Imagination and Literacy Instruction: A Content Analysis of Literature within Literacy-Related Publications

Abstract

Through content analysis of research conducted during the last 25 years, this paper identifies five vital uses of imagination within literacy instruction. First, readers use imagination to comprehend text. Second, readers use imagination to engage in the world depicted through the text. Third, readers use imagination to make sense of both narrative and expository texts. Fourth, readers use imagination to learn about self and others. Finally, readers benefit from instruction regarding the use of imagination to enhance reading. A compilation of instructional methods is presented. This analysis establishes the need for classroom instruction connecting imagination and literacy.

Mapping Junior High School Students’ Functional Literacy Competence

“…By reading a lot of literary works, students' imaginations will grow, and this may have a significant impact on improving their reading competence. Therefore, it seems not overstating if Pelettari (2016) proposes that the competence of imagining both concretely and abstractly is also learned as part of the literary learning method. All great works start from imagination, or all masterpieces require imagination to organize.…”