Abstract
The intent of this article is to promote a methodological approach to the analysis of literature discussions by adopting a conversational analytic approach that views embodied actions (including talk) as multimodal. It is argued that this analytic approach moves beyond previous studies that focus on talk only, when analysing literature discussions, and further, that such an approach contributes to an increase in our understanding of the complex meaning-making processes that are set into play when students interact on literary texts in school.
Highlights
During their time at school children and young people alike interact with a great variety of texts which they may process in different ways in the classrooms
Through the analytic framework used to examine the boys’ literature discussion, this article moves beyond the previous studies of literature discussions that focus on verbal language as the baseline for their understanding of the meaning-making practices that take place within literature discussions
The actions that take place when the boys discuss their readings of the novel are, as have been examined in this article, simultaneous and collaborative through the boys’ constructed actions, and the meaning-making practices are constructed through the mutual elaboration of several different kinds of semiotic resources, such as talk, gestures, gazes and physical objects
Summary
During their time at school children and young people alike interact with a great variety of texts which they may process in different ways in the classrooms. The fundamental idea is to let students sit together, with or without their teachers’ direct participation, in small groups and discuss the same literary text they have read Such literature discussions are supposed to create opportunities for various readings and perspectives to be met and confronted with each other, with the aim of supporting children and young people as developing readers (see Tengberg, 2011, for a more extensive discussion). Research on literature discussions in school settings has generated increased interest recently, probably mainly due to the emphasis in various research contexts on the importance of collective forms of learning, such as classroom discourse and discussions, for students’ learning processes (Chinn et al, 2001; Langer, 2011; Nystrand, 1997, 2006; Soter et al, 2008) Many of these studies on literature discussions examine, with different discussion approaches and with different aims, how the use of group discussions can help students promote
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