Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of English, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (D.M.A.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Robert Wells; submitted to the School of Music. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Apr. 29, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-52).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1998. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 11, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Ronald L. Strickland (chair), Jonathan M. Rosenthal, Cecil Giscombe. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 203-208) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (D.A.)--Illinois State University, 1997. / Title from title page screen, viewed June 7, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Ron Fortune (chair), Douglas D. Hesse, Lee Brasseur. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-225) and abstract. Also available in print.

O objeto da presente pesquisa incide na análise das concepções e práticas de leitura ocorridas na biblioteca escolar de uma escola do campo, localizada no município de Guarapuava, distrito do Guará, considerando seu papel na promoção da leitura literária. Pauta-se em referencial teórico sobre a dimensão dialógica da linguagem a partir dos pressupostos da teoria interacionista de Bakhtin (2004); a ênfase no leitor oriunda da Estética da Recepção (JAUSS, 1994; ZILBERMAN, 1989); a promoção da leitura na educação literária e o papel da biblioteca na formação do leitor do ponto de vista de teóricos como Aguiar (2006), Colomer (2003), Fragoso (2011), Perrotti (1990), e Silva (1988). O objetivo principal consiste em identificar a contribuição e relevância da biblioteca para a formação do leitor na escola do campo a partir estudos da área e das propostas nas Diretrizes Curriculares da Educação do Campo. Como procedimentos, adota-se primeiramente a análise dos documentos oficiais que norteiam as ações da escola para apreender qual a importância dada à biblioteca na formação do leitor, destacando em que medida esse espaço é percebido como relevante nos documentos oficiais. Numa segunda etapa realiza-se uma pesquisa qualitativa a partir de entrevistas com uma professora de língua portuguesa e a responsável pela biblioteca do colégio. Na análise desses depoimentos, procura-se compreender a concepção de leitura apresentada pelo professor da disciplina a partir da aplicação das Diretrizes Curriculares Estaduais – Língua Portuguesa e das Diretrizes Curriculares para a Educação do Campo no Paraná; identificar as concepções desenvolvidas, na prática, e seus reflexos para a biblioteca escolar quanto à formação do leitor e sua relação com a biblioteca no trabalho com a leitura na escola do campo. Dessa forma, busca-se contrapor os limites e as contradições no discurso dos sujeitos da pesquisa com as possibilidades para a biblioteca da escola do campo. Como resultado, depreende-se que apesar da importância da biblioteca escolar para formação do leitor presente tanto em textos da área da leitura e do ensino de literatura e também em discursos dos sujeitos da pesquisa, na prática seu papel ainda está circunscrito ao depósito de livros e a um espaço consagrado ao estudo silencioso de tópicos escolares específicos, indicando uma desconsideração do potencial pedagógico e social da biblioteca, como o demonstra também sua ausência em documentos oficiais como as Diretrizes Curriculares do Estado do Paraná para Língua Portuguesa e Literatura e para a Educação do Campo. Em face disso, esta pesquisa tem também o objetivo de propiciar para a biblioteca da escola do campo subsídios no sentido de promover novas e variadas ações em prol de atividades educativas, tais como as literárias, sociais e culturais. / The object of this research is analyzing the reading’s conceptions and practices occurred at a rural school’s library, situated in Guarapuava’s city, district Guará, considering the role it plays on the promotion of literary reading. It takes base on the theoretical references about language’s dialogical dimension, starting from the assumptions of Bakhtin’s Interactionist Theory (2004); passing by the emphasis on the reader taking from Aesthetic of Reception (JAUSS, 1994; ZILBERMAN, 1989); until the promotion of reading on the literary education and the library’s role on the generation of readers considering points of view from theorists like Aguiar (2006), Colomer (2003), Fragoso (2011), Perrotti (1990), and Silva (1988). The principal aim is identifying the contribution and relevance of the library to formation of rural school’s readers since related studies and proposals from Rural Education’s Curriculum Guidelines. As proceedings, it adopts firstly the analysis of official documentation that guide the school’s actions, aiming to seize the importance attributed to the library on the reader’s formation, highlighting the extent to which this space is perceived as relevant in the official documentation. At a second step it develops a qualitative research using interviews with both a Portuguese Language’s teacher and a school’s librarian. By the analyze of those statements, it pursuits: understanding of the conception of reading submitted by that subject’s teacher since the application of State Curriculum Guidelines – for both Portuguese Language and Rural Schools; identifying the conceptions developed, at the practice, and its reflections for the school library as to reader’s formation, as well as its relation with the library and the work of reading at the rural school. Thereby, it aims to compare the limitations and contradictions in the research subjects’ discourse to the possibilities to the rural school’s library. As result, it infers that beside the importance of the school’s library on the reader’s formation which is showed at texts related to reading and literature teaching’s tissues, as well as at research subjects’ discourses, in practice its role is still restricted to storage of books and a space of silent study of specific scholar’s points, indicating some slight to pedagogical and social potential of the library, as demonstrated by its absence in official documentation at Paraná State Curriculum Guidelines for both Portuguese Language and Rural Education. In face of that, this research also aims propitiating to the rural school’s library subsidies to promote news and varied actions toward educational activities as literary, social and cultural activities.

This thesis proposes that the ancient Greek novels theorize their readers from within themselves. The novels self-consciously promote and construct a reader who is curious, or polypragmôn, and lead this reader towards a recognition of that fact. The reader becomes aware of his or her experience of reading as a process. Drawing on Plutarch's suggestion that the best way to turn curiosity into a force for good is to turn it on oneself, this thesis puts forward the idea that the novels lead a curious reader to engage with his or her encounter with the text, to identify him or herself as curious, and in so doing come to a position of self-analysis. Attention is drawn to the experience of reading, and the lessons that can be learnt from it, by the embedding of narratives within the novels. Embedded or partial narratives can suggest alternative storylines and encourage the curious reader to pry and collaborate with the narrator. The experience of interior space maps the reader's encounter with the novel, constructing him or her as curious as s/he is encouraged to peep through gaps in doors, follow the narrator through doors, and think about his or her status as voyeur and eavesdropper. Deceptive narratives lead the reader to follow suggested storylines and to interrogate the text to try to discover the 'truth' that may lie behind the narrative. Finally, the presence of female characters incites the curious reader to find out what s/he can about them, pushing the narrative to its limit. In going through this process of interrogating the text and actively striving to find out more by reading between the lines, the reader becomes aware of reading as a process, and of his or her curiosity, thus becoming able to analyse him or herself. The novels thus promote a theory of how their readers approach them.

abstract: The critical-thinking skill of problem solving needs to be part of the curriculum for all students, including those with learning disabilities living in poverty; yet, too often this is not the case. Too often students in poverty and students with learning disabilities are provided a curriculum that is watered down, focused on the basics, and aimed at managing their behaviors instead of helping them learn to think critically about their world. Despite their challenges, these students can learn to problem solve. Educators need to help students make connections between the critical-thinking skills learned in school and the problem-solving skills needed for life. One solution might be to use literature with characters facing similar problems, hold grand conversations, and teach them a problem solving method. Together, these three parts have the potential to motivate and lead students to better thinking. This action research study explored whether literature with characters facing similar problems to the study's participants, grand conversations, and the I SOLVE problem solving method would help students with disabilities living in poverty in the Southwestern United States develop the problem-solving skills they need to understand and successfully navigate their world. Data were collected using a mixed methods approach. The Motivation to Read Profile, I SOLVE problem-solving survey, thought bubbles, student journals, transcripts from grand conversations, and researcher's journal were tools used. To understand fully how and to what extent literature and grand conversations helped students gain the critical thinking skill of problem solving, data were mixed in a convergence model. Results show the I SOLVE problem-solving method was an effective way to teach problem-solving steps. Scores on the problem-solving survey rose pre- to post-test. Grand conversations focused on literature with character's facing problems led to an increase in students' motivation to read, and this population of students were able to make aesthetic connections and interpretations to the texts read. From these findings implications for teachers are provided. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

In this essay, reader-response theory is used to explore the application of history in "The Rats in the Walls" and "At the Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft.Utilizing the concepts of the informed reader and temporal reading, this essay concludes that Lovecraft used history in two distinct ways. Firstly, history is used as a means to build immersion, ambience, and explore the individual's place in history by drawing upon English cultural layers. Secondly, it functions to reflect on human history in relation to human existence and geological history by turning the history of Earth into the history of an alien species. Furthermore, this essay concludes that Lovecraft and history could be valuble assets to an EFL classroom by relating the findings to theory on reader-response in education. Firstly, it enables students to reflect on social issues in the past and the present by looking at Lovecraft's historical settings, his antiquated prose and the casual racism he exhibits in his texts. Secondly, Lovecraft's apparent obsession with his historical identity and ancestry provides an opening for the students to contemplate their own sense of identity as it relates to culture and history. The underlying idea being that the best way to reveal Lovecraft's use of history is to consider what the individual reader brings to the reading experience.

In this dissertation it is argued that literary theories have traditionally extended abundant attention on authors and texts, neglecting, with very few exceptions, the impor- tant role of the READER. To address this imbalance, par- ticular attention will be paid to the view of Wolfgang Iser, that a literary text can only elicit a response when it is read, and that it is virtually impossible to describe this response without also analysing the READING PROCESS. I share this view as it makes logical sense: a literary text remains meaningless, a mere 'paper and ink' production without the involvement of the reader. It is also the reader's own com- petence, his sense of aesthetic perception which enables him to make sense of the, in the literary text embedded message, hence the title: "The Nature of Aesthetic Perception in Literature. The Interaction between Text and Reader in the Process of Perceiving Literary Texts." / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Theory of Literature)

Syftet med denna studie är att få kunskap om textvalets betydelse för litteratursamtalet. Studiens empiriska material samlas in via videoupptagningar av observationer av åtta litteratursamtal med elever i årskurs 2. Observationerna är öppna, deltagande och genomförs i en arrangerad kontext. Litteratursamtalen utgår från fyra olika texter. I studien deltar 15 elever, uppdelade i två grupper. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är reader-response-teorin utifrån vilken läsarens upplevelse och förståelse för en text är det intressanta. Vi kopplar de teoretiska begreppen luckor samt estetisk och efferent läsning till studiens resultat. Med luckor menas de oskrivna delar av texten som ger läsaren möjligheten att föreställa sig saker när denne läser. Efferent läsning innebär att läsa effektivt för att få ut information från texten medan estetisk läsning innefattar den egna läsupplevelsen, vilka känslor, associationer och fantasier texten väcker under läsningen. Sammanfattningsvis visar studien att olika texter kan ge upphov till att olika samtalsämnen dominerar litteratursamtalen. Texter som inte innehåller många luckor kan leda till att texten läses mer efferent och att litteratursamtalet handlar mer om det som står tydligt skrivet i texten. Texter med flera luckor kan ge eleverna större möjligheter till att fantisera och reflektera och litteratursamtalet antar då en mer tolkande och analyserande karaktär. Det innebär att läraren kan göra medvetna textval för att styra litteratursamtalen.