Drawing on assets-oriented, sociocultural theories of imagination and learning, the authors argue that the improvisational qualities and expanded resources of dramatic approaches to teaching make a positive difference in the quality of and persistence in students' story writing. The authors describe findings from a controlled quasi-experimental…

Many times students are directed to make a personal connection to literature without being guided toward how their connection works interdependently with the structure of the narrative to create a greater meaning, much less directed toward how this connection can hold meaning for their own lives. Through student samples, this article attempts to…