This dissertation is about reading instruction in six mixed-aged classes, called child schools, with six and seven year old children. The overall questions of this study were: How did the teachers in child schools organise work in general and reading instruction in particular? How did they handle for example the increasing range of variation concerning knowledge and skills that goes together with increasing variation of age? With respect to reading the investigation also examined the content of reading instruction and the extent to which teachers took into account those factors that, according to reading research, are important for the acquisition of reading skills? Overall the research aimed to examine how the reading ability of the pupils developed during their first years at school. Six child schools were included in the study. The data collection extended over three years and contained field studies, interviews with the staff and reading tests with the pupils. Reading theories were used to analyse the form of the reading instruction and Basil Bernstein's theory of visible and invisible pedagogy was used to analyse pedagogical practice in its context. With one exception a visible pedagogy dominated in all the child schools. During lessons designated "my own work" the pupils were allowed to plan their work. This weak framing allowed the pupils to sort themselves into groups of more or less successful learners. In reading instruction, elements of two different models for instruction were combined, e.g. the whole language and the basal reading approach. My conclusion is that this combination is effective in a mixed-age group. Pupils at different competence levels benefit from different approaches. The reading comprehension of the child school pupils did not differ from the levels obtained with comparable pupils in national surveys. The test results, like the learning conditions varied between the schools. In my view the test results were not merely a consequence of the instruction, but also of other circumstances that interacted with the pedagogy.

Att implementera kontroversiella ämnen i gymnasieskolans litteraturundervisning är fruktbart, men innebär samtidigt ett orosmoln som får lärare att undvika sådan typ av undervisning. Givet de krav som ställs på läraren i undervisningssammanhang där stötande skönlitterära motiv behandlas, uppdagas ett behov av att samla mer kunskap kring ifrågavarande ämne. I lärarens arbete finns läroböcker som både designar lärandeaktiviteter och gör textval åt läraren. Föreliggande studie ämnar ge ett kunskapsbidrag om hur läroböcker arbetar med kontroversiella ämnen i skönlitteraturen, för att möjliggöra en diskussion gällande dessa ämnens didaktiska potential i skolans demokratiuppdrag. Ändamålet kräver att blicken riktas mot de tolkningskonventioner, även kallat läsarter, som uppmuntras i läroböckerna. Studien har därför formulerat en läsart, affektiv medvetenhet, som fungerar som ett teoretiskt analysverktyg för hur litteraturen främmandegör varseblivanden och försätter läsaren i en chockupplevelse som tvingar fram perspektivskiften. Via en teoridriven tematisk analys av fyra läroböcker ämnade för gymnasieskolans svenskämne kunde tre övergripande teman urskiljas. Dessa förklarar hur textutdragen möjliggör och utelämnar kontroversiella ämnen; samt hur kontroversiella uppslag används till andra ändamål. Resultatet visar att läroböckernas textutdrag i största utsträckning gestaltar neutrala motiv. Texterna kombineras allt som oftast med läsarter som syftar att utveckla narratologisk litteraturanalytisk kompetens. Få spår finns av kontroversiella ämnen och läsarten affektiv medvetenhet, vilket innebär att den didaktiska potentialen till etisk självreflektion som en del av demokratiuppdraget förbises. Studiens diskussion problematiserar huruvida projektet att kategorisera texter som kontroversiella eller inte är givande, eftersom gränsdragningen kring kontroversiella ämnen inte innebär vattentäta skott gentemot de nära angränsande begreppen komplexa narrativ och känslor i litteraturen. / Implementing controversial subjects in school literature reading is valuable but at the same time poses a concern that makes teachers avoid this type of teaching. Considering the challenges faced by teachers when dealing with offensive literary themes, there is therefore a need to gather more knowledge on this topic. Textbooks play a dual role in the teacher's work by both designing learning activities and selecting texts. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of how textbooks address controversial subjects in literature, to facilitate a discussion about the didactical potential of these topics in fulfilling the school's democratic mission. This purpose requires examining the interpretative conventions that are encountered in the textbook’s different readings. The study therefore introduces a reading approach called affective awareness, which serves as an analytical tool for how literature can disrupt perceptions and induce a state of shock that prompts shifts in perspective. Through a theory-driven thematic analysis of four Swedish textbooks, aimed at upper secondary school, three main themes were identified. These themes explain how text excerpts both enable and exclude controversial subjects, and how controversial topics are repurposed for other objectives. The results show that the excerpts in the textbooks predominantly portray neutral themes. The texts are often combined with readings aimed at developing narratological literary analytical skills. There is little evidence of controversial topics and the reading approach of affective awareness, which means that the didactic potential for ethical self-reflection as part of the democratic mission is overlooked. The study’s discussion questions whether categorizing texts as controversial or not is beneficial, as the boundary around controversial topics is not clearly defined in relation to the closely related concepts of complex narratives and emotions in literature.

在台灣的英文學習環境中， 閱讀能力ㄧ向被視為學習中最重要的ㄧ環 ， 然而， 閱讀所帶來的沉重負擔， 讓許多學生在有限的教學時數之下往往成為了犧牲品，特別是低成就者。班上參差不齊的英文程度,也對老師造成了教學上極大的困擾。 本研究旨在探討 ，以合作式學習法來縮短學習者程度上的差異，進而提升整體的閱讀能力。此外, 互動式閱讀技巧也分別在實驗組與控制組中教授， 以檢視其對閱讀能力的影響。 參與本研究的學生為 79名台北某公立高中的兩班九十四學年度高一新生， 實驗組施以合作式學習法，控制組則為傳統老師講授的方式， 兩組在同一時間內閱讀同一本教科書， 並分別施以前測， 後測。 最後， 並再針對所有研究對象施以問卷調查， 以期了解研究對象對合作式學習法及互動式閱讀技巧之回應。此外, 老師上課的觀察紀錄及小組的檢視表也一併在本研究中被採用。 本研究的結果摘要如下: 1. 在學生閱讀成就方面，實驗組以漸進的方式，最後超越控制組。 2. 在一學期互動式閱讀技巧實施之後， 研究對象之閱讀能力明顯提升。 3. 在實驗組中 ，高、中、 低成就者對合作式學習法展現許多雷同與少許差異的反應，但整體而言，皆傾向於正面的肯定。 4. 閱讀技巧在實驗組與控制組中似有明顯之差異， 顯見研究對象會依教學活動採取不同的閱讀技巧。 根據研究結果， 本論文擬提出對現行高中閱讀教學之建議，俾為教師及未來研究者提供參考。 / In an EFL environment in Taiwan, reading is regarded as the most essential skill. However, for most students, abundance in reading material makes them feel stressful--especially the weaker ones who tend to be sacrificed due to limited instruction time. For teachers, how to deal with a big mixed-level class has therefore become the most important task. An aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of cooperative language learning (CLL) skills in bridging gap among students with differing academic abilities and in enhancing students' overall reading comprehension. In addition, the interactive reading approach was adopted in both the experimental and the control groups to examine its effect upon them. Participants of this study included 79 tenth-graders from two intact classes in one public senior high school in Taipei in the fall semester of 2005. The experimental group was engaged in three CLL activities and the control group was instructed in the traditional teacher-centered methods. Both groups were taught by the researcher with the interactive reading approach. During the span of this study, the participants in both groups were assigned to read nine lessons from the textbook. In the meantime, they were instructed under the CLL methods and the traditional teacher-centered methods respectively. Besides, they were given a pretest and four posttests during and after the study. In time, two questionnaires were adopted: one for investigating the reading strategies used by the participants in both groups and the other for measuring the CLL group participants' attitudes and responses of the CLL group toward CLL teaching. Besides, the teacher's classroom observation and the group processing checklists were also employed in this study. After four months of experiment, the main results of this study can now be summarized as follows: 1. The experimental group gradually outscored the control group on the reading comprehension test during the experiment. 2. The participants’ reading comprehension ability improved significantly after the implementation of interactive reading approach. 3. The results showed some similarities and differences among the high/low achievers and the average students in their perceptions toward the CLL. However, the participants' attitudes toward and responses to CLL may be described as being supportive and positive. 4. The adoption of reading strategies seemed diverse between the two groups. On the whole, when exposed to different teaching activities, the participants adopted different reading strategies accordingly. This study concludes that the effects of CLL might be better than those of individual learning in a big class on senior high school students' reading proficiency. It also suggests that the interactive reading approach can be used to enhance senior high school students' reading ability.

Daar bestaan nie duidelike riglyne waarvolgens Afrikaanse leesreekse wat in die grondslagfase gebruik word, geëvalueer kan word nie. Hierdie studie was verkennend van aard met die doel om kriteria te identifiseer wat aangewend kan word om Afrikaanse leesreekse in die grondslagfase te evalueer. Ek het ʼn interpretivistiese metateoretiese paradigma gevolg aangesien ek diepgaande kennis wou verkry oor die onderwerp. Daarvoor het ek gebruik gemaak van ʼn gevallestudie gerig deur Chall (1990) se model van leesontwikkeling. Daarby het ek uit die literatuur ʼn rubriek ontwikkel wat ek aangewend het om die drie leesreekse wat in die studie ondersoek is, se teoretiese onderbou te bepaal. Die literatuur het my ondersteun om vrae te onwikkel wat ek tydens drie fokusgroeponderhoude gevra het. Die fokusgroeponderhoude het by drie Afrikaanse laerskole binne die Tshwane-metropool in verskillende sosio-ekonomiese gebiede plaasgevind. Twaalf onderwysers het deelgeneem (n=12; vroue=12). Die deelnemende onderwysers is doelgerig geselekteer. Om my data te versterk, het ek ook gebruik gemaak van observasienotas verkry van 57 studente in die Vroeë Kinderontwikkeling en Grondslagfaseprogram, aan die Universiteit van Pretoria. Ek het die data gedokumenteer as oudio-opnames, verbatimtranskripsies en veldnotas. Verder het ek tematiese analise gebruik om die verbatimtranskripsies te analiseer, waarvolgens temas en subtemas geïdentifiseer is. Die volgende vier temas is geïdentifiseer: (i) relevansie van leesreekse, (ii) belangrike aspekte by die gebruik van leesreekse, (iii) onderwysers se gebruik van leesreekse tydens leesonderrig, (iv) wetenskaplike ontwikkeling van leesreekse vir grondslagfaseleesonderrig. Ek het inhoudsanalise gebruik om die leesreekse en observasienotas te analiseer. Bevindinge uit die studie dui daarop dat van die deelnemende skole verouderde leesreekse gebruik waarvan die inhoud nie relevant is vir die hedendaagse leerder se leefwêreld nie. Dit blyk ook dat onderwysers moontlik ʼn gebrekkige kennis van leesteorieë het. Verder het ek bevind dat onderwysers hul eie stories skryf om persepsie en fonologiese bewustheid te integreer, aangesien leesreekse nie dié leesvaardighede aanspreek nie. Ek het ook bevind dat onderwysers sekere aspekte belangrik ag by leesreekse, naamlik (i) leesreekse moet binne die leerder se leefwêreld wees, (ii) illustrasies moet die leerder uitnooi om te lees, (iii) progressie moet voorkom, (iv) herhaling van sigwoorde is belangrik, (v) uitgewers moet die volgorde van die aanleer van klanke in gedagte hou tydens die skryf van leesreekse, (vi) uitgewers moet die skriftipe, woordkeuses en korrekte spelling in ag neem, (vii) die behavioristiese benadering word algemeen aangewend tydens leesonderrig en (viii) slegs een leesreeks (leesreeks C) het voldoen aan meeste van die kriteria. <ul> “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark” Victor Hugo</ul> ENGLISH : No definite guidelines exist which can be used to evaluate Afrikaans graded readers in the foundation phase. The main goal of this study was to identify criteria which can be implemented within the foundation phase to evaluate graded readers. I made use of an interpretative metatheoretical paradigm, since I anticipated gaining in-depth knowledge regarding the subject by means of this method. Chall’s Model of Reading Development (1990) was used as a basis for this case study. I developed a rubric, which was used to identify the theoretical aspects related to the three graded readers used in the study. The literature furthermore supported me in the formation of questions which were posed to the focus groups. The focus group meetings took place at three Afrikaans primary schools within the Tshwane Metropole in different socio-economic areas. Twelve teachers participated (n=12; women=12). The participating teachers were selected using stratified sampling. In order to enhance the validity of the data, I made use of observation notes, obtained from 57 students in the Early Childhood Development and Foundation Phase programme at the University of Pretoria. The data was documented as audio-recordings, transcriptions and field notes. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the transcriptions, whereafter themes and sub-themes were identified. The following four themes were identified: (i) The relevance of graded readers; (ii) important aspects related to the use of graded readers; (iii) the use of graded readers by teachers during reading instruction; and (iv) scientific development of graded readers for use during foundation phase reading instruction. The graded readers and observation notes were analysed by means of content analysis. The findings indicated that participating schools used graded readers of which the content is not relevant for the learner of today. It would also seem that teachers possibly lack knowledge of reading theories. In addition, teachers are writing their own stories in order to integrate perception and phonological awareness, since graded readers do not incorporate it. The findings further illuminated the fact that teachers value certain aspects in graded readers as important, namely: (i) Graded readers must fall within the context of the child’s world; (ii) illustrations must invite the learner to read, (iii) there must be progression, (iv) repetition of sight words are vital, (v) when publishers write graded readers, the range pertaining to how sounds are learned must be borne in mind, (vi) publishers must pay attention to the font type, word selection and spelling in readers, (viii) the behaviouristic approach is frequently used during reading instruction, and (viii) only one graded reader (graded reader C) met most of the set criteria. <ul>“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark” Victor Hugo</ul> / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted