Current Search:  Education, Curriculum and Instruction (x) » Education, Reading (x) » Education, Language and Literature (x) » English (x) » Education, Adult and Continuing (x)

Search results

  • CSV Spreadsheet
(1 - 4 of 4)
An analysis of attitudes, values, and literary quality of contemporary young adult romance series novels
Title
An analysis of attitudes, values, and literary quality of contemporary young adult romance series novels.
Creator
Irvine, Carolyn Lenette., Florida State University
Abstract/Description
Twenty contemporary young adult romance series novels were examined in order to determine attitudes, values, and literary quality. This examination was done by content analysis. All 20 novels were selected from Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Bookseller's Bestsellers lists. The number of positive and negative attitudes toward Family, Peers, School, Love and Sex, Religion, Authority Figures, Neighborhood, Free-time Recreation, and Part-time Work was determined. The findings revealed that there were...
Show moreTwenty contemporary young adult romance series novels were examined in order to determine attitudes, values, and literary quality. This examination was done by content analysis. All 20 novels were selected from Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Bookseller's Bestsellers lists. The number of positive and negative attitudes toward Family, Peers, School, Love and Sex, Religion, Authority Figures, Neighborhood, Free-time Recreation, and Part-time Work was determined. The findings revealed that there were more positive attitudes (181) than there were negative attitudes (128). Free-time Recreation had more positive attitudes (68) than any other category, and Family and Peers had more negative attitudes (42)., Literary quality was determined by using a modification of Charlotte Huck's (1987) criteria for judging young adult literature. The main topics of the criteria were: plot, setting, theme, characterization, style, point of view, and format. The books were considered good literary choices if the answer was yes to 80% of the criteria. The findings revealed that 17 of the 20 novels studied met the criteria above 80%, and three books met 77.8% of the criteria. The novels rated high as literary choices, according to the criteria. It was concluded that romance series novels, with teachers guiding the reading of students, may be a part of the English curriculum.
Show less
Date Issued
1989, 1989
Identifier
AAI9004997, 3091111, FSDT3091111, fsu:77768
Format
Document (PDF)
The children's literature curriculum of an elementary school: A microethnography
Title
The children's literature curriculum of an elementary school: A microethnography.
Creator
Jenkins, Lisa Shamburger., Florida State University
Abstract/Description
The purpose of this qualitative study was to observe, identify, and describe literary experiences and activities provided for students during the elementary school years. This study sought to describe literary information presented to students, along with how and why teachers use children's literature in the overall elementary curriculum., In order to fulfill these purposes the researcher became an observer within the context of one elementary school for a period of five months. During this...
Show moreThe purpose of this qualitative study was to observe, identify, and describe literary experiences and activities provided for students during the elementary school years. This study sought to describe literary information presented to students, along with how and why teachers use children's literature in the overall elementary curriculum., In order to fulfill these purposes the researcher became an observer within the context of one elementary school for a period of five months. During this time the researcher observed extensively in all grade levels and the school library media center. The researcher also utilized a variety of other qualitative research strategies, such as interviewing, examining instructional materials, and inspecting students' work related to literature. Triangulation involved follow-up interviews with teachers, school administrators, and district supervisors, examination of lesson plans, and repeated classroom and library media observations in order to confirm findings. Two broad perspectives were used to present the overall use of literature at one elementary school. The perspectives were: children's literature as a separate subject area and children's literature as an instructional tool., Based on the qualitative data gathered the following conclusions were derived: (1) no consistent, well-coordinated curriculum in children's literature was currently in use, (2) no system for ensuring coverage of certain literary concepts across grade levels and for preventing excessive rereading of stories was provided, (3) an implicit curriculum in children's literature existed in which teachers drew upon personal craft knowledge and creativity to bring literature into their classrooms, and this curriculum varied greatly from teacher to teacher and grade to grade, (4) most students preferred having literature read aloud to them, rather than reading independently, (5) school library media specialist played a supplemental role to the implicit literature curriculum, but in this school the resident literature experts who served as resources to other teachers were two classroom teachers, (6) reading aloud to students was the most routinely implemented literature activity, with other literature activities typically occurring spasmodically, (7) there was no consistent pattern for purchasing literature for individual classrooms, (8) teachers typically used whole class grouping for reading instruction, rather than providing varied grouping patterns.
Show less
Date Issued
1991, 1991
Identifier
AAI9209121, 3087693, FSDT3087693, fsu:76508
Format
Document (PDF)
A comparative study of the readability and comprehensibility of a simplified and the original version of an American short story with students of English as a Foreign Language
Title
A comparative study of the readability and comprehensibility of a simplified and the original version of an American short story with students of English as a Foreign Language.
Creator
Harper, Candace Ann., Florida State University
Abstract/Description
This study examined the effects of simplification of a short story on the readability and comprehensibility of the text for EFL readers at varying L2 proficiencies, and on these readers' response to the story. The research was conducted with the assumption that simplification procedures which reduce semantic, syntactic, and content features of texts do not adequately reflect current reading theory and may render texts more "readable" but not necessarily more comprehensible or engaging....
Show moreThis study examined the effects of simplification of a short story on the readability and comprehensibility of the text for EFL readers at varying L2 proficiencies, and on these readers' response to the story. The research was conducted with the assumption that simplification procedures which reduce semantic, syntactic, and content features of texts do not adequately reflect current reading theory and may render texts more "readable" but not necessarily more comprehensible or engaging. Familiarity with story discourse may provide readers schematic resources to overcome linguistic complexity., The subjects were 256 French and Yugoslav university students. TOEFL scores, ranging from 320 to 630, served as the covariate in the statistical analyses of the comprehension measures., Readability of the two text versions was addressed through application of readability formulas and analyses of propositional content, cohesion, and stylistic features. Comprehension was measured by means of cloze passages scored with exact and acceptable word criteria, a multiple-choice test, and written recall protocols eliciting variables of percentage of propositions recalled and total words written. Response was measured by readers' conclusions for the story, and their justifications of their conclusions., Descriptive statistics for the readability measures show the original version has higher difficulty ratings, greater propositional density and number of metadiscourse features, and greater cohesion, particularly lexical cohesion. Inferential statistics for the comprehension measures uniformly demonstrate that the original version was more difficult to understand. Summary statistics for the response variables indicate, however, that readers of the original version wrote longer story conclusions, included more reader-based inferences in their justifications, and showed more awareness of story genre and stylistic characteristics., Procedural and instrumental limitations are discussed, with instructional implications for the use of cohesive, coherent, simplified materials in L2 contexts where reading for information (as in ESP), or independent reading for pleasure (as with SSR), are the goals. The importance of the role of the teacher in preparing readers to interact with unsimplified texts is stressed.
Show less
Date Issued
1990, 1990
Identifier
AAI9024095, 3162029, FSDT3162029, fsu:78227
Format
Document (PDF)
Improvement in reading comprehension and writing performance as a function of text-interactive instruction
Title
Improvement in reading comprehension and writing performance as a function of text-interactive instruction.
Creator
Murray, Bertha Flowers., Florida State University
Abstract/Description
This study investigated whether text-interactive instruction improved the reading comprehension and writing performance of students enrolled in developmental reading at a Florida community college. Pre-treatment reading comprehension and writing performance levels of two groups of students were assessed. For twelve weeks, one group received text-interactive instruction and the other traditional instruction. Text-interactive instruction supposes that the meaning and structure of a text are...
Show moreThis study investigated whether text-interactive instruction improved the reading comprehension and writing performance of students enrolled in developmental reading at a Florida community college. Pre-treatment reading comprehension and writing performance levels of two groups of students were assessed. For twelve weeks, one group received text-interactive instruction and the other traditional instruction. Text-interactive instruction supposes that the meaning and structure of a text are created from interaction among text, teacher, reader, peers, and context. Prediction questions were used to help students learn to predict, infer, analyze, and evaluate. Because these processes are shared by reading and writing, students improved both reading comprehension and writing performance. Other activities included discussing short stories and essays., The traditional model involved reading short stories and essays and supplying answers to skills-specific questions about main ideas, details, words in contexts, facts, inferences, and conclusions. At the conclusion of the study, mean pretest scores were compared to mean posttest scores. To assess the significance of any differences, three separate ANOVA's were conducted. Results indicated that students receiving text-interactive instruction improved significantly higher in writing performance when the writing was evaluated for the use of embedded cues that evoke feelings, emotions, and attitudes. Additionally, students receiving text-interactive instruction performed at a higher level, although not statistically significant, when essays were holistically scored. Finally, students receiving traditional instruction achieved at a higher level, in reading comprehension although not statistically significant, than those receiving text-interactive instruction.
Show less
Date Issued
1991, 1991
Identifier
AAI9123535, 3087510, FSDT3087510, fsu:76333
Format
Document (PDF)