This study compares and contrasts the selection and distribution of literary texts in the English programs of two diverse secondary schools, one in Massachusetts, USA, the other in Ontario, Canada. Analysis of the departments' curriculum documents, state/provincial curriculum policies, and teacher interviews indicated that at both schools,…

Discusses the definition of response to literature,'' the kinds of responses English educators are interested in facilitating, and how to measure those responses. (RB)

Analyzes Egon Guba's claims about what empirical research is and about the models that have guided it. Questions Guba's claims that critics have found flaws in the models that have guided empirical research. Considers how these conclusions might affect instruction in empirical research. (HB)

Provides a detailed description of an experiment involving a particular method of teaching poetry to a class of high ability boys and draws attention to some common educational research procedures and their attendant problems. (DD)

Describes two chief alternative models of English instruction, critical theory, and constructivism or naturalistic inquiry. Discusses the functions of genre in disciplinary communities. Argues that naturalistic inquiry does not constitute a comprehensive corrective to the legacy of positivism. (HB)

Students made increased, but statistically non-significant, use of invention procedures taught them over the span of a one-semester composition course. (JH)

Reviews research on poetry in the classroom. The first part concentrates on findings that emphasize the importance of the individual teacher; the second part presents teachers', students', and observers' perception on what it is that a good poetry teacher does. (HOD)