Content area
Full Text
In this article, Spiegel reviews the literature on reader response theory including the important role reader response activities can play in the develpment of readers of all ages.
For the past decade, teachers in many elementary middle, and high schools have implemented reader response approaches to literature as part, if not all, of their literacy development programs. Children, teachers, and parents have often embraced the reader response approach with enthusiasm. This approach has great intuitive appeal: Children's choice is honored; children spend a great deal of time reading, and less time learning about reading; and their reading is authentic, because it is done for their own purposes, not the teacher's. Much has been written about the affective results of reader response, how children enjoy reading more (Samway et al., 1991; Swift, 1993; Yocom, 1993), do read more (Anzul, 1993; Borders & Naylor, 1993; McMahon, 1994), and are more engaged in their reading (Enciso, 1992; Knipping & Andre, 1988; Many & Wiseman, 1992b; Noll, 1994; Nystrand & Gamoran, 1991). But enjoying reading and even doing a lot of it does not necessarily mean that children grow in their ability to respond to literature or in their ability to read. Happily, research also shows that children involved in reader response approaches do become better responders and better readers.
READER RESPONSE
Before I present the research on the benefits of reader response, I want to talk about what reader response is and the forms reader response approaches typically take in classrooms. Tamekia, Shamelle, Sandy, Anne, and Bethl are in the fifth grade. Their teacher, Jeni Day, has introduced them to book clubs and the girls have been having discussions about different books for about six weeks. The girls meet twice a week and usually lie on the floor with their heads together, like a starfish. Here are excerpts from their third and fourth discussions of Cracker Jackson (Byars, 1985). Each has responded in her journal to group-assigned prompts ("Have you ever felt like the main character?" and "Would you have done what the main character did?").
Four Basic Assumptions of Reader Response Theory
These excerpts provide a picture of what often takes place during a reader response approach and highlight four basic assumptions of reader response theory:...