los jóvenes no les gusta leer los libros solicitados por sus profesores debido a algunas listas exigidas en exámenes de acceso a la universidad. Se trata de un escenario que se presenta en crisis, sin embargo en el cual constatamos un movimiento contrario en algunas prácticas. De ese modo, cabe preguntar como algunas escuelas, aunque en un escenario caótico, consiguen buen desempeño en evaluaciones como el ENEM (Examen Nacional de la Enseñanza Media), por ejemplo, y amenizan tal situación. En ese sentido, el trabajo pretende analizar las prácticas de formación de lectores de literatura, en el nivel medio, de dos escuelas, una pública y otra privada, en el estado de Paraná, ubicadas, respectivamente, en Curitiba y Cascavel, que revelan buenas prácticas y fueron elegidas con base en el resultado del ENEM de 2015. En esas escuelas, ¿existe la formación de lectores? ¿La literatura ha funcionado como una experiencia viva en el proceso de enseñanza? Optamos por un doble sesgo, por considerar que los datos aliados al análisis pueden revelar un refinamiento mayor de los resultados. En el orden cuantitativo, nos interesó saber: 1. Como la historia de lectura de los educadores impacta las clases impartidas por ellos; 2. Como los mediadores de la enseñanza media realizan sus elecciones de libros; 3. Identificar las prácticas de lectura literarias en esas escuelas de enseñanza media. En ese sentido, a partir del cruce de datos, pretendíamos identificar las prácticas utilizadas para la formación de lectores de las dos "mejores" escuelas, pública y privada, del estado de Paraná. Cómo, por qué y para qué la literatura es enseñada en la escuela son cuestiones que condujeron la investigación. Los instrumentos utilizados para... (Resumen completo clicar acceso eletrônico abajo) / Doutor

Orientador: Maria Augusta Hermengarda Wurthmann Ribeiro / Banca: Laura Noemi Chaluh / Banca: Renata Cristina Oliveira Barrichelo Cunha / Resumo: A pesquisa analisa o livro Reinações de Narizinho, de Monteiro Lobato, com o objetivo de evidenciar o processo de desliteraturização da linguagem. Em Lobato, a desliteraturização corresponde ao processo de aproximação da linguagem às crianças, evitando a literatura como primazia de forma e privilegiando a oralidade, a fantasia, um vocabulário mais próximo do universo infantil, com temáticas mais interessantes à criança. Defendendo uma literatura infantil a "correr de pena", singela, "estilo água no pote", Lobato retira o "excesso de literatura" de seus textos, optando por uma escrita mais leve, próxima da língua falada, coloquial, recorrendo ao diálogo e exemplos "abrasileirados" que aproximam os leitores infantis da própria realidade. A desliteraturização da linguagem em Reinações de Narizinho está exemplificada, como demonstrado ao longo da pesquisa, na concepção da obra, no título, na construção dos reinos e personagens lobatianos, bem como na escolha das histórias infantis, no foco narrativo e na estilística de sua linguagem. Longe de empobrecer ou desvalorizar a literatura, a desliteraturização a que Lobato se propôs fundou a Literatura Infantil Brasileira / Abstract: This paper analyzes the book Reinações de Narizinho, by Monteiro Lobato, aiming to evidence the process of deliteralization of language. Deliteralization in Lobato's work means the process of approaching language and children avoiding literature as the primacy of form and favoring the orality, the fantasy and a vocabulary closer to the children's universe, with themes that are more interesting to them. Intending to defend a simple children's literature, "like water in the pot", Lobato draws the "excess of literature" from his texts, choosing a lighter written, close to the colloquial spoken language, resorting to dialogue and typical Brazilian examples which approach the child readers of reality itself. The deliteralization of language in Reinações de Narizinho is exemplified, as demonstrated throughout this paper, in the design of the work, in the title, in the construction of Lobato's kingdoms and characters, as well as in the choice of children's stories, the narrative focus and the stylistics of his language. Without impoverishing or devalue literature, the deliteralization that Lobato aimed at has initiated the Brazilian children's literature / Mestre

This critical explanatory mixed methods study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature in the curriculum. An electronic survey questionnaire and focus group sessions were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data that described the perceived benefits and barriers of LGBTQ-themed literature and teachers’ level of interest in attending professional developing on this topic. The sample population for this study consisted of 100 participants. All 100 participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire, and a subset of 10 of the survey respondents participated in focus groups to explore further the perceived benefits and barriers relating to the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature. There were five key findings that emerged in relation to the research questions for this survey: (1) although teachers perceive parental backlash and insufficient training as the two most significant barriers preventing them from including LGBTQ-themed literature in their classroom, their beliefs and comfort levels surrounding LGBTQ individuals and topics are significant barriers as well; (2) participants felt there were many significant benefits that might result from the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature, including building an increased awareness of diversity among students and less bullying in regards to sexual orientation/gender expression; (3) participants felt that parents and administration have significant control over what teachers can teach in their classrooms, and that their autonomy and choice was straightjacketed by the demands of the parents and administrators; (4) participants were interested in attending professional development training focusing on the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature; and (5) Black respondents expressed more hesitation towards the inclusion of LGBTQ-themed literature as well as towards attending LGBTQ-themed professional development than other demographic subgroups. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

My dissertation research studies the use of video games as texts for analysis in a College English course. The purpose of the study was to see what happens when College English students are asked to engage with a video game as a class text, use their engagement with a video game to make sense of other texts, and how reader-response theory applies to making meaning of video games as texts. A secondary purpose was to study, if this transaction does take place, whether video games can support the kind of analysis required of a College English curriculum and what this curriculum might look like. I conducted this study as an autoethnography of a course designed for this purpose as the course instructor. Observing my students’ participation and analyzing their written work served as the primary data, as well as self-reflection on my own meaning-making processes. My final observations suggest that students engaged with the video game as a class text, though not more than they might have any other text; however, the nature of playing the text (and the multiple interpretations that afforded individual students) encouraged a critical reading in which students readily participated. For this reason, game choice was of paramount importance, that it might align with learning objectives but was accessible to a wide variety of prior experience with video games. Finally, a committee of department faculty deemed the majority of student work as of the quality expected for the course, suggesting video games can serve as texts for analysis that the field expects of its students. The implications of this study should inform English Education’s adaption to teaching the multiple literacies of the 21st century, as this research itself is multimodal and requires multiple literacies to read. This choice of research method and format was also meant to serve as examples of the transactions I and students experienced in the study.

This dissertation focuses on understanding and investigating the role of the idea of the literary canon in the teaching of literature—especially at the secondary level. This role, in the form of “standard authors” of literary works, is as old as the field itself in U.S. schools (Applebee, 1974). While many who have argued for and against the literary canon have done so by slinging vituperative remarks at each other (Lauter, 1991; Guillory, 1993; Bloom, 1995; Cain, 2013), this study is not an argument against the canon or its bedfellows, nor does it advocate a “counter canon,” the teaching of any specific texts, or the teaching of a singular interpretive approach. In this study, I attempt to describe and interrogate forces of canon formation that intersect with the teaching of literature, and offer speculations as to how the role of the canon in the teaching of literature may be reconceptualized to better understand the manifold processes involved in selecting and teaching texts in an English classroom. The concept of the canon is much older than the discipline of the teaching of literature, dating as far back as to ancient Greek thinkers like Polycletus and Aristotle (Gorak, 1991). I briefly trace the history of the idea of the canon from antiquity to its more modern usage for imaginative literary works, appearing in the 1700s (Patey, 1988; Kramnick, 1997; Ross, 1998), and the subsequent notion of some texts being worthier than others in the teaching of literature. I examine how social and philosophical movements gaining ground in the 1960s and 1970s led to serious criticisms of the literary canon (Smith, 1983; Lauter, 1991; Gallagher, 1997; Franke, 2011). I then posit three broad forces of canon formation in the teaching of literature: cultural forces, processes of categorization, and changing interpretive practices. To further understand how these forces shape and change the literary canon as the teaching of literature changes at the local level of teachers who at times self-govern what counts as a teachable literary text (Aston, 2017), I develop a conceptual framework based on Michel Foucault’s ideas of power relations and Manuel DeLanda’s assemblage theory (based on the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari). This is again not to eliminate or suggest a counter canon, but to describe and shine a light on operations of canon formation (encoded in teaching documents, standards, and anthologies) that may at times narrow the teaching of literature while at other times expand it, pointing to the flexible and adaptive, though often contested, nature of the canon in the teaching of literature.

Bibliography: leaves i-xvii / v, 290, xvii leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology, 1986

Presenting and synthesizing several paradigms for the teaching of literature in American colleges, I investigate how definitions of reading, readers, texts, interpretations, and knowledge affect student acts of reading and writing. In addition, I draw upon specific examples of text-based, reader-based, and social-cultural based models for the teaching of reading to demonstrate how particular pedagogical theories and practices emerge from and reflect larger ideological concepts and paradigms. Cognitive-oriented models of reading that rely upon schema theory to explain comprehension and interpretation, for example, have been used by theorists who advocated a text-based approach to literary analysis. Even though cognitive models are based on scientific studies that focus on the mental faculties of individual readers, I classify it as a text-based model because when translated into classroom practice, interpretive emphasis has been placed on the text rather than the reader. Therefore, the reader is subordinated to the text in various ways. Expressive and social-cultural theories presented by Louise Rosenblatt, Wolfgang Iser, Stanley Fish, and Kathleen McCormick are used to demonstrate how the rhetorical emphasis of interpretation can be shifted away from the text and toward the reader. As a reader-based theorist, for example, Rosenblatt advocates personal response as the most rewarding form of textual interaction students can experience. McCormick declares that personal response should be analyzed more extensively than the expressive model suggests, however. Hence, she proposes a social-based model that asserts both the cultures of reception and production should be studied as a means for better understanding individual responses to texts. But reading is not my only focus in this project. In each chapter, I extrapolate as to how theories of reading, when translated into classroom practice, affect both student writing and student participation in the making of meaning. Therefore, to enrich my theoretical discussions of pedagogy and its affects on students, I draw upon my experiences as both a teacher and a student to provide practical classroom examples of student acts of reading, interpretation, and writing. Moreover, the application chapters of this project present two extensive examples of how theory can be translated into practice-the first is a discussion of a recent composition course I taught, and the second is an example student paper that performs a McCormickean analysis of Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. From theory to practice, then, this project presents and challenges what it means to be a teacher and a student of literature and composition. / Graduation date: 1997

The freshman course in "writing about literature" is a metaphor of the profession of English. Political disagreements with English departments, vocational pressures exerted from outside the English department, and philosophical differences among composition specialists intersect in the composition course based on literature as they do in no other course. A new paradigm for teaching writing and a revival of rhetorical studies have led many institutions to exclude the reading of imaginative literature from freshman composition courses.This dissertation argues, however, that to include literature in freshman composition is both desirable and possible. Through a history of composition teaching in America, Chapter One analyzes relationships among rhetoric; literature, and composition, demonstrating that writing and reading were effectively interrelated for almost 300 years. It attributes the ineffectivenessabout literature" courses in recent years to an unexamined rhetorical theory and an inappropriate method of objective literary criticism.To reintegrate literature with composition on more solid grounds, Chapters Two and Three explore the needs of freshman students as writers and readers. Chapter Two examines contemporary research in composition, proposing a substitute for current traditional rhetoric. Chapter Three examines literary theories and response to literature, proposing a substitute for objective criticism.Chapter Four reviews proposals to integrate reading and writing, revealing a widespread assumption that writing about literature--in freshman courses as in graduate seminars--means writing objective, analytical, critical prose. It cites significant evidence from many fields that developing writers need to express personal, affective, and poetic ideas as well as to develop critical understanding.Chapter Five proposes a rhetoric for freshman composition that includes the reading and writing of transactional, expressive, and poetic discourse. Organized by means of Janet Emig's "inquiry paradigm," it clarifies a view of reality, a set of assumptions, an intellectual heritage, and a theory for this rhetoric. Finally, it offers one example of an introductory freshman composition course consistent with the rhetorical framework. Using conventional readings in American literature, it suggests methods of teaching and evaluating designed to create an environment in which the activities of reading and writing can be expected to reinforce one another.