"Response to literature" is an educational notion which generally refers to an oral or written reaction to a non-expository published work such as a short story or poem. This historical analysis investigates conceptions of response to literature in research with adults and college students. The dissertation problem derives from an apparent shift in emphasis from the text towards the reader in research on response to literature (Purves, 1985). The underlying assumption of this suggestion is that there are historically predominant research conceptions. This dissertation documents these ideas with adult and college readers' responses to literature. The procedure was first to establish foundation conceptions of "response" and "literature" from theoretical considerations of these terms. Next, studies derived from major bibliographies were examined in order to determine the general emphasis based on the research purpose, literary work, and response task. Predominant research conceptions of both "response" and "literature" were delineated by decades, from the first cited study in 1912. Results of the analysis concerned conceptions of both "literature" and "response". First, research conceptions of "literature" generally focused on print, rather than oral performance. In addition, there was a general research move from the use of meaningless syllables and fragments of poetry (1910-39); through the use of a diversity of genres such as newspaper articles, comprehension test items, and novels (1940-69); to a contemporary focus on short stories and poems (1970-89). Second, research conceptions of "response" supported the suggestion of a general shift from conceptions which focused on textual elements such as rhythm, sounds of language and literary merit (1920-39); through those which focused on aspects of the reader such as personality changes, preferences and developmental differences (1940-69) ; to those which emphasized elements of response itself such as process, stance, and context (1970-89). Possible reasons for the shifts in emphasis were explored in relation to general societal conditions and the changing image of the college student. From an educational perspective, the observed changes suggest a move towards empowerment of the learner in the classroom. This trend corresponds to the increasing pedagogical emphasis on holism and collaboration / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

The problem of this study was to determine how Chinese students obtain news from home. The study was conducted in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton, with 182 respondents from six universities. The study determined that Chinese students obtained Chinese news from Chinese newspapers circulating in the United States. The longer Chinese students remained in the United States, the fewer letters they received from home and the fewer newspapers and clippings their family and friends sent them. The conclusion of the study was that Chinese students read Chinese newspapers because they wish to maintain ties with their hometown and culture. Students stated that Hong Kong local news was their primary item in reading Chinese newspapers.

This study investigates the effect of access to a visual outline of the text structure of a Talmudic passage on comprehension of that passage. A system for defining the text structure of Talmudic passages was designed by merging and simplifying earlier text structure systems described for Talmudic passages, following principles taken from research on text structure. Comprehension of two passages were compared for students who did traditional reading of a Talmudic passage (the passages had punctuation added, and a list of difficult words and their meanings was appended) (the control condition), and students who read the passage with these same materials as well as with an outline of the text structure of that passage (the experimental condition). Seventy-two 10th and 11th graders participated. After a brief training on text structure, students were randomly assigned to the control or experimental condition for Passage 1. All students took a comprehension exam on Passage 1. In the next session, all students who read Passage 1 in the control condition read Passage 2 in the experimental condition, and all students who read Passage 2 in the experimental condition read Passage 2 in the control condition. Students then took a comprehension exam for Passage 2. The text structure outline improved students’ ability to comprehend Passage 2, but no benefits were seen on Passage 1. The results provide evidence that awareness of the text structure of a Talmudic passage helps readers when the passage is concrete and somewhat well organized.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The reading of literature is rarely practiced in our high schools today yet many studies have shown that voracious, free, voluntary reading improves students' grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition. The demands of our present day economy require higher literacy rates of our citizens if businesses are to compete successfully in the international marketplace. However, the majority of high school students do not or cannot make time to read for pleasure. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if English 9 students and transitional English students would welcome a reading program as part of their course work. I selected School District # 43 (Coquitlam's) A Literature Based Individualized Reading Program because it has been used successfully in the district's elementary and middle schools and because it allows teacher-librarians to actively promote the reading of literature, beyond their more traditional role of book displays and booktalks. A questionnaire was administered by the teacher-librarian/researcher to three classes at the end of the six week program asking students to give their opinions on those aspects they liked and disliked about the program. Two teachers who also took part give their opinions as well. Major findings indicate that a reading program is acceptable to most students i f some alterations are made to the design of the unit. English 9 students educated in Canadian classrooms prefer more choice in reading materials and fewer written assignments that interfere with their readings. Entry level English as a Second Language, or transitional English students, need more support than our modified program gave them. The more advanced transitional English (TRAN) students handled the demands of the program quite well. A reading unit at the secondary level, then, must be simplified and tailored to the needs of specific groups before it is accepted by a majority of teachers and their students.

The reading of literature is rarely practiced in our high schools today yet many studies have shown that voracious, free, voluntary reading improves students' grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and composition. The demands of our present day economy require higher literacy rates of our citizens if businesses are to compete successfully in the international marketplace. However, the majority of high school students do not or cannot make time to read for pleasure. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if English 9 students and transitional English students would welcome a reading program as part of their course work. I selected School District # 43 (Coquitlam's) A Literature Based Individualized Reading Program because it has been used successfully in the district's elementary and middle schools and because it allows teacher-librarians to actively promote the reading of literature, beyond their more traditional role of book displays and booktalks. A questionnaire was administered by the teacher-librarian/researcher to three classes at the end of the six week program asking students to give their opinions on those aspects they liked and disliked about the program. Two teachers who also took part give their opinions as well. Major findings indicate that a reading program is acceptable to most students i f some alterations are made to the design of the unit. English 9 students educated in Canadian classrooms prefer more choice in reading materials and fewer written assignments that interfere with their readings. Entry level English as a Second Language, or transitional English students, need more support than our modified program gave them. The more advanced transitional English (TRAN) students handled the demands of the program quite well. A reading unit at the secondary level, then, must be simplified and tailored to the needs of specific groups before it is accepted by a majority of teachers and their students. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

The problem undertaken in this study was that of making an effort to determine, in so far as was possible, the reading interests of the students enrolled in the high school at Nocona, Texas, during the 1954-1955 school session. A secondary phase of the problem was to compare these reading interests with those of students enrolled in nine other typical high schools of comparable size in other sections of Texas, as determined by means of a questionnaire survey.

The purpose of this thesis is to determine and summarize the various facts concerning the reading interests and library habits of the second, third, and fourth year students enrolled in the Newsome Dougherty Memorial High School of Gainesville, Texas, for the school year of 1944-1945 as revealed through data collected by questionnaires and from library records.

The problem in this thesis is to determine the reading interests of the students of the Waxahachie High School for the first semester of the 1948-1949 school year.

The study investigated the information literacy skills among Form Five students at government senior secondary schools in Gaborone, Botswana. The results of the study will be used in the improvement of the Information Literacy Course offered at the University of Botswana Library (UBL). Background information was given on education in Botswana and also a brief history of the evolution of the University of Botswana, an overview of the University of Botswana Library and highlights of the schools in the study. The researcher designed a questionnaire in order to achieve the objectives of this study. A sample of 240 Form Five students was drawn from four senior secondary schools situated in Gaborone, Botswana. Purposive sampling was used to draw the sample. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed in the analysis of data. The results were presented in frequency tables, analyzed and discussed. The findings of the study revealed that the students at senior secondary schools did not have sufficient competence in translating information problems into information needs. Their ability to use a variety of sources was not well developed. The study further revealed that the students were not motivated to look for information sources by their teacher by, for example, giving them assignments that required them to use the library resources. Students' skills in the evaluation of the accuracy, currency and authority of information sources were found to be under-developed. The study showed that the students were not given any form of user education at any of the schools. The study also found that staffing problems in senior secondary school libraries contributed to the lack of information literacy of the students. The situation was more obvious in cases where there was no full-time librarian to run the library. Conclusions were drawn and recommendations and suggestions for further studies were made. / Thesis (M.I.S)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.