The purpose of this study was to explore questions related to book discussions conducted by teachers as they increased the use of literature in their classrooms. Three research questions guided data collection and analysis:(1) How do teachers describe the value of book discussions in their classrooms and their participation with students as they talk about literature?, (2) What patterns of discourse occur as teachers and students talk about books?, and (3) What is the relationship between teachers' perceptions of book discussions and the ways students and teachers talk about books? Although limited to two teachers using a variety of books across two different classes of students, this study provides insights into important issues surrounding the use of literature in elementary classrooms.
This study investigated the nature of book discussions about expository and narrative texts in fourth-and fifth-grade classrooms. Eight teachers discussed one narrative (Amos & Boris, Steig, 1971) and one expository (Whales, Simon, 1989) picture book for a total of 16 small group discussions, which were audiotaped and transcribed. Literary and informational topics were discussed most and were more evenly balanced during the eight discussions of Amos & Boris while informational topics emerged nearly twice as often during Whales discussions. Illustrations and intertextual connections appeared as topics on a much smaller scale. Analysis of talk patterns revealed teacher dominance during discussion through a high percentage of questions asked, consistent initiation and control of the topics, and teacher repetitions of student responses or teacher questions. Teachers' questions posed during the expository discussion were more literal than for the narrative text. Student initiations tended to occur when provided the opportunity to write responses to their reading and share during discussions.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.