Research in English: Inexperienced and Experienced Readers of Literature.

10-second review: How do inexperienced readers of literature and experienced readers of literature respond to what they read?

Title: “Creating the Virtual Work: Readers’ Processes in Understanding Literary Texts?” EA Earthman. Research in Teaching English (December 1992), 351-384.

Summary: Compared literary responses of 8 college freshmen and 8 graduate students in English. “While freshmen retained their initial view of a work, graduate students assumed varying perspectives. Generally, graduate students read in a more “open” manner, using the text extensively and searching for alternatives. Freshmen’s reading, though satisfying to them, were much more “closed,” remaining relatively unelaborated and not often being revised.”

Comment: Sounds to me as if inexperienced college readers do not ask questions about what they are reading. They make quick judgments about the reading of the text. Graduate students, on the other hand, explore the ideas in the text before making judgments.

What would I do with this research? I suggest the following: when reading a poem, students should formulate questions about what they do not understand. And then discuss the answers to these questions.

When reading a novel, students should preview by reading for five minutes near the beginning and then raising questions; read for five minutes near the middle of the novel and then raising questions; reading for five minutes three-fourths through the novel and raising questions; and, finally, reading for five minutes near the end and raising questions. Then they should sort the questions, organizing them into types of questions (literal, interpretive and judgments). Will allow high school and college students to explore all aspects of the ideas in the text. RayS.