<p> This qualitative study explored how incorporating picture books into a fourth grade reading program can enhance literacy instruction. Ten fourth grade students read, listened to, and shared twenty selected picture books over a twelve-week period in the classroom setting. The data sources included: observations, conferences, group discussions, student work samples, open ended comprehension assessments, a researcher-generated questionnaire, and a reflective journal. Data analysis using the constant comparative method yielded 38 codes and generated four themes. The themes reflected that picture books: promoted the use of comprehension strategies (visualization, activating background knowledge, determining importance, questioning, inferring, making connections and synthesizing); facilitated the instruction of literary elements; fostered student literary essay writing; and enhanced visual literacy, aesthetic awareness, and reading enjoyment. The study supports Rosenblatt’s reader-response theory, whereby multiple interpretations of literature are valued. Implications for the classroom as well as for further research are presented.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1592292 |
| Date | 25 August 2015 |
| Creators | Donohue, Brianne V. |
| Publisher | The William Paterson University of New Jersey |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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