This study used a 2 (advance organizers: paragraph vs. item) ¡Ñ 2 (story structures: hierarchical vs. sequential) experimental design to explore the effects of advance organizers and story structures on fifth graders¡¦ reading comprehension. The results were listed as following: 1. No matter the hierarchical story structure or the sequential story structure, students receiving the paragraph advance organizer recalled better on the total number of words and the idea units than the students receiving the item advance organizer. 2. The different advance organizers had different effects on students recall. Students receiving the paragraph advance organizer had a better recall on the main ideas, comprehension level 1, Comprehension level 2, and causal chain than students receiving the item advance organizer. 3. For the hierarchical story structure, students who receiving the paragraph advance organizer had a better recall on the detailed ideas and sequential recall than students receiving the item advance organizer. For the paragraph advance organizer, students receiving the hierarchical story structure had a better recall on the detailed ideas and sequential recall than students receiving the sequential story structure. 4. For the recall on dead-ends information, on the hierarchical story structure, students receiving the paragraph advance organizer had better recall than students receiving the item advance organizer. Also, on the item advance organizer, students receiving the sequential story structure had better recall than students receiving the hierarchical story structure. 5. The different advance organizers and story structures had effects on students¡¦ inferential ability. On the hierarchical story structure, the paragraph advance organizer performance surpassed in the item advance organizer. On the item advance organizer, students receiving the sequential story structure had better performance on the inference than students receiving the hierarchical story structure. 6. The different advance organizers had different effects on the literal comprehension. Students receiving the item advance organizer had better performance on the literal comprehension than student receiving the paragraph advance organizer. The different advance organizers and story structures have different effects on students¡¦ reading comprehension. Thus, teachers should to choose different advance organizers to present the reading material depends on the structure of the reading materials. Also, teachers should choose the story structure of the reading material based on which ability that students need to be strengthened.

This study took the widely-accepted, ‘industry standard’ Structural Paradigm of feature film plotting, and ‘road tested’ it, assessing its value as a tool in the process of actually writing a feature film script. The methodology employed was to write a feature film script (titled THE ARM THAT DOES THE HARM) and look to apply the Paradigm to the writing process. Journals recording the process were kept and peer assessment undertaken. The data from these sources was then analysed and conclusions drawn. The reason for and value of this study are that, while this Paradigm is widely espoused by screenwriting gurus, taught as part of film courses and applied as a tool of script assessment and review, there is very little documented evidence of its actual value to the practice of writing a script. My findings revealed that, though a useful reference point throughout, the Paradigm is most valuable during the early stages of story structuring and again, most particularly, when editing later drafts. An important outcome of this study was that it identified the Paradigm as a valuable tool, not a rule that must be adhered to, a series of points a narrative must be seen to ‘hit’ in order for it to be considered to have been told correctly. Further, this study demonstrated in practice how this tool can be applied. This study suggests that trying to force an evolving story into the confines of the Paradigm can inhibit the story from developing ‘organically’ from its characters. Rather, the Paradigm should be applied as a tool for helping shape stories that first and foremost should be character-driven.

Transformation events can be a change in a person's work, a change in philosophy, a sudden insight, or a break in a relationship. According to David Hufford and Marilyn Motz, narrating these experiences are ways in which people perform, construct, and communicate belief systems. The narrators within the context of this thesis experience their transformation through a career transformation. The narrators rediscover their initial passion and transform that desire into actions that results in a shift of career. Sometimes seen as inexplicable, nevertheless the narrators provide analysis and reflection on the influences that led to their change. Some of the actions or thoughts that the narrators incorporate in their stories demonstrate not only the progression of events but also the alterations narrators experience in their worldviews. The context in which these changes occur is essential to interpreting and understanding the experience. Narrative components are filtered through an interpretive process that includes personal meaning, contrast with social norms and cultural beliefs and the impact on the receiver to enable narrators to justify their experience. It is the reflection on these experiences through which people gain insight and establish relevance to events that seem sometimes beyond their control. Stories from pop culture to ordinary citizens who change their lives daily demonstrate the pervasiveness of the transformational effect of states of crisis through which people journey. People's lives are turned upside-down through these experiences which place the narrator out of their normal element. There are two levels to these story types: external and internal transformation. At a superficial level there is the journey to change careers but at another level there is a relationship to opening up cultural expectations or acting generatively, as role-models. Narrators are effecting change through their positive attitudes and acceptance of the trials they encounter during their transitions. Narrators discuss specific actions that create transformative life changes or philosophical shifts. My investigation studies how individuals are involved in transitional events in which they experience a disengagement from a previous life, spending some time in liminal space where they transition or regenerate into a new place in society. Part of my approach to this subject matter used theories introduced by Victor Turner (pilgrimages) and by Arnold Van Gennep (rites of passage). Regina Holloman proposes that rites of passage can occur not just as physical/material transformation but can occur psychically as well. Some of the narrative patterns that narrators use to construct these tales are identified within the context of folk belief and folklore scholarship.

Transformation events can be a change in a person's work, a change in philosophy, a sudden insight, or a break in a relationship. According to David Hufford and Marilyn Motz, narrating these experiences are ways in which people perform, construct, and communicate belief systems. The narrators within the context of this thesis experience their transformation through a career transformation. The narrators rediscover their initial passion and transform that desire into actions that results in a shift of career. Sometimes seen as inexplicable, nevertheless the narrators provide analysis and reflection on the influences that led to their change. Some of the actions or thoughts that the narrators incorporate in their stories demonstrate not only the progression of events but also the alterations narrators experience in their worldviews. The context in which these changes occur is essential to interpreting and understanding the experience. Narrative components are filtered through an interpretive process that includes personal meaning, contrast with social norms and cultural beliefs and the impact on the receiver to enable narrators to justify their experience. It is the reflection on these experiences through which people gain insight and establish relevance to events that seem sometimes beyond their control. Stories from pop culture to ordinary citizens who change their lives daily demonstrate the pervasiveness of the transformational effect of states of crisis through which people journey. People's lives are turned upside-down through these experiences which place the narrator out of their normal element. There are two levels to these story types: external and internal transformation. At a superficial level there is the journey to change careers but at another level there is a relationship to opening up cultural expectations or acting generatively, as role-models. Narrators are effecting change through their positive attitudes and acceptance of the trials they encounter during their transitions. Narrators discuss specific actions that create transformative life changes or philosophical shifts. My investigation studies how individuals are involved in transitional events in which they experience a disengagement from a previous life, spending some time in liminal space where they transition or regenerate into a new place in society. Part of my approach to this subject matter used theories introduced by Victor Turner (pilgrimages) and by Arnold Van Gennep (rites of passage). Regina Holloman proposes that rites of passage can occur not just as physical/material transformation but can occur psychically as well. Some of the narrative patterns that narrators use to construct these tales are identified within the context of folk belief and folklore scholarship.

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AFRIKAANS: Die doelwit van die studie is die skepping van ‘n omvattende kontrolelys vir die skryf en evalueer van dramadraaiboeke. Die navorsing dek alle tradisionele kommersiële genres binne rolprentdrama, met die uitsondering van komedie. Om die kontrolelys te skep, is daar eers gepoog om die somtotaal van tegnieke wat die vakgebied van dramadraaiboekskryf behels, te identifiseer. Dit vergestalt in sewe inventarisse naamlik: Bestaande kontrolelyste, genre-eienskappe en draaiboekskryftegnieke vir struktuur, plot, emosie, karakters, en dialoog&diverse. Die studie behels kwalitatiewe navorsing wat beide beskrywend en voorskriftelik is. Die uitleg en inhoud is as volg: Hoofstuk 1: Navorsingsontwerp dek die • oriëntasie ten opsigte van die onderwerp; • konteks en relevansie van die navorsing; • teoretiese grondslag soos tipe navorsing, aannames en definisies; • formulering van die navorsingsprobleem; • uiteensetting van die metodologie; • stappe in die skepping van die meesterkontrolelys; • styl en aanbieding; en • oorsig van die navorsing. Hoofstuk 2: Teoretiese onderbou bevat die fundamentele literatuurstudie. Primêre teorieë omskryf Anderson en Anderson se teorie oor hoe kykers ‘n rolprent waarneem, sowel as Gerrig en Prentice se teorie oor kykers se onbewustelike deelname aan, en emosionele reaksie op, rolprentstories. Sekondêre teorieë kyk na die volgende: Sielkunde sit Freud se teorie oor menslike gedrag uiteen, sowel as kort teorieë oor menslike houdings, identifikasie met persone, die eienskappe van emosie en die mag, eienskappe en funksies van leiers. Kommunikasiekunde kyk na die gedrag van leiers, besluitneming in kleingroepe en die kommunikasie van openbare waardes in gemeenskappe. Onder empatie in fiksierolprente word Neill se voorwaardes vir empatie met rolprentkarakters uiteengesit. Mitologie dek Campbell se boek The hero with a thousand faces en Vogler se boek The writer’s journey. Draaiboekskryfteorie sit die klassieke dramatiese struktuur, tweedoelwitstruktuur en negebedryfstruktuur uiteen. Inventaris van kontrolelyste dokumenteer alle kontrolelyste vanaf Freeburg (1920) tot Human (2003), sowel as drie dokumente van Amerikaanse rolprentmaatskappye wat gebruik word vir die evaluering van draaiboeke. Inventaris van genre-eienskappe dokumenteer plot-, struktuur- en karakter-eienskappe van alle kommersiële genres, komedie uitgesluit. Hoofstuk 3: Inventaris van strukturele tegnieke lys alle skryftegenieke wat van toepassing is op struktuur. Dit bevat 27 afdelings met opskrifte soos Tipes strukture, Die heldereis en Klimaks en hoofklimaks. Hoofstuk 4: Inventaris van plot- en emosietegnieke lys alle skryftegnieke wat van toepassing is op plot en emosie. Dit bevat 90 afdelings met opskrifte soos Uiteensetting: algemeen, Konfrontasie en Afloop/epiloog/einde. Hoofstuk 5: Inventaris van karaktertegnieke lys alle skryftegnieke wat van toepassing is op karakter. Dit bevat 80 afdelings met opsrifte soos Effektiewe rolprentkarakters, Tipe karakters en Karakterverandering/-ontwikkeling. Hoofstuk 6: Inventaris van dialoog- en diverse tegnieke lys alle skryftegnieke wat van toepassing is op dialoog en diverse elemente. Dit bevat 46 afdelings met opskrifte soos Effektiewe dialoog, Subteks en Begroting. Hoofstuk 7: Die meesterkontrolelys bevat die primêre navorsingsuitset, naamlik ‘n omvattende kontrolelys van 5 550 vrae. Dit is ‘n buigsame instrument wat die draaiboekevalueerder of –skrywer lei deur alle bekende veranderlikes van ‘n storie. Dit is saamgestel uit hoofstukke twee tot ses. Dit bestaan uit vyf makrokontrolelyste: struktuur, plot, emosie, karakters en dialoog, wat elkeen uit ‘n aantal mikrokontrolelyste bestaan. Hoofstuk 8: Samevatting evalueer die beantwoording van die navorsingsvrae, bespreek moontlike gebreke in die navorsing en maak aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing. Laastens volg die bibliografie en bylaes. ABSTRACT (English) The objective of the research is the creation of an extensive checklist for writing and evaluating screenplays. The research covers all traditional commercial genres within motion picture drama, with the exception of comedy. To create the checklist, an attempt was made to identify the sum total of techniques within the discipline of drama scriptwriting. Seven inventories were compiles, namely: existing checklists; genre characteristics; and scriptwriting techniques for structure; plot, emotion; characters; and dialogue&diverse. Information for the thesis was obtained from qualitative research that is both descriptive and prescriptive. The layout and content are as follows: • orientation of the subject; • context and relevance of the research; • theoretical basis, for example type of research, assumptions and definitions; • formulation of the research problem; • explanation of the methodology; • steps in the creation of the master checklist; • style and presentation; and • overview of the research. Chapter 2: Theoretical foundation is an overview of the fundamental literature study. Under Primary theories Anderson and Anderson’s theory on how viewers perceive a motion picture is described as well as Gerrig and Prentice’s theory on the subjective participation of viewers in, and emotional reaction to, motion picture stories. Secondary theories look at the following: Psychology explains Freud’s theories on human behaviour, as well as short theories on human attitudes, identification with people, the characteristics of emotion and the power, characteristics and functions of leaders. Communication science covers the behaviour of leaders, decision-making in small groups and the communication of public values in communities. Empathy in fiction motion pictures explains Neill’s prerequisites for empathy with motion picture characters. Mythology covers Campbell’s book The hero with a thousand faces and Vogler’s book The writer’s journey. Scriptwriting theory explains the classical dramatic structure, the two-goal structure and the nine-act structure. Inventory of checklists documents all checklists from Freeburg (1920) to Human (2003) and also lists three documents used by American motion picture companies to evaluate scripts. Inventory of genre characteristics documents characteristics for plot, structure and character of all commercial genres, excluding comedy. Chapter 3: Inventory of structural techniques list all the writing techniques that are applicable to structure. It contains 27 sections with headings such as Structural types, The hero’s journey, and Climax&main climax. Chapter 4: Inventory of plot and emotion techniques list all the writing techniques that are applicable to plot. It contains 90 sections with headings such as Exposition: general, Confrontation and Denouement/epilogue/end. Chapter 5: Inventory of character techniques list all the writing techniques that is applicable to character. It contains 80 sections with headings such as Effective motion picture characters. Type of characters and Character change/development. Chapter 6: Inventory of dialogue and diverse techniques list all the writing techniques that are applicable to dialogue and diverse elements. It contains 46 sections with headings such as Effective dialogue, Subtext and Budget. Chapter 7: The master checklist contains the primary research output, namely an extensive checklist of 5 550 questions. It is a flexible instrument that leads the script reader or scriptwriter through all known variables in a story. This was compiles from information in chapters two to six. It consists of five macro checklists: structure, plot, emotion, characters and dialogue, each consisting of a number of micro checklists. Chapter 8: Conclusion evaluates the answers to the research questions, discuss possible shortcomings in the research and makes recommendations for further research. Lastly follow the bibliography and addenda. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Afrikaans / unrestricted