Reading Fiction Research Articles

Pharmacists' empathy after a postgraduate course in narrative medicine: an observationalstudy.

Narrative medicine is a recent cross-disciplinary approach which through aesthetic activities such as reading fiction and creative writing aims to encourage empathy, reflection, professionalism, and trustworthiness in the encounter between patients and health care professionals. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in level of empathy after a postgraduate course in narrative medicine among pharmacists conducting medication counselling. During 2020-2021, three courses in narrative medicine among pharmacists with the aim to enhance empathy were held in Odense, Denmark. The primary outcome was the pharmacists' self-reported level of empathy before and after the course measured with Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), which is a validated 20 item scale with higher scores indicating higher levels of cognitive empathy. A total of 33 community and hospital pharmacists participated in the three courses. The pharmacists' median age was 41 years, 91% were female, 76% were working in community pharmacy, and 47% were, according to themselves, rare readers. The pharmacists completed the JSE scale before and after the course. A statistically significant increase was found in mean total JSE score from 109.9 ± 17.1 before the course to 115.7 ± 14.6 after the course (p = 0.0362). Following the course in narrative medicine the level of empathy for the pharmacists according to JSE was enhanced. We recommend that future studies also use patient-reported outcomes to explore if the self-experienced enhanced empathy among pharmacists affects the patients' experience of their encounters.

GENDER AS A FEATURE OF RECEPTION IN LITERARY STUDIES

The perception of the world, the environment, life, information is a complex mental process consisting of a layer of concepts that are not similar to each other from an individual point of view. Today, «perception» has become a hot topic in various scientific fields. «Perception» is not only a psychological phenomenon, but also a cognitive system realized through a combination of physiological nature, social environment, proper functioning of the cerebral cortex and cognitive processes. The article analyzed the scientific works of domestic and foreign researchers on the topic. We tried to analyze the perception of readers of fiction in the online book platform of Kazakhstan Kitap.kz, dedicated to domestic and foreign literary works. Based on the methods of analysis and experiment carried out on this topic, scientific conclusions were identified that in the future can be used in Literary Studies, cognitive studies, gender differences and in writing dissertations. Keywords: gender, reception, fiction, perception, reading, literary study.

The Joy of Queer Science Fiction Reading, or: Will Queers Destroy Science Fiction?

The paper seeks to examine the connections between “queer reading” and “science fiction reading” from the perspective of readers’ recollections of their juvenile experiences of “looking for clues” in queer sf narratives. Using Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s concept of reparative reading, I discuss the idea of queer adolescent reading as a possibly transformative experience that offers exciting theoretical opportunities for academic scholarship on the fantastic. By turning attention to selected testaments of adolescent queer readerly experiences, written by both writers and fans, I hope to demonstrate both the personal (individual) and collective nature of queer self-recognition through these intense and affective engagements with sf texts. A closer examination of a collection of short essays in which authors reflect on the provocative idea of “queers destroying sf,”also based on individual recollections of engaging with sf as young readers, expands the discussion to incorporate fan activity and the question of queer canon-forming.

The Distance Between the Story Character and the Reader: Evidencing the Impact of Familiarity in Children’s Storybooks

Familiarity is a crucial element in narrative fiction reading for children, playing a significant role in social learning from storybooks. Nevertheless, distinct studies greatly vary in their interpretation of what renders a storybook familiar to a child, researchers’ methods for measuring familiarity, and how researchers link familiarity to reading outcomes. This integrative review synthesized the principal ways in which researchers define and measure familiarity when investigating the impacts of storybooks on children’s social learning outcomes. In particular, we derived four key definition categories of familiarity from the current empirical literature: personal relevance, anthropomorphism, social relevance and realism. We specified which outcomes are most impacted by which type of familiarity, in terms of broader outcomes (e.g. transfer of factual information from storybooks examined for anthropomorphism and realism) or specific learning effects (e.g. story comprehension with storybooks modified for personal relevance). Overall, our findings suggest that it is not familiarity per se, but rather its extent (how much the content of a storybook is familiar to the child prior to reading), that holds importance for social learning outcomes. The theoretical assumption of the distance hypothesis provides a compelling explanation for this finding.

Cross-cultural investigation into the associations of fiction reading habits with mentalizing skills and stereotyping among adults in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Cross-cultural investigation into the associations of fiction reading habits with mentalizing skills and stereotyping among adults in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Feeling through Empathy, Judging through Sympathy: Environmental Ethics and Eco-terrorism in Fiction

This research paper explores the environmental ethics depicted in Kim Stanley Robinson’s latest eco-fictional novel The Ministry for the Future (2020) through an analysis of empathy, sympathy, and environmental justice. It also seeks to challenge the common division of empathy and sympathy reactions from characters as different from those of people in real life situations to theorize a case for how people might better react and understand their role in the face of climatic crisis as a consequence of reading fiction. In so doing, it accentuates the importance of reading environmental literature to awaken readers’ sensitivities and trace paths outside the “planetary crisis” (Ghosh, 2021). Methodologically, it borrows concepts from reading-response criticism (character, empathy, and sympathy) to navigate the fabric of eco-criticism: the ethics of climate change through the injustices portrayed in Robinson’s novel. In addition to this two-dimensional approach, this paper is clearly divided in three main sections. In the first section, I approach empathy and sympathy in various ways including the former being the precursor of the later for rhetorical purposes; that is, it is unique in the making of resonances for readers. Also, I argue that readers are lured to feel empathy through the novel’s imagery and through readers’ predilection to “read minds” (Zunshine, 2006) or take “imaginative leaps” (Sutrop, 2000). The second section inspects unity through climate outrage and nation-wide agency in the aftermath of the Indian heatwave. Such unity scaffolds the last section. The third part searches an ethical dimension to eco-terrorism in the novel given a shift of national intersubjective Indian unity that entitles climate justice to their own hands. This investigation concludes by suggesting directions to an analysis of empathy and sympathy within the realm of realistic, climate fiction.

A Survey Of Reading Habits Of Pre-Service English Teachers In The School Of Teacher Training And Education

This study explores the reading habits of pre-service English teachers enrolled in a School of Teacher Training and Education. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research aims to identify the frequency, preferences, and motivations behind the reading activities of these future educators. Data was collected through questionnaires distributed to 54 respondents and semi-structured interviews, providing both quantitative and qualitative insights. The findings indicate The questionnaires were distributed to 54 pre-service English teachers. The statistical analysis of the data indicates that even if the majority of students have read English since they were young, they may not necessarily have good reading habits in English, specifically. It appears that just a tiny portion of them have consistent reading habits in English based on their eagerness to regularly spend time reading various types of English texts. The study also shows that most of students prefer reading fiction texts instead of academic texts which reveals the imbalanced approach toward their reading habits. Factors influencing these habits include academic demands, personal interests, and the increasing accessibility of digital content. The study underscores the importance of fostering robust reading habits among pre-service teachers to enhance their professional development and effectiveness in the classroom. The implications of these findings suggest the need for targeted interventions and support mechanisms within teacher training programs to promote a balanced and enriching reading culture.

Читательские практики студентов гуманитарного вуза

The need to study student reading practices in the information society is due to a number of new phenomena of socio-cultural life. The structure and content of the reading has a significant impact on the professional and spiritual development of modern humanities students. The purpose of the study is to assess the level of influence of the structure and content of reading on the professional and spiritual development of modern students in the process of their education at a regional humanitarian university. The survey of students in grades 1–5 was carried out in the “Google Forms” environment, data processing using SPSS. Frequency analysis method and regression analysis were used in this work. As a result of regression analysis, analytical dependences of changes in the main characteristics of reading practices during the entire period of study in the real educational environment of a regional humanitarian university were obtained. The most popular in the student environment literary genres, attitudes to reading both fiction and professional literature, as well as models of the dynamics of reading practices of students, which form the basis for the development of social technologies to manage the reading process.

Symposium 1: Interactive and action-oriented instruction for a digital era

This paper explores and reflects what the methodological considerations are for a study of classroom practice as networked learning. The area of interest is instruction in reading children´s literature in the primary school classroom, i.e., emergent literature didactics. Digitalization processes in society and school involve new conditions for literature didactics and challenges in the classroom. In today`s society we not only communicate in the form of speech and writing, but the digitalization has resulted in that communication takes place through both texts, images, and sound, i. e. multimodal communication (Jewitt, 2008; Godhe et al., 2020). Except for these changed conditions, it is possible to observe decreasing reading frequency, changing attitudes towards reading, and declining reading comprehension among children and youth in Sweden today (Statens Medieråd, 2017; Skolverket, 2017). The overall aim of the PhD thesis is to contribute knowledge about how literature didactics is designed in primary school classrooms, with regards to how this instruction enables encounters with and comprehension of children’s literature, through the support of digital technology. The project consists of three empirical sub-studies with a mixed method approach. In combination with quantitative surveys, qualitative focused observations and interviews with teachers will target instruction in literature didactic, and the role and function of digital technology. Participants are pre- and in-service teachers. The presentation of sub-study I describes how thirty-seven preservice teachers observed classroom teaching during one school day in different primary schools, with the aim to investigate activities related to fiction reading and the role of digital technology in these settings. The study was analyzed by using a thematic content analysis. The preliminary results show that dialogic reading, where the teacher reads fictions texts aloud and orchestrate a dialogue about it with the pupils, is dominating. The activity is supported by document cameras. In the context of this paper, the dialogic reading is understood as part of many pedagogical practices within networked learning, which includes interplays between teacher and pupils or between pupils. The results raise questions about teachers’ motives for literature choices, design, activities, and uses of technology. The analytical tools used in the first study need to be improved, in order to gain a better understanding of the role and function of technology in reading instruction in primary school settings. In addition, complementary empirical data with different foci need to be collected and contrasted with the empirical results from sub-study I.

Empathy and Trauma: A Cognitive Approach to Mrs. Dalloway

Abstract: A popular (though not necessarily scientifically validated) theory holds that reading fiction builds empathy. Because literary characters are media representations, limited and defined by point-of-view, diction, and readers’ pre-existing stereotypes, they tend not to elicit empathy in a fair, even manner. This essay will explore such questions as whether certain characteristics elicit greater empathy than others and whether empathy is always genuine or the result of readers’ social pressure to react in a certain manner. To answer these questions, cognitive psychology theories are used to examine how empathy is created—or not created—for literary characters who experience trauma in Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway . This analysis will involve two variables: the mental activity of readers and the mental activity of characters within a fictional text.

Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses.

Despite significantly increasing research efforts, the psychological effects of reading fiction remain under debate. We present two preregistered meta-analyses synthesizing cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction. In Meta-Analysis 1 (371 effect sizes/70 experiments), reading fiction led to significant small-sized cognitive benefits, g = 0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.06, 0.21]. This effect of fiction reading was moderated by the comparison group (effects were greater when reading fiction was compared with watching fiction or reading nothing than when reading fiction was compared with reading nonfiction) and the outcome variable (significant effects emerged for empathy and mentalizing only). In Meta-Analysis 2 (559 effect sizes/114 studies reporting correlations), lifetime exposure to print fiction was linked with significant small-sized cognitive benefits, r = .16, 95% CI [0.13, 0.19]. This effect was moderated by outcome variable (effects were greatest for verbal abilities, followed by general cognitive abilities and empathy/mentalizing/outgroup judgments), fictionality of the print material (greater effects were found for fiction than nonfiction), publication status (published work exhibited greater effects than unpublished work), type of assessment measure (larger effects emerged when neither the outcome nor print exposure were assessed via self-report, than when either the outcome or print exposure were assessed via self-report), participant group (community samples showed greater effects than student samples), study design (greater effects were found for correlational than for experimental designs), and percentage of female participants (via a negative relationship with cognitive benefits). Together, these meta-analyses provide robust evidence for a small-sized positive relationship between reading fiction and cognitive benefits. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Not All Fiction is the Same: Literary and Genre Fiction Reading Associations with Expository and Narrative Text Comprehension

Not All Fiction is the Same: Literary and Genre Fiction Reading Associations with Expository and Narrative Text Comprehension

Nilai-nilai Karakter Buku Bacaan Literasi Cerita Fiksi Siswa Sekolah Dasar

This study focuses on 18 character values that are sourced from the heart, thought, exercise and feeling/intention of the protagonist. The purpose of this research is to describe character values and to know the relevance of emerging character values to the development of elementary students. This type of research is qualitative research using a taxonomic approach. The research instrument in this research is the human instrument. The data collection technique used in this research ia a focused observation. The data analysis technique used the Spradley model, namely taxonomic analysis. Test the validity of the data in this study in the form of sources, namely fiction literacy reading book “Ayah yang Dirindukan”. The results showed that (1) the character values contained in fiction reading books were 13, namely: religious, honest, independent, responsible, creative, curious, love to read, communicative, social care, tolerance, work hard, rewards achievement, and loves peace (2) there is relevance or a related relationship between the character values that appear with the development of elementary students. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that there are thirteen character values in the literacy reading book “Ayah yang Dirindukan” and values that are relevant to the development of elementary students.

Beyond words: Exploring the embodied nature of reading fiction.

Beyond words: Exploring the embodied nature of reading fiction.

Troitskosavsk Public Library Visitors’ Reading Fiction in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Lack of comprehensive records on the history of reading in Siberian cities’ libraries, scanty and brief references to reading fiction by the Troitskosavsk Public Library visitors condition the novelty of the declared topic. The purpose of the article is to determine the place of fiction in the reading circle of the Troitskosavsk Public Library visitors in the late XIX – early XX centuries. Methods of comparative analysis, statistical and source study became the main ones when exploring the topic. The source base of the study was 18 reports about the work of the library for 23 years (1887–1909), starting from the time of its foundation, and 2 catalogs revealing its collections.For the first time, the share of fiction in the issuance of publications from the library to the house, in general and without periodicals, was calculated. The obtained data reveal that fiction was the main object of readers’ demands. Calculations were made of the total number of issues of books of individual writers and poets for 15 years (1895–1909) and the average per year, basing on which the top 20 of the most popular of domestic and foreign authors within the library visitors were compiled. The first three places in the ranking of Russian writers were taken by L. N. Tolstoy, V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, A. K. Sheller-Mikhailov, foreign – M. Reed, J. Verne, G. Emar. Readers gave clear preference to prose works. The works of Russian authors were more often in the library visitors’ demand than foreign ones.The study complements the information already introduced into scientific circulation about reading fiction in pre-revolutionary Siberia, its place in the reading circle of Siberians and their popular authors.

Constructing moments of insight: accounting for learning in classroom discussions on narrative fiction reading

ABSTRACT This article explores booktalk situations in which student teachers discuss a narrative text and construct in situ accounts of learning when recalling their reading. This study contributes to knowledge about the role of narrative fiction in general educational practice, as well as to the understanding of situated constructions of learning. Video and audio recordings were made in a seminar involving two groups of five master’s students, and the situated interaction was analysed using discursive reception theory. The results show that students construct what are here called moments of insight: a social action constructing a significant shift in participants’ self-described cognitive or emotional development, related to the reading. Students construct themselves as having been changed as both teachers and learners, either through the reading experience or when reflecting upon that experience. This demonstrates both how booktalk enables students to reflect upon their reading and their own cognitive development, and how situated classroom interaction studies enable us to engage with student learning in a naturalistic setting. This has an impact on our view of narrative fiction in educational practice, as well as educational research methods and practices.

Implementation of Library Management in Increasing Interest in Reading at the University of Lampung

The background of this research is the declining interest in reading by students and lecturers in the UNILA library, which is still low as they are reluctant to read in the campus library. One of the causes of low interest in reading in the library is inadequate services, such as a lack of librarians to assist students in selecting the books, limited availability, and lack of a variety of books can also affect students’ reading interest and uncomfortable library conditions, such as seating. Ergonomics, poor lighting, and poor ventilation can make students feel uncomfortable in the library. This study uses a qualitative descriptive research method. Qualitative research is data collection in a natural setting to interpret phenomena that occur where the researcher is a key instrument, sampling of data sources is carried out purposively, collection techniques are triangulation (combined), data analysis is inductive or qualitative, and the results of qualitative research are more emphasize the meaning of generalizations. The subjects of this study used the library and students of UNILA. The data collection technique used in this research is using interview data collection techniques, observation, and documentation. The results of this study indicated that the implementation of library services in UNILA was according to library operational standards. The implementation of library services carried out to increase students’ reading interest includes using the Elip application, digitizing books into e-books, interesting book titles to read, and desk arrangements that must be tidy to encourage reading interest. Despite of the shortage in facilities and amenities, the implementation of library management is still being carried out properly with accomplished policies and procedures. Obstacles faced by the head and library staff in library services in increasing student interest in reading includes less of facilities available and lack of fiction reading books. As well as the limited staff of the existing library.
 Keywords: reading interests, library services

‘If I behave like the stupidly kind character maybe I will stop being accidentally rude to people’: does reading fiction inform the social understanding and masking behaviours of autistic females?

ABSTRACT Girls are consistently found to have higher literacy levels than their male peers and to consume more social narrative fiction. This study conducted interviews with four autistic girls to better understand how reading fiction can inform the camouflaging behaviours of autistic girls. Participants described how imitating characters embodying desired values, such as kindness, provided them with a practical behavioural template. However, literature is only a simulation of reality, and participants described social “failures” where the tone of the imitated text did not align with their social reality.

“Ma semblable, ma soeur”: Negative Capability and Self-Fashioning in “The Quilt Maker” by Angela Carter and Flights by Olga Tokarczuk

ABSTRACT Reading fiction by Angela Carter and Olga Tokarczuk side by side is a fascinating but eerie experience: the celebrated British fabulist and the Nobel-winning Polish writer-cum-public intellectual share some indefinable quality – their oeuvres resonate. My aim in this paper is to add to the critical debate on self-fashioning in Carter and Tokarczuk by comparing how they script their lives as reflected in their fiction. The following discussion of Carter’s short story “The Quilt Maker” and Tokarczuk’s Flights points to how they portray the ambiguities involved in being a female writer. Both writers emphasize the extreme subjectivity of their projects, both script their lives as reflected in their fiction, both create their literary personas with allusions to their real biographies, and both make these personas create constellations and patchworks of narrative fragments employing negative capability to suggest – rather than – tell stories.

Effects perceived by Vietnamese B1 EFL students of extensive reading on intercultural competence

Investigation of effective approaches for supporting students’ linguistic and intercultural competence in the process of learning English as an international lingua franca has generally been an issue of great concern for teachers and researchers in language education. The study considered how fiction reading and non-fiction reading supported students’ reading comprehension and fostered their self-perception of intercultural competence. The scaffolds were tested in a pretest-posttest design on 58 participants, and in a classroom-based setting. Two measurement instruments included a reading comprehension test and a questionnaire on students’ self-perception of their intercultural competence. Both groups made significant progress in reading comprehension. Fiction reading condition was also found to contribute to the higher self-perception of intercultural competence. Discussion of the pros and cons of the experimental design and suggestions for further research into extensive reading and speech act appropriateness are in the last part of the paper. The paper finally puts forward the suggestion that short literary texts of cultures around the world might be considered as one of the meaningful inputs in B1 EFL classrooms.