Reading Practices Research Articles

New Modes of Materiality in the Angoysses douloureuses qui procedent d’amours (1538) by Hélisenne de Crenne

This article moves outside the conventional methodologies of visual and literary studies and material bibliography to produce a reading of the Angoysses douloureuses that demonstrates how the text and the material object of the book can be read together to recreate inscribed reading practices, including those of women readers in addition to the reading communities (of women) evoked by the text alone. The narrative of the Angoysses douloureuses displays a preoccupation with representing the materiality of the text throughout the work by means of letters exchanged between the lovers, a single, continuous narrative written by the heroine Helisenne, a manuscript book recuperated from beside her body, and a printed book whose circulation in Paris was sanctioned by Jupiter. This interest in the text’s material form goes beyond representational issues to include woodcuts and chapter headings, showing the capacity of representation to collaborate with the materiality of the printed book in producing meaning. These material elements variously show us how the text seeks to conform to the convention of publishing women’s writing posthumously while also indicating how materiality might both anticipate and shape reading practices. They also allow us to read the material book as one that delineates the problematics of a female-authored work circulating in print at this early point in the sixteenth century.

CONCEPÇÕES ACERCA DO ENSINO-APRENDIZAGEM DE PROBABILIDADE E ESTATÍSTICA

This article discusses conceptions regarding the teaching and learning of Probability and Statistics, emphasizing their relevance in shaping critical citizens capable of interpreting data in everyday life. It highlights that the teaching of these topics, included in the Brazilian curriculum through the National Curricular Parameters in 1997, still faces significant challenges, such as difficulties in understanding Mathematics as a language and a limited focus on exam preparation. This work aims to promote statistical literacy through pedagogical activities that involve reading, interpreting, and critically analyzing data in various formats. Similarly, solving realworld problems is recommended to stimulate creative strategies and reflections on the impacts of data-driven decisions. Moreover, the teacher’s role is central, requiring the integration of reading, writing, and argumentation practices in teaching. It is concluded that the critical and contextualized integration of Probability and Statistics into basic education is essential to prepare students to autonomously engage with statistical language and its social implications.

A Critical Investigation of Reader Response in “Howl’s Moving Castle” : A Study of Goodreads Reviews

Reader response theory offers a dynamic approach to understanding literary interpretation, shifting focus from text-centered analysis to reader engagement. This study investigates reader responses to Diana Wynne Jones's "Howl's Moving Castle" through an analysis of reviews on Goodreads, utilizing Beach's framework of reader-response theory. Employing a qualitative descriptive method, the research collected 60 reader comments, systematically sampling one review per month over the past year. The analysis categorized responses across five dimensions: textual, experiential, psychological, social, and cultural, revealing that experiential responses (33.33%) and textual responses (27.08%) predominated. Additionally, the study examined reader engagement across cognitive (50%), emotional (36.4%), and behavioral (13.6%) dimensions. Findings demonstrate how online reading communities like Goodreads transform literary interpretation from a solitary to a collaborative experience, highlighting the complex ways readers interact with literary texts. By exploring the nuanced responses to "Howl's Moving Castle," this research contributes to our understanding of contemporary reading practices, critical thinking literacy, and the evolving landscape of digital literary engagement.

Feminist Theory Theater: Acts of Reading as Embodied Pedagogy

This article introduces Feminist Theory Theater (FTT), an experimental reading practice developed by the co-authors. Described most simply, FTT asks a group of co-present readers to put a text “on its feet,” improvising and revising its performance as a mode of ongoing, embodied interpretation. The aim is not to settle on a consensus of what a text means or to work toward a finished performance. Instead of staging a single best performance, FTT invites texts-as-scenes to be interpreted and re-staged by any member(s) of the reading group. We offer FTT as a way to take up York and Conley’s (2019) proposal that the commitments of STS can and should be enacted in practices of pedagogy. Here, we present and analyze multiple scenes of FTT in action to consider the potentials and limitations of critical STS pedagogy. We include our earliest experiments developing FTT in Act I, reading Judith Butler with undergraduates in a university lecture hall in Act 2, and reading a syllabus with incarcerated students in a prison classroom in Act 3. We highlight the empirical ways that FTT resists interpretive closure, centering embodied reinterpretation, arguing that doing so re-embeds text in the world as a way for reading groups to revision both. However, this dynamic, non-teleological mode of reading causes trouble for lesson plans and “learning outcomes” that might support the institutional legitimacy of STS critical pedagogies. This contradiction hinges on the question of who and what teaches. We argue that this trouble is worth staying with as a practical contradiction to be grappled with in further research on and through STS critical pedagogies. We invite readers of this article to take up this question (and others) by trying with, reflecting on, and revising through the situated, open-ended mode of reading together that we call FTT. To that end, we present a free, printable zine, The Feminist Theory Theater Workbook, which can act as both a guide to a first attempt at doing FTT and an archivable trace of that reading.

Speaking with the Dead: Resurrective Reading and Pneumatological Imagination in George MacDonald

abstract: This essay examines George MacDonald's representation of reading as a conversation with the dead. It argues that MacDonald's notion of resurrective reading is both a subversion of Spiritualist discourse, and an invitation to practice an attentive mode of reading that, while critically engaged, remains open to the unfamiliar and unpredictable. By analyzing MacDonald's model of resurrective reading with particular reference to Phantastes (1858), David Elginbrod (1863), and Donal Grant (1883), this essay reveals the spiritual potential that Victorians like MacDonald associated with the act of reading. It thus demonstrates how attending to the nuances of theology in twenty-first-century readings of Victorian literature provides a fuller understanding of the period's reading practices.

The Impact Of Implementing "Let's Read" To Enhance Students' Reading Skills at SMAN 1 Kademangan Blitar

This research explores the impact of the "Let's Read" application on enhancing the reading skills of eleventh-grade students at SMAN 1 Kademangan Blitar. Focusing on narrative texts, especially legends, the study employs a one-group pre-test post-test design to evaluate improvements in reading comprehension. Results reveal a significant increase in students' understanding and engagement with texts. The application offers an interactive, enjoyable learning experience, promoting student autonomy and critical thinking. By integrating digital tools, the study addresses limitations of traditional methods, providing insights into effective strategies for language education. This research underscores the potential of technology to transform reading practices, encouraging educators to adopt innovative approaches that cater to modern educational needs and enhance students’ overall learning experiences.

The Structural Relations of Component Reading Comprehension Skills in Kiswahili: The Influence of Socio‐Economic Status and Home Literacy Environment

AbstractThis research explores structural relations among the component skills of reading comprehension in Kiswahili. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between socio‐economic status, home and school language use, and home literacy environment with Kiswahili reading outcomes. The study utilized secondary data from the baseline Tusome Literacy activity implemented in Kenya at scale from 2015 to 2022 by USAID, Research Triangle Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Kenya and other partners. A three‐stage stratified sampling procedure was used to randomly select the schools and students from a sample frame compiled from multiple education databases of public formal and non‐formal schools in Kenya. The final sample comprised 4886 grade 1 and 2 learners who completed a battery of early grade literacy assessment in Kiswahili and a survey of the socio‐economic status (SES), home literacy environment (HLE), and school and home language use. We conducted a regression analysis to examine structural relations among the component skills of reading comprehension and the relationships between the SES, HLE, and early literacy skills. The findings indicate that the component skills are interconnected with the sub‐lexical skills, serving as the building block for the higher‐order skills. Letter sound knowledge, text reading fluency, and listening comprehension predict reading comprehension. Reading stories at home, reading aloud, and silent reading practice at school significantly influences reading outcomes. The mismatch between home and school language and low SES negatively impacts reading outcomes. These findings indicate that systematic and explicit instruction is critical in acquiring literacy skills, particularly for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

How Do Journalists Read? Reading Practices and Beliefs of Journalism Professionals

ABSTRACT This paper presents a qualitative analysis of a multiple case study of the reading practices of six journalists in Uruguay. Professional groups constitute communities of practice that develop beliefs and idiosyncratic ways of integrating literacy into their activities. We investigate how six active journalists carry out reading in the context of their professional activities and how this relates to their beliefs about journalism. We used verbal reading protocols of three texts of different genres and conducted semi-structured interviews. The results show that when reading, the participants scrutinize the context, analyze the quantitative information of the texts, and evaluate their linguistic style. These reading practices can be related to participants’ beliefs that journalistic events are constructed based on the broader context, that journalists must adjust what they write to factual truth, and that news pieces must be precise and clear texts in stylistic terms. The observed reading strategies work for fulfilling participants’ interpretive frames about the events presented in the texts, connecting the new information with their previous knowledge. The similarities observed between participants’ reading practices seems to indicate that written journalism expertise shapes the reading practices of active journalists and that it makes them read differently than other professionals.

Project Coordinate: Impact of Content-Focused Lesson Study on Teacher Knowledge, Collaboration, and MTSS Instruction

General and special educators often do not have the needed knowledge and skills or collaborative opportunities to implement coordinated, evidence-based instruction within a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. As such, the authors used a randomized control design to examine the impact of Project Coordinate (PC), a professional development approach incorporating online content modules and lesson study, on fourth-grade general and special education teachers’ knowledge, collaborative planning, and instructional practice in reading. The authors used multilevel modeling, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyses to examine differences in teacher knowledge, changes in the frequency of tiered instruction, teachers’ perceptions of collaborative planning, changes in treatment teachers’ use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), and effective implementation of EBPs. Results showed that PC teachers did not make significant gains in knowledge; however, these teachers did make significant gains on collaborative and instructional practice though findings are complex. The authors discuss the implications of findings for future research and practice.

A case for mindfulness-based strengths reading practice for the gifted

ABSTRACT Gifted students often experience social and emotional differences, such as heightened empathy, perfectionism, and asynchronous development. If unaddressed, these challenges can lead to isolation, depression, and underachievement. This paper explores the integration of Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) and bibliotherapy as interventions to support the holistic development of gifted children. MBSP combines mindfulness with character strengths identified through the Values in Action (VIA) Inventory, promoting self-awareness, emotional regulation, and resilience. By merging MBSP with bibliotherapy in what is termed mindfulness-based strengths reading, this approach leverages narratives and characters to reflect gifted students' emotional complexities and strengths. This dual strategy addresses emotional challenges while fostering personal growth, flourishing, and prosocial behavior. The combined method provides a balanced and structured approach to meeting the unique social and emotional needs of gifted students, emphasizing both healing and development.

Deep Reading as Resistance: Reading with ChatGPT and Battling SysEd through Reflexive Reading Pedagogy

ABSTRACT This paper serves as a theoretical reflection with a practical proposal. There are two core goals for my discussion: (1) to reflect on deep reading for the purposes of education and why it matters in the current context of the study of English; and (2) to support a nuanced approach to promoting deep reading in English by introducing the argument that deep reading may be a form of resistance to two major challenges in English classrooms. These challenges are Semler’s articulation of ‘SysEd’ and the emergence of AI in the form of large language models (LLMs). My reflections on reading are mediated by a conversation with ChatGPT about its reading practice and how English may distinguish the teaching of deep reading as a human skill. Finally, I draw on Margaret Archer’s theory of reflexivity to present a practical approach to facilitating deep reading as a form of resistance.

Individual language experience determinants of morphosyntactic variation in heritage and attriting speakers of Bosnian and Serbian

Abstract Using a causal inference approach, we explored the relationships among the language experience determinants of morphosyntactic sensitivity, to identify the factors that indirectly and directly cause its acquisition or maintenance in immigration contexts. We probed the sensitivity to Serbian/Bosnian clitic placement violations with a self-paced listening task, in a diverse group of bilinguals in Norway (n = 71), born to immigrant parents, or having emigrated in childhood or adulthood. The outcomes included a metalinguistic violation detection score and a listening/processing time difference between licit and illicit structures. Structural Equation Models revealed that literacy (as reading practices) was among the most influential determinants of the ability to detect violations, while Bosnian/Serbian use across contexts and age of bilingualism onset determined violation sensitivity in processing. We identified a significant threshold of societal language (SL) exposure at age 8. Rather than SL exposure before this age precluding bilinguals from developing and maintaining morphosyntactic sensitivity, this threshold seems to reflect a protective effect against attrition which intensifies the later after age 8 SL exposure starts. The length of residence in Norway did not determine attrition, suggesting that heritage and attrited speakers should be considered on a continuum rather than as distinct bilingualism profiles.

Exploring Critical Reading Practices Among Malaysian and Vietnamese Engineering Students: Insights and Implications

ABSTRACT In the dynamic academic landscape of the 21st century, the imperative to equip engineering students with robust critical reading skills, in tandem with their technical expertise, has come to the forefront. Recognizing the intrinsic value of critical thinking and reading in cultivating an ethos of lifelong learning among future engineers, this study endeavors to shed light on efficacious methodologies for augmenting critical reading competencies, grounded in the lived experiences of students. Utilizing a phenomenographic methodology, this research aims to explore the mechanisms through which engineering students from Malaysia and Vietnam develop their critical reading skills. The study engaged eight engineering students from both Malaysia and Vietnam, selected based on their demonstrated proficiency in critical reading, as evidenced by scores from a critical reading assessment aligned with the PISA Reading Framework. Through in-depth, phenomenographic semi-structured interviews, the research sought to uncover the strategies and practices these students employ to bolster their critical reading abilities. The findings illuminate a diverse array of approaches to enhancing critical reading skills, including the adoption of specific reading strategies, engagement in extensive and collaborative reading practices, and the maintenance of a positive reading disposition. Notably, the study also identifies that variations in the application and effectiveness of these strategies are influenced by factors such as students’ academic progression, cultural contexts, and educational backgrounds. These insights contribute to a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of critical reading skill development among engineering students, offering valuable perspectives for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers aiming to foster critical analytical skills in STEM education.

Understanding the Meaning of “Aspeset”: Hermeneutical Approaches, Reading Practices and the Departure from Germany in Two Lea Goldberg Novels

Abstract This essay describes the departure from Europe, arguably the theme that unites Lea Goldberg’s three novels, in terms of the German tradition of Hermeneutics. I explore the various hermeneutical approaches in two of the novels, Mikhtavim Minesi’a Meduma and Avedot, and connect their metafictional and metacritical debates to the circumstances of their composition, publication and reception. While Mikhtavim Minesi’a Meduma employs a humanistic and universalist Weltliteratur perspective in order to downplay the emotions of bitter rejection from a beloved cultural home, Avedot contends with hermeneutical and philological questions ranging from authenticity and interpretation to the mystery of artistic creation. Avedot’s plot revolves around the philologist-poet protagonist’s quest for his own pseudo-ancient text, but ultimately raises questions about the spiritual nature of the creative process and whether or not this spiritual baggage can be relayed to an external reader, in political circumstances that accentuate the poet’s sense of alienation. The two novels, with their unstable form, provided Goldberg an opportunity not only to contemplate aesthetic questions, but also to psychologically process the tearing away from the cultural and intellectual legacy of Europe and in particular that of Germany.

Advancing a Practical Inquiry Model with multi-perspective role-playing to foster critical thinking behavior in e-book reading

In the digital age, where media proliferation challenges traditional reading habits, this study investigated the impact of digital platforms on critical thinking (CT) and reading practices. Some conventional e-books may not sufficiently encourage reflective thinking or foster CT skills due to their linear nature and lack of engaging elements. Employing the Practical Inquiry Model (PIM) within the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, this study highlights the integration of multimedia elements and the use of students' selfies to boost engagement and social presence in a digital learning environment. This study introduced selfie role-playing reading, along with group discussions from various perspectives as an innovative pedagogy to enhance cognitive presence within the CoI, ultimately enhancing learners’ CT performance. Using a quasi-experimental design, 63 participants were grouped into single-perspective or multiple-perspective categories by narrative perspective exposure, and then engaged in online story discussions with worksheets. Reading performance was measured through a detailed examination of their CT patterns via behavioral sequential analysis. Results revealed that students in the multi-perspective groups demonstrated superior CT and reflective thinking levels, underscoring the potential of innovative e-book designs in enhancing CT. This study not only validates the importance of diverse narratives and role-playing in CT development, but also pioneers a method for analyzing such skills through behavioral sequence analysis. It signifies a leap in applying the PIM to multimedia e-book reading, offering insights for future educational strategies and CT assessment in the digital era.

The trans student as callejer@ or ‘streetwise theorist’: notes on epistemic justice and a call for trans*intramural reading

ABSTRACT This paper explores the epistemic agency of American trans students/youths by emphasizing the ordinary practices of life-making as they are enacted or rather reflected textually. It draws on Latina feminist María Lugones’s scholarship on relationality to conceive of trans students/youths as ‘streetwise theorists’, or callejer@. I illustrate how new knowledges about streetwise trans youth can be generated through employing what I call the ‘trans*intramural protocol of reading’. I draw on texts retrieved from university archives and open access collections; resource guides and anthologies written by and for trans communities; as well as trans and queer zines published in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries to illustrate the epistemic significance of such a reading practice. I conclude with a meditation on how an aesthetic relation to a text can rekindle memories to our past as trans subjects and therefore contribute to a new relation to histories of our own embodiments.

Ethical and effortful: workshopping human and generative AI academic writing collaborations

The launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT in 2022 caused a furore within higher education. While initial reactions were negative – educators imagined the end of the undergraduate essay and an acceleration in academic integrity departures – more recent conversations have emphasised how these tools might enhance teaching and learning experiences. This paper explores one possibility for approaching student use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, by considering their use in relation to academic skill development. It focuses on a set of workshops conducted within a graduate professional development course at Queen’s University (Canada) in early 2024. The first workshop examined commonalities in Western, English academic writing structures; identified how demystifying these structures supports academic writing and reading practices; and considered how GenAI tools that utilise large language models (LLMs) mimic these structures to enhance students’ awareness of GenAI’s potential applications and limitations, and to identify the processes inherent in academic work. In the second workshop, students critiqued discipline-specific examples of AI-generated academic assignments. By exploring the qualities of academic writing alongside GenAI outputs, the workshop series invited students to explore the possibilities of what might be achieved through human-AI collaboration and to articulate what can never be replicated by a tool without embodied knowledge. This paper presented this set of workshops as a possible model for discussing GenAI tools with students—a model that demonstrates how GenAI tools might be integrated into students’ academic practices in ways that are ethical and effortful and which support, rather than stifle, student creativity.

Exploring Preschool Teachers’ Obstacles in Helping Children Teaching Malay Reading Skills

Reading problems among preschool children are not a new thing for preschool teachers. This article discusses the constraints and difficulties when helping preschool children master reading skills. This study used a qualitative method design involving 12 preschool teachers who teach in 12 National Schools in 7 states in Malaysia. The criteria of the non-random sampling selection were based on employment in the preschool field, having eight years of teaching experience, and being a Principal Trainer (JU) in the preschool field. Analysis by the interview method was conducted online. Each interview conducted was recorded. The NVivo software has been used to facilitate the data management and analysis. The research design used Grounded Theory to obtain the findings. The results of this study show that there are 11 factors representing the constraints and difficulties related to helping preschool children master reading skills. Among them are different levels of mastery, being forgetful or having a poor memory, being unable to recognise the alphabet, getting lost or lacking focus, diverse mastery, a lack of family support, limited time, background differences, a lack of interest in reading, the differentiation of the methods used or applied, and also the attitude or maturity of the preschool children. Preschool teachers also use various methods that can stimulate the children's interest and increase their confidence by having fun lessons to help them focus during the reading process, whether in the classroom or at home. This is because the practice of reading is not only focused on school but also elsewhere. In conclusion, the teacher's presentation plays an important role and effective methods need to be taken into account in order to attract children's interest to be involve in the learning session and subsequently increasing the level of mastery in reading. The importance of mastery of reading skills among children is emphasised in relation to their age. This is because reading is an important activity in human life, and because it is a basic skill of self-development related to gaining knowledge.

Changing Teacher Practices and Perceptions and Improving Student Communication Outcomes Through Shared Reading

Shared reading is a powerful literacy intervention for the development of early communication and literacy skills. For students with extensive support needs who are beginning communicators, shared reading has the potential to support the development of initiation and expressive symbolic communication skills. This descriptive, multicase, mixed methods study investigated changes in teacher shared reading practices and perspectives, as well as the communication skills of students with extensive support needs associated with completing professional development focused on a responsive and interactive approach to shared reading. The sample included four classroom teachers and 13 students with extensive support needs in one rural, public elementary school. Teachers increased their use of targeted interactive shared reading practices from 50% to 90%. Students increased the number of expressive communication skills they exhibited ( p = .031, r = .60), as well as the highest level of their symbolic communication ( z = 2.16, p = .031, r = .60). Thematic analysis of teacher interviews identified shifts in their perceptions of their role, expectations, and ability to support student communication development during shared reading, which converged with the changes noted from fall to spring during observations of teacher practice and students’ communication skills during shared reading.

“Das Problem des Stilwandels”: Stylistic Transformation in the Work of Emil Staiger

AbstractThis article reconstructs a theoretical and methodological problem in the work of German literary scholar Emil Staiger, a representative of the postwar school of Werkimmanenz, which called for a renewal of form‐sensitive practices of reading. It analyzes Staiger's notion of style and traces its application in his monumental Goethe monograph and his essay collection Stilwandel, highlighting the difficulties that arise from Staiger's attempt to operationalize style in the sense of an artwork's inner unity (“Einstimmigkeit”) for his study of dynamic and changing forms. These difficulties led him to reframe his notion of style in a 1968 paper that, however, ultimately left the problem of how to write a history of literary styles unresolved.