Presents summaries of empirical studies of kindergartners, fifth graders, high school students, and college students, which suggest that people use stereotypes and gender-based identification in encoding, retrieving, and making inferences. Discusses results of qualitative research on differences in male and female responses to literary texts.…

Considers the tension between deterministic social construction and individual autonomy of the subject in the act of reading literary texts. Develops a critical reading pedagogy that takes into account the balance between those two extremes of the dialectic of reading praxis. Illustrates the pedagogy with two concrete examples. (HB)

Analyses children's responses to "The Arkansaw Bear," a work of dramatic literature for children. Discusses two types of literary understandings displayed by the children: affective values of literature, and formal aspects of literary analysis. Suggests that it is time to welcome the literature of theater into the world of children's…

Suggests that teachers who want to make effective use of literature in the elementary classroom face challenges that are both organizational and academic. Discusses how a teacher in a fifth-/sixth-grade classroom promotes independence, deals with problems and distractions, and supports more complex responses. Describes the functioning of…

Tests the hypothesis that different assigned purposes for reading led to changes in the "interestingness" and recall of text material. Concludes that reading for a particular purpose enhances the interestingness of text information even when that information is not intrinsically interesting. Discusses educational implications. (BS)

Shares extracts of letters from readers which raise questions about some of the differing cultural contexts in which the author's works of children's literature are being read. Presents a theoretical framework in which reading is a personal and social transaction. Discusses issues of racism and multiculturalism. (RS)

Determines whether subjects' aesthetic involvement or story preference would be influenced by the subjects's culture or culture portrayed in text. Finds that level of aesthetic involvement was not significantly influenced by the culture of subject or text. Concludes that subjects prefer stories reflecting their own culture but are capable of…

Uses Homer and the Iliad as examples of the best in teaching. It explains how the Homerian approach in storytelling exemplifies the art of instruction because it is able to simultaneously instruct, delight, and move the student during the learning process. (GR)

Presents a notebook or list of 20 ideas that could be used in the language arts classroom to further students' interest in literature and writing. Explains, for instance, how students might write a monologue about or to a character who is upsetting or dismaying them, or how students might collect 10 quotations describing a character. (TB)

Argues for restructuring college reading classes to incorporate more instruction that is based on the theory of reader response. Describes instruction based on reader response and its appropriateness for high-risk college students. (SR)

Responds to previous article by Steenbarger on science-practice integration in brief counseling and therapy. Focuses specifically on the integration of science and practice in brief psychotherapy. Elaborates on agreements and disagreements concerning Steenbarger's analysis of brief psychotherapy. Muses over what is lost as well as gained in brief…

Finds (1) no relationship between stance taken in a free response and types of intertextual or autobiographical connections made by students in grades four, six, and eight; (2) descriptions of meaningfulness of intertextual and autobiographical connections was related to students' grade level; and (3) students made more connections to television…

Responds to Fauber and Long's (1991) overview of research on family therapy with children. Notes several concerns that apply to inferences drawn from risk research. Sees as questionable assertion that various sources of family distress have effects that are mediated primarily through parenting and suggestion that parenting, therefore, is…

Investigates whether readers are aware of and have any preferences about paragraph length. Finds that readers are aware and have a more positive attitude toward writing with paragraphs of less than 100 words. Finds that paragraph length does not affect attitudes toward the expertise of the writer, ease of comprehension, or quality of the passage.…

Contends that changing teaching habits may be the only educational reform that really works. Illustrates bad habits by discussing in detail the use of reading quizzes. Suggests that, instead of holding onto such habits to ensure that students read assigned texts, teachers choose more compelling works to read. (HB)