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Re-thinking aliteracy: When undergraduates surrender their reading choices
Abstract
This paper re-considers the concept of aliteracy by arguing that it is less about not reading than it is about choice, agency and context. By analysing findings from a study that examined undergraduates' reading experiences in a Malaysian university, this paper explores the complexities around how the undergraduates grappled with conflicting decisions. Through a phenomenological theoretical perspective and against the theoretical backdrop of domain specificity in reading motivation, this study utilised phenomenological interviews to draw out nine undergraduates' reading experience. The reading experience is understood in terms of their negotiation with institutionally imposed and personal-choice reading both as school students and as undergraduates. The past and more current reading experiences of two undergraduates who considered themselves highly and poorly motivated readers, respectively, were also juxtaposed. Findings from this study provide grounds to show that across different ‘levels’ of motivation and in school or post-school contexts, the undergraduates' motivation for reading is fragile because the reading choice is not a straightforward matter. This article concludes by suggesting a theoretical conceptualisation for why an able reader may surrender his or her reading choice. This study has implications for teachers and reading researchers who recognise the reading experience for its complexities.
... The digital media's enormous production and consumption of information and knowledge have significantly changed the way reading is experienced. People no longer rely solely on print-based materials for reading (Chong, 2016). Mohamed et al.'s (2012) case study on students' reading behaviors showed that digital media was the preferred mode of reading for non-academic and non-course related materials. ...
This paper aims to investigate the reading habits and attitudes of students in the Faculty of Management, Mahendra Multiple Campus, Nepalgunj. The importance of reading as a means to intellectual and emotional growth is discussed, emphasizing the advantages that reading can bring. To collect the necessary data, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to 80 students, probing into their reading habits, preferences, and attitudes. Through quantitative analysis of the findings, it was revealed that the students held an overall positive attitude towards academic and leisure reading, reading either daily or at least once a week. Additionally, digital materials were preferred to printed texts due to their availability and convenience. Based on these results, recommendations were made to improve the reading habits and attitudes of students, including the necessity of a national survey on Nepali students' reading habits. Finally, the importance of teachers in motivating students to read was highlighted, as the study showed that they can significantly impact students' reading habits and attitudes.
... The obstacles faced by students both from themselves and the environment affected by the disaster turned out to be a very complex influence. It is reinforced by the research that finds that reading practices will be difficult to realize if students are not ready mentally, physically, or in social condition (Chong 2016;Cliff 2016), as well as the needs, ages, backgrounds, and learning environment of students (Thibaut 2018). This is supported by the theory of Bronfenbrenner (1986) views that a child's development is influenced by the environmental context. ...
Elementary school students in the Siosar shelter area experienced trauma and lagging behind learning, especially reading as effect of the Mount Sinabung disaster which often erupts. This action research is to improve the quality of reading learning for elementary school students affected by the Mount Sinabung disaster in the Siosar shelter area, Indonesia. Reading problems experienced by students include difficulty recognizing letters, spelling stammering, difficulty reading words, not paying attention to punctuation, not understanding the content of reading, and low motivation to learn. The action taken to solve the problem is to utilize a literacy workshop assisted by audio-visual media. This research method is an action study that refers to Mcniff's theory, which is carried out two cycles with two meetings each. Data collection techniques are carried out by tests, observations, analysis of documents and interviews. Data analysis techniques are carried out quantitatively & qualitatively. The results of this study showed that the quality and process of reading results improved before and after the action (the average initial condition of 52.23 increased to 81.06). The findings were reinforced by t-test results that showed there were significant differences in reading competence in pre-action and in the results of second cycle actions. It is recommended that special actions be taken in learning for students in disaster areas by utilizing various media, both through group and individual activities to be motivated in learning and traumatic reduction.
... The enormous production and consumption of information and knowledge via digital media had rapidly changed how reading is experienced. People no longer read solely from printbased materials (Chong, 2016). In addition, a study by Noor (2011) indicated that postgraduate students prefer internet reading materials. ...
This paper is prepared to examine the leisure reading habits of university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we know, due to the pandemic, the Malaysian government has imposed a series of mandatory lockdown. In higher institutions, classes are carried out using online platforms instead of the traditional learning in the classroom since April 2020. Online courses have changed the learning pattern not only in Malaysia but around the world. University students are now required to adapt to the new normal of learning. This has affected how they spend time between following their online classes and doing their assignments in the confinement of their homes or university residences. According to Association of American Publishers, book sales are up again. Due to this new normal of limiting physical human interaction and spending their time at home or university residency, students turn to reading again to find comfort to handle the accumulated stress during this pandemic. The method of turning to books in times of burden and difficulty is called bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is still not widely known in Malaysia. This paper explains how leisure reading habits can help students to calm down from the anxiety of limiting physical human connection and the stress of spending almost most of their time following the new normal of learning. The writing method for this paper is in the form of quantitative analysis based on the survey conducted on 100 university students throughout Malaysia. This paper highlights literature reviews relating to the reading habits, reading preferences amongst university students in Malaysia and how this is related to bibliotherapy. Therefore, this study concludes that most respondents spend time reading for leisure purposes during the COVID19 pandemic lockdown in Malaysia and it has helped them cope with the pandemic.
... This phenomenonwhich has been described as "aliteracy" (Cf. Chong, 2016;Nathanson et al., 2008)-is the disconnect between an individual's ability to read and their personal disinterest in doing so. According to Dengler (2018), future teachers prefer to access information through summaries or by watching movies. ...
Two pillars of the curricula for primary education and early childhood education in Chile are, respectively, the formal teaching of reading and the promotion of the pleasure of reading. These two objectives depend, in part, on the relationship that teachers themselves establish with reading. Previous studies have been critical, suggesting that teachers seem to act as “false readers,” endangering the formation of new readers. Under this premise, this research investigated the reading life of future teachers who are trained, among other things, to mediate subsequent learning, as well as the acquisition and development of committed readers. The study focused on the importance of reading, preservice teachers’ motivation to read different types of texts, reading habits, and actual reading done during 1 year. The research participants were 365 prospective Chilean early childhood (n = 164) and primary education (n = 201) teachers, who responded to Likert-type and open-ended questions. In line with previous studies, we observed teachers’ high reading valuation but low effective reading praxis. Regarding the importance of reading, we observe reading utility as a first dimension while “enjoyment” or “connecting with my history” are the least valuable dimensions. The implications of these findings for initial teacher training—and especially the role of children’s literature in this framework—are discussed.
... Research demonstrates emerging issues surrounding rates of pre-service teacher aliteracy and post-literacy teachers (e.g. Chong, 2016), as well as scant knowledge of contemporary children's literature (e.g. Yates et al., 2019). ...
There is unequivocal evidence that student engagement in reading for enjoyment has many wide-ranging and long-term benefits. Yet, obstacles are mounting in terms of complexities, constraints and contentions. In light of growing concerns around students’ reading attainment and the place of contemporary children’s literature, as well as the imminent release of the Australian Curriculum: English Version 9.0 , this article is well-timed to elucidate reading instruction. As educators prepare for the revised curriculum, it is important to examine reading demands, student entitlements and classroom practices. In this article, I consider and categorise curriculum content for coherence and cohesion. I outline different facets of reading instruction. I emphasise the vitalness of student engagement in reading for enjoyment (RfE) and the need for a dedicated RfE program. With reference to Dewey’s (1934) theory of aesthetic experience, Maxwell’s (1974) definitions of reading and Kalantzis’ et al. (2016) Learning by design model, I address complications and impediments. I situate RfE as one of three different but concurrent approaches to the teaching of reading. I position children’s literature at the heart of reading instruction. I aim to expand understanding around reading instruction with improved outcomes for students and teachers alike. In the spirit of promoting high-quality children’s literature, I employ playful palimpsests from prized picture book Hark. It’s me Ruby Lee! (Shanahan & Binny, 2017). I draw on literary devices from children’s literature to encourage its classroom usage. My hope is that this article not only advocates enjoyable reading experience, but also constitutes one.
... Providing enough reading time in the schools offers the liberty to choose the books of their interest. Moreover, Chong, 2016), stated that minimum homework can maximize the reading time at home. Therefore, smart homework scheduling can help the student to read more. ...
The voices from the classroom are action research reports, a reflection, and
reflective practice from the Bhutanese school classroom. It has a diversity of meanings introspected, retrospected, and internalized in classroom practices. However, we do not despise the caveat that this journal has a discrepancy.
There are six teachers from Dagana attempting to reflect the best practices to help in professional development with a deep understanding of their
teaching styles, which enhanced their ability to challenge the conventional mode of practice and define their growth toward greater effectiveness as
teachers through this action research. Their ability to relate to their elementary practices improved significantly guided by: We make the road by walking (Myles Horton & Paulo Freire, 1990).
... The enormous production and consumption of information and knowledge via digital media had rapidly changed how reading is experienced. People no longer read solely from printbased materials (Chong, 2016). In addition, a study by Noor (2011) indicated that postgraduate students prefer internet reading materials. ...
... The enormous production and consumption of information and knowledge via the digital media have rapidly changed the way reading is experienced. People no longer read solely from print-based materials (Chong, 2016). A case study by Mohamed et al. (2012) on reading behaviours of students revealed that students spent so much more time on reading using digital media rather than printed materials on both non-academics or non-course related materials. ...
Ability to read is crucial as reading affects intellectual and emotional growth of an individual. Those who read well have more chances in widening their mental horizons and better opportunities of success. Hence, this paper is an attempt to understand the reading habits and attitudes of the students in the Faculty of Education in Universiti Teknologi Mara, Puncak Alam. To collect the relevant data, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to 80 students. The questionnaire investigated the students’ reading habit, preferences, and attitudes towards reading. The research findings through quantitative analysis revealed that the students had an overall positive attitude towards academic and leisure reading as they read academically and leisurely daily or at least once a week. Apart from that, digital materials are considered better compared to printed texts when it comes to the students’ preference and its availability. Based on the findings, several recommendations were made to help improve students’ reading habits and attitudes. Having a national survey on Malaysian students’ reading habits is deemed necessary as it can document current trends (including the use of digital materials as a form of reading) and factors affecting students’ reading habits and attitudes so that more fruitful actions to improve students’ reading habits can be taken. Finally, teachers should also play a more significant role in motivating students to read as the findings yield that teachers are shown to have an impact on students’ reading habits and attitudes. Keywords: reading attitude, reading habit, students’ attitude
... This aliteracy, which Harris and Hodges (1981, p. 11) define as a "lack of the reading habit; especially, such a lack in capable readers who choose not to read," could be a more serious concern than illiteracy (Chong, 2016;Cramer & Castle, 1994). Using the information regarding their students' attitudinal profiles in reading, classroom teachers can differentiate their reading instruction in multiple ways. ...
In this article, the authors proposed a model of four attitudinal profiles including both purpose (academic and recreational) and medium (print and digital): 1) recreational digital only readers, 2) engaged digital readers, 3) engaged print readers, and 4) digital-preferred readers. These four profiles of reading attitudes are drawn from our previous research where we analyzed survey data from approximately 5,000 middle school students in the United States. We present prototypical adolescent reader from each profile guided by Valencia and Buly (2004). Further, we suggested effective instructional practices that fit into each profile of adolescent readers.
... The notion of space has been understood by human geography scholars to be beyond physical boundaries [18]. As such, education scholars apply the metaphysical notion of space and even zones to conceptualize teaching and learning [19]. Based on this thinking, it is argued that an Active Learning Zone (ALZ) is created during the out-of-class drafting process. ...
... Communication research into mobile devices explores a wide range of behaviours in relation to the sociality of public space (Baron and Hård af Segerstad, 2010), but the activity of reading continuous text is scarcely a central concern in this strand of inquiry. Importantly, reading environments are of increasing interest to book historians (Colclough, 2011), and recent studies in education point to the importance of dedicated space, actual (Loh, 2016) or notional (Chong, 2016), for the acquisition of solid reading habits, as well as to social structures causing inequity of access to such space. ...
... However, while recreational reading infrequency in young people who have the skill to read independently is often conflated with aliteracy, the choice not to read (Chong, 2016), findings from previous research in this area suggest that choice is just one of many barriers to reading which may lead to able readers reading infrequently, and being characterised as aliterate. The following key themes frequently emerge in the literature around aliteracy and reading infrequency: ...
Regular recreational reading offers benefits across a range of literacy outcomes, as well as supporting learning in other subject areas, offering cognitive benefits, and potentially fostering empathy. Therefore, increasing frequency of engagement in recreational reading can play an important role in addressing inequity in literacy outcomes once independent reading skill has been achieved. While previous studies address how to increase children's engagement in reading for recreation, few allow children's viewpoints to take primacy. The 2016 Western Australian Study in Children's Book Reading collected data from respondents across 24 schools, seeking to determine how educators and parents may best support young people to read with greater frequency. Interview participants from Years 4 and 6 were asked what would make them read more. The five recurring themes of finding engaging books, series adherence, challenge seeking, skill deficit, and time availability indicate optimal avenues for future research and educational intervention to foster increased engagement in reading.
... In contemporary research on reading, researchers argue that reading practices are not straightforward not least because of the complexities of how reading occurs when embodied in the reader as well as how sociocultural factors act upon the reader and reading experience (Chong 2016, Cliff Hodges 2016, Wyse, Andrews & Hoffman 2010. For those who are able to read and write across different language systems, the complexities are magnified. ...
The reading experience of those who are literate in more than one language is highly complex. This makes the reading experience a phenomenon that is not easily understood. Yet, in Malaysia's education policy, reading goals are subsumed under language learning goals. Such implicit ways of assuming that literacy occurs through language learning not only overlooks any impact language learning may have on literacy practice but also undermines the fact that learning to read in a language is ontologically different from reading through all or any language. This paper discusses a part of an in-depth qualitative study which scrutinized the reading experiences of eight multiliterate Malaysian undergraduates studying in a British university in order to understand the difference between being literate in many languages and choosing to read through any one language. The contrast between multilingual Malaysia and monolingual England formed an important backdrop. In this study, the phenomenological interview and diary-writing were used as research methods to capture the participants' past reading experience as Malaysian school students and as British university undergraduates. Phenomenographic analysis and discourse analysis were used to analyse the data. Findings from this study suggest that multilingual readers experience "language-ness" because of the specificities of multiple language learning. The phenomenon of language-ness then go on to influence the habituation and sustenance of reading choice across different languages. This paper suggests that as linguistically-diverse countries forge ahead to maintain its citizens' linguistic abilities, they must not forget that linguistic capital alone cannot shape a nation. Semiotic capital which relates to meaning-making is also critical in shaping an informed nation. This study has important implications towards contemporary discourse about Literacies, language and the reading experience.
Despite the widespread acknowledgement of the importance of academic reading, much research tends to focus on academic writing. The role of academic writing in the development of academic and professional identities is generally accepted. In contrast, the role of academic reading has been less visible in the literature, and when discussed, it tends to be conceptualised as a generic skill. In this paper, we explore the role of reading in emergent academic identities in undergraduates. We reflect on research with our own Nursing and Midwifery students that highlighted the role of reading in the development of ‘writing capital.’ Drawing on this and wider evidence we explore how, through academic reading, students begin to recognise, and then participate in the scholarly conversations that construct knowledge within disciplines. We argue that academic reading, like academic writing, is a complex ongoing process that involves multiple transitions, rather than a skill that can, and should, be mastered early on. We contend that educators need to consider how and where academic reading is addressed within academic programmes. Moreover, we suggest ways to make room for it within our curricula and engage students in conversations about the nature of scholarship within their disciplines.
Why read? What is the point of reading in higher education if students can succeed in their classes without reading? Using Wigfield and Eccles’ Expectancy-Value theory of motivation as a framework, I explore why different instructors think their students should be reading and whether students share these motivations. Instructors and students attribute value to reading differently. Instructors value reading for what it allows students to do and become. Students may value reading but still not read depending on competing factors including time available and assessment tasks required. The essay concludes by asking higher educational professionals to consider what, if anything, should be done to encourage the reading of difficult texts in classes.
This cross-sectional study at a four-year college explored the alignment between students’ and faculty perceptions and behaviors regarding academic reading. Constructs from the academic reading literature were used to create a 10-item survey, modified slightly for faculty and students to respond to the same prompts. A convenience sample of 848 students and a snowball sample of 63 faculty examined the value of academic reading, academic reading practices, and attitudes toward academic reading pedagogy. Differences in agreement between students and faculty were statistically significant for all items. Students and faculty agree that undergraduate education should make students proficient academic readers, although the faculty mean is significantly higher than the students’. The expert-novice, Dunning-Kruger effect, and disengagement compact are three theories proposed to explain results.
The authors discuss the nature and domain specificity of reading motivation and present initial results that examined how 2 reading instructional programs, Concept Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) and multiple Strategy Instruction (SI), influenced 3rd-grade children's intrinsic motivation to read and reading self-efficacy. Each reading program occurred during the fall of the school year and lasted 12 weeks. Approximately 150 3rd-grade children participated in CORI; 200 3rd-grade children participated in SI. Results of pre- and posttest analyses of children's responses to a reading motivation questionnaire showed that children's intrinsic motivation to read and reading self-efficacy increased only in the CORI group.
Cambridge Core - Sociolinguistics - Ways with Words - by Shirley Brice Heath
Research on and with digital technologies is everywhere today. This timely, authoritative Handbook explores the issues of rapid technological development, social change, and the ubiquity of computing technologies which have become an integrated part of people's everyday lives. This is a comprehensive, up-to-date resource for the twenty-first century. It addresses the key aspects of research within the digital technology field and provides a clear framework for readers wanting to navigate the changeable currents of digital innovation. Main themes include: Introduction to the field of contemporary digital technology research; New digital technologies: key characteristics and considerations; Research perspectives for digital technologies: theory and analysis; Environments and tools for digital research; Research challenges Aimed at a social science audience, it will be of particular value for postgraduate students, researchers and academics interested in research on digital technology, or using digital technology to undertake research.
A population that doesn't read is divorced from its cultural heritage and cut off from civic affairs. Reading is the prerequisite for access to the world at large, to the historical past and the political present. That so many young people are opting out of an activity so essential to personal growth is a troubling trend that must be the result of deep and complex changes in contemporary society.
The 21st century is awash with ever more mixed and remixed images, writing, layout, sound, gesture, speech, and 3D objects. Multimodality looks beyond language and examines these multiple modes of communication and meaning making. Multimodality: A Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication represents a long-awaited and much anticipated addition to the study of multimodality from the scholar who pioneered and continues to play a decisive role in shaping the field. Written in an accessible manner and illustrated with a wealth of photos and illustrations to clearly demonstrate the points made, Multimodality: A Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication deliberately sets out to locate communication in the everyday, covering topics and issues not usually discussed in books of this kind, from traffic signs to mobile phones. In this book, Gunther Kress presents a contemporary, distinctive and widely applicable approach to communication. He provides the framework necessary for understanding the attempt to bring all modes of meaning-making together under one unified theoretical roof. This exploration of an increasingly vital area of language and communication studies will be of interest to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in the fields of English language and applied linguistics, media and communication studies and education.
Childhood and family life have changed significantly in recent decades. What is the nature of these changes? How have they affected the use of time, space, work and play? In what ways have they influenced face-to-face talk and the uses of technology within families and communities? Eminent anthropologist Shirley Brice Heath sets out to find answers to these and similar questions, tracking the lives of 300 black and white working-class families as they reshaped their lives in new locations, occupations and interpersonal alignments over a period of thirty years. From the 1981 recession through the economic instabilities and technological developments of the opening decade of the twenty-first century, Shirley Brice Heath shows how families constantly rearrange their patterns of work, language, play and learning in response to economic pressures. This outstanding study is a must-read for anyone interested in family life, language development and social change.
In today's digital world, we have multiple modes of meaning-making: sounds, images, hypertexts. Yet, within literacy education, even 'new' literacies, we know relatively little about how to work with and produce modally complex texts. In Working with Multimodality, Jennifer Rowsell focuses on eight modes: words, images, sounds, movement, animation, hypertext, design and modal learning. Throughout the book each mode is illustrated by cases studies based on the author's interviews with thirty people, who have extensive experience working with a mode in their field. From a song writer to a well known ballet dancer, these people all discuss what it means to do multimodality well. This accessible textbook brings the multiple modes together into an integrated theory of multimodality. Step-by-step, beginning with theory then exploring modes and how to work with them, before concluding with how to apply this in an investigation, each stage of working with multimodality is covered. Working with Multimodality will help students and scholars to: • Think about specific modes and how they function • Consider the implications for multimodal meaning-making • Become familiar with conventions and folk knowledge about given modes • Apply this same knowledge to their own production of media texts in classrooms. Assuming no prior knowledge about multimodality and its properties, Working with Multimodality is designed to appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students interested in how learning and innovation is different in a digital and media age and is an essential textbook for courses in literacy, new media and multimodality within applied linguistics, education and communication studies.
The digital reading practices of two middle school students in US and Canadian contexts are examined. Using a multimodal discourse framework, the authors contemplate what digital reading practice is and distinctive practices of reading texts online compared with printed, school‐based literacy practices. By focusing on two different genres of online texts, the authors illustrate the diversity of reading practices that digital texts entail. Alongside mapping out practices, the article aligns practices with reader subjectivities and describes how one informs the other. At the end of the article, implications for practice are foregrounded, such as using design to facilitate comprehension, invoking producer agendas in the act of reading, and identifying discourses and ideologies through the distribution of visuals and modalities within the semiotics of texts.
لقد تم فحص ممارسات القراءة الرقمية لدى طالبين في المدرسة الإعدادية في الولايات المتحدة وكندا. ويتأمل المؤلفون ما هي ممارسة القراءة الرقمية والممارسات المتميزة لقراءة النصوص على الشبكة العالمية بالمقارنة لممارسات قراءة النصوص المطبوعة في تعليم معرفة القراءة والكتابة المبنية على الدراسة التقليدية باستخدام إطار تعددية الطرق في الخطاب. ومن خلال التركيز على جنسين من النصوص على الشبكة العالمية، يوضح المؤلفون تنوع ممارسات القراءة المتواجدة في النصوص الرقمية. وبجانب إلى شرح الممارسات، تصفّف المقالة الممراسات بموضوعيات القارئ وتصف الطريقة التي تحيط واحدة فيها علماً بالأخرى. وفي نهاية المقالة تضع الأعقاب لتنفيذ الممارسات في المقدمة على سبيل المثال استخدام التصميم حتى يسهل الاستيعاب واستدعاء جداول أعمال المخرج في عملية القراءة وتحديد الخطابات والعقائد بواسطة توزيع البصريات والشكليات في علم رموز النصوص.
本研究考查两名在美国和加拿大的中学生所实践的数字化阅读学习。本文作者采用一个多模态话语理论框架，仔细考量什么是数字化阅读教学实践，以及讨论线上文本阅读有何别于以印刷为本及以学校为本的读写文化教学实践。本文作者聚焦于两种不同体裁的线上文本，描绘出数字化阅读所产生的多样性阅读实践，同时亦把阅读实践与阅读者的主观看法作对照，说明两者之间的互相影响力。在本文结尾中，作者凸显出数字化阅读给教学实践带来的启示，例如：利用课程设计以促进阅读理解、在阅读行为中唤起制作者的议题，以及透过分析各种文本中的视觉效果与模态形式分布的符号学，从而识别出其中的话语和意识形态。
On a examiné les pratiques de lecture des élèves de deux collèges des USA et du Canada. A l'aide d'une structure de discours multimodale, les auteurs considèrent attentivement ce qu'est la pratique de lecture numérique et les pratiques distinctes de lecture de textes en ligne par rapport aux pratiques scolaires de littératie des textes écrits. En se centrant sur deux genres différents de textes en ligne, les auteurs présentent la diversité des types de lecture que suscitent les textes numériques. Tout en mettant à jour ces pratiques, l'article met en regard les pratiques et la subjectivité des lecteurs et décrit de quelle façon l'une influe sur l'autre. La fin de l'article met en avant des implications pour la pratique, comme utiliser un plan pour faciliter la compréhension, faire appel à la production d'agendas dans l'acte de lire, et identifier discours et idéologies grâce à la distribution de visuels et de modalités pour la sémiotique des textes.
Исследование посвящено практике чтения текстов в цифровом формате двух школьников из США и Канады. Используя полимодальный дискурс, авторы размышляют над самим явлением “цифрового чтения” и его отличиями от обычного “бумажного” чтения, чаще всего практикуемого в школах. На примере двух онлайн‐текстов разных жанров авторы показывают, насколько разнообразны могут быть практики чтения подобных текстов. Наряду с описанием таких практик, авторы демонстрируют, насколько они обусловлены индивидуальностью самого читателя. В конце статьи подчеркивается значение этого исследования для практики, а именно: как дизайн текста влияет на восприятие содержания, как влияют на процесс чтения те цели и задачи, которые ставил перед собой создатель того или иного текста, как происходит распознавание типов дискурса и философских установок автора через визуальный и модальный ряды, присутствующие в семиотике текстов.
Se examinaron las prácticas de lectura digital de dos estudiantes de escuela intermedia en los EEUU y Canadá. Usando un marco multimodal de disertar, los autores consideran lo que es la práctica de lectura digital y comparan prácticas de lectura en línea particulares con las prácticas de alfabetización en las escuelas. Enfocándose en dos géneros diferentes de textos en línea, los autores ilustran la diversidad de las prácticas de lectura que los textos digitales conllevan. Además de delinear tales prácticas, el artículo empareja las prácticas con la subjetividad del lector y describe cómo el uno informa al otro. Al final del artículo, se resalta su posible implementación usando diseños para facilitar la comprensión, solicitando agendas del lector en el acto de leer, e identificando discursos e ideologías a través de la distribución de visuales y modalidades dentro de la semiótica de los textos.
This report, the second in a series that highlights research from around the world, describes current concerns in Estonia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. An expanded online-only report on Estonia is also available by clicking on the button for “supplementary content.”
Literacy and Development is a collection of case studies of literacy projects around the world. The contributors present their in-depth studies of everyday uses and meanings of literacy and of the literacy programmes that have been developed to enhance them. Arguing that ethnographic research can and should inform literacy policy in developing countries, the book extends current theory and itself contributes to policy making and programme building. A large cross-section of society is covered, with chapters on Women's literacy in Pakistan, Ghana, and Rural Mali, literacy in village Iran, and an 'Older Peoples' Literacy Project. This international collection includes case studies from: Peru, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Bangladesh, Mali, Nepal, Iran, Eritrea, Ghana.
This semiotically informed article problematizes the concept of literacy as an aesthetic activity rather than reading skills and offers strategies for assessing young readers’ understanding of fictional texts. Although not based on empirical research, the essay refers to and theorizes from extensive field studies of children’s responses to literature. The concept of the implied reader, derived from reception theories, is employed to explore the skills demanded in order to make meaning from fictional texts. The essay presents a number of interpretative codes, including anticipatory, narrative, hermeneutic, semic, symbolic and referential. The implication of these codes is investigated in their relevance for texts specifically addressed to young readers. The article argues that literary competence is an essential component of a child’s intellectual growth that should be trained and encouraged, and that the acknowledgement of this competence it is of overall importance for educational research as well as for practitioners.
In the move from page to screen a range of representational modes (including image, movement, gesture, and voice) are available as meaning-making resources. This article focuses on the reshaping of the entity ‘character’ in the transformation of the novel Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck, 1937) to CD-ROM (1996). Through detailed analysis the article demonstrates that the shift from written page to multimodal screen entails a shift in the construction of the entity ‘character’. It is also suggested that students’ interaction with the resources of the CD-ROM as a visual text demand that ‘reading’ and the process of learning within school English be thought of as more than a linguistic accomplishment.
Purpose
– This conceptual paper aims to discuss a few concerns in the title categories of literacy, aliteracy, and lifelong learning and illuminates the scholarly concern about a global population increase of people who either are unable to read or are uninterested in reading.
Design/methodology/approach
– The juxtaposition of discussion about the three title categories and conclusions excerpted from the literature about these categories shows the predicament of the person today who is ill‐prepared in basic literacy. The predicament includes the individual's lack of ability to read, write, or reason; but also their limited capacity for successfully engaging technology or future lifelong learning. A discussion of marginalized populations relates how marginalized groups are unable to participate fully in their societies. Regardless of economic, gender, religious, or other reasons for group marginalization, members of these groups often suffer from illiteracy as well.
Findings
– It is concluded that librarians who encourage development of reading and writing can make significant contributions to the profession, local cultures, and the global community.
Originality/value
– This paper focuses on the immediate and long‐term problem of illiteracy. It is intended to motivate librarians across the globe by providing information about the effects of illiteracy on individuals or marginalized groups.
This study explores the changing role of the book in the future. The report draws on interviews with authors, publishers, booksellers, computer experts, librarians, scientists, educators, and scholars and on the experience of the Library of Congress staff. The first part, "The Culture of the Book: Today and Tomorrow," includes sections on: Books in Our Lives; A Nation of Readers?; the Twin Menaces: Illiteracy and Aliteracy; Combining Technologies: The Adaptable Book; and Unexplored Opportunities. Part Two, "A Manifold Program for a Massive Problem," suggests numerous activities that citizens can undertake to improve reading habits with sections on: Families and Homes, Schools, Libraries, Churches, Civic and Fraternal Organizations, Businesses, Book Publishers and Booksellers, Newspapers and Magazines, Television and Radio, Labor Unions, Colleges and Universities, Cities and Local Communities, the States, and Prisons and Correctional Institutions. A directory of organizations cited in this section is provided. The next two sections in Part II offer suggestions to Congress and the Executive Branch, and the report concludes with a brief review of initiatives undertaken at the Library of Congress. (THC)
In addition to the familiar problem of functional illiteracy (the inability of adults to read at a basic level) another distrubing problem is becoming apparent--aliteracy. Increasing numbers of capable readers are choosing not to read. This problem is indicated by a 1969 survey that found that 58% of United States adults have never finished a book, and a 1973 study that indicated that only 26% of adults read magazines. Even in school and at work, very little reading is done. Minimum standards programs deal with symptoms but not with such causes as the ever-rising standard of literacy to be met by readers or the problem of poor parental modeling in reading in the home. A balanced program for the solution to aliteracy must include these three emphases: (1) functional literacy must be viewed as a changing level of ability relative to changing job expectations. (2) The ability to continue learning must be recognized as a basic skill in view of the high likelihood of job change and consequent retraining needs. (3) Since aliterate individuals are likely to fall short of the demands of continued learning and to be poor reading models to their children, schools must emphasize the development of positive reading habits and attitudes among future parents. (DF)
Reading at Risk presents the results from the literature segment of a large-scale survey, the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, conducted by the Census Bureau in 2002 at the request of the National Endowment for the Arts. This survey investigated the percentage and number of adults, age 18 and over, who attended artistic performances, visited museums, watched broadcasts of arts programs, or read literature. The survey sample numbered more than 17,000 individuals, which makes it one of the most comprehensive polls of art and literature consumption ever conducted. Reading at Risk extrapolates and interprets data on literary reading and compares them with results from similar surveys carried out in 1982 and 1992. The survey asked respondents if, during the previous 12 months, they had read any novels, short stories, plays, or poetry in their leisure time (not for work or school). The report establishes trends in the number of adults reading, listening to, and writing literature by demographic categories of age, race, region, income, and education. This report also compares participation in literary activities with other leisure activities, such as watching movies and exercising. Ten key finding were found and are presented in this document. Appended are: (1) Survey of Public Participation in the Arts Background and Methodology; (2) Data Collection; and (3) an overview of two statistical models that were created in preparing this monograph. (Contains 28 tables and 8 figures.)
I discuss research on the nature of motivation in the domain of reading, making a case for the need to examine the domain specificity of motivational constructs. After a review of relevant motivation theory and research, I describe the development of a questionnaire measure of reading motivation and summarize the results of 2 studies that utilized the questionnaire. From the studies' results, it is clear that children's reading motivation is multidimensional and that it relates to both the frequency of their reading and their reading performance. Certain of the aspects of reading motivation may be unique to reading. I conclude with a discussion of the development of reading motivation and how reading motivation is influenced by different classroom contexts and programs.
In this article the phenomonelogical approach to qualitative research is compared with certain other qualitative approaches following other paradigms. The thesis is that a deepened understanding of phenomenological philosophy can provide the alternative framework that many of these authors have been seeking. The comparison with other approaches is made in terms of theoretical and methodical consistency. Theoretically, the argument is that the situation known as "mixed discourse" exists because practitioners have not sufficiently freed themselves from the criteria and practices of traditional paradigms in which most qualitative researchers have been trained. The shift from the collection of numerical data to linguistic data takes place without appropriate shift in theoretical context. This state of affairs should be overcome in order to strengthen qualitative research. On the other hand, many qualitative researchers carry on practices that seem to be analogous to phenomenological prescriptions which are explicitly usually misunderstood or resisted when stated directly and generically. Thus, greater theoretical clarity and consistency as well as deeper reflection or better utilization of imaginative possibilities still seem to be called for in order to bring better theoretical conceptualization and more consistent practices to qualitative research.
This commentary begins with a review of major themes covered in the 5 articles included in this special issue. I then briefly comment on each article in the context of these themes and summarize what I see as cross-cutting issues suggested from the perspectives of a theory of reading motivations, practices suggested from research reported, and how these must be considered in light of the experiences of individual readers. The commentary concludes with a discussion of a systemic framework for examining classroom, school, district, and community alignments of practices and policy for enhancing reading motivations for all learners in the system, including students, teachers, and parents.
Are we becoming an aliterate society? The demand for recreational reading appears to be on the decline while the demand for films, DVDs, and other formats is on the rise. Is this an indicator that students of today are selecting viewing over reading? What, if any, is the impact on collection development of academic libraries? To answer these questions, the authors administered a survey to determine if students elect to read when given choices or if they prefer viewing instead. The survey also dealt with the amount of time students spend reading as well as what specifically they read. doi:10.1300/J106v14n03_02
Study-abroad students, products of their own particular academic literacy culture, face the challenge of rapidly integrating into a foreign academic literacy community. This study identifies possible culturally dependent sources of literacy problems in Law and Economics students in Great Britain, France and Spain. Nearly 600 potential European study-abroad candidates (ERASMUS programme) and 169 of their university teachers from 17 universities in the three countries completed a questionnaire on first language (L1) reading practices. Results revealed distinct academic literacy profiles within disciplines across national cultures. Academic reading practices are seen to be more important overall in Britain, significantly less so in Spain, while France shows some characteristics of both British and Spanish approaches. Summarised results of a concurrent investigation into ERASMUS students' foreign language reading skills suggest the influence of L1 literacy traditions on foreign language reading, which points to pedagogical implications and directions for further study.
Recent research in England suggests that opportunities for children's and young people's reading for pleasure may have been curtailed as a result of other curriculum imperatives. Under pressure to raise standards, there has been a strong emphasis on meeting objectives and managing the curriculum, but reasons for reading in the first place appear to have been neglected. In particular, little explicit attention has been paid, either in research or policy documentation, to why literature still has a clear role to play in English education. Taking as its starting point a selection of surveys and policy documents before moving to consider views from theorists, writers and young readers, this article seeks to stimulate debate about why reading literature still matters.
Reprinted 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 (twice), 1990, 1991, 1992 Incluye bibliografía e índice
This paper opens with a story of the mobility and varied temporalities of a particular landscape and uses this to reflect on a range of issues that revolve around the different kinds of ‘grounding’ that are appealed to in socio-cultural, political and academic life. It reflects upon the relations between human and natural sciences, the nature of appeals between them, and the important, but often questionable, place within this of particular political positions. It goes on to query the role of ‘Nature’ as a grounding to place and landscape and stresses the potentially differential effectivities of contrasting temporalities --- between, for example, the temporalities of the taskspace and the temporalities of tectonics. Nonetheless, the argument continues, there are indeed provocations from the moving rocks to the nature of scientific discourse and to debates within political philosophy. It concludes with a conceptualisation of both landscape and place as events.
A leading feminist geographer puts forth new ways of thinking about space and place. In these days of global acceleration on the one hand and intensifying local nationalisms on the other, how should we be thinking about space and place? This new book brings together Doreen Massey's key writings on this debate. In it she argues that we have seen some problematical readings of both terms in recent years, and she proposes an alternative approach more adequate to the issues facing the social sciences today. Massey has organized these debates around the three themes of space, place, and gender. She traces the development of ideas about the social structure of space and place, and the relation of both to issues of gender and certain debates within feminism. Beginning with the economy and social structures of production, Massey develops a wider notion of spatiality as the product of intersecting social relations. On this basis she proposes an approach to "places" that is essentially open and hybrid while always provisional and contested. The themes intersect with much current thinking about identity within feminism and cultural studies. The chapters range from studies of the concepts of place employed in debates on uneven regional development and inner-city problems to arguments about the relationship between the conceptualization of space/place and the social construction of gender relations. "This book presents a collection of Massey's writings that have appeared over the last two decades. The volume is, however, more than a sum of its parts, in that Massey uses commentaries throughout the book to delineate an intellectual trajectory in Anglo geography that connects the concerns of economic geography with critiques and extensions by feminist and postcolonial writers. Massey builds a multifaceted argument of the richness of geographical analysis and its centrality for contemporary social theory debates." Professional Geographer "In a compilation of essays spanning over fifteen years, Space, Place and Gender, Doreen Massey explores the intricate and profound connection of space and place with gender and the construction of gender relations. Spaces and places are gendered, she argues, at once reflecting and affecting how gender is understood." Harvard Design Magazine Doreen Massey is professor of geography at the Open University in the United Kingdom. She is the author of five books, including Spatial Divisions of Labour (1984) and, with David Weild and Paul Quintas, High-Tech Fantasies (1991).
Bajo la premisa de que la fenomenología ha servido de modelo de investigación para la psicología y las ciencias sociales, en esta obra se explica su sustrato teórico, con base en el trabajo de Husserl y otros filósofos, para hacer un tratado, paso a paso, del proceso para conducir un estudio fenomenológico. Incluye ejemplos de estudios de este tipo aplicados en diversos campos: terapia, cuidado de la salud, victimología, psicología y estudios de género.
Obra sobre las características y métodos de la investigación cualitativa, desde la planeación del proyecto hasta la interpretación del material. Incluye un panorama sobre los desarrollos recientes en la materia.
Unlabelled:
Fatigue is a major problem among individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but its meaning in daily living is unclear. The aim was to describe MS-related fatigue as lived by a group of individuals diagnosed with MS. Interviews with nine individuals were analysed from a phenomenological perspective.
Main findings:
MS-related fatigue is living with a time-consuming and all absorbing phenomenon, involving the body and the whole human being. Fatigue is commonly non-constructively perceived and expressed in terms of energy loss, emotional afflictions, dependency and restrictions of life in general, however, it is also constructively perceived and involves a desire to accept life and strive for a better situation.
Conclusion:
MS-related fatigue is a comprehensive phenomenon and its relationship with self-care requires further investigation.
Voices of ardent readers: one in concert. The English Teacher, XXXVII
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Whither reading in Malaysia: confronting reading reluctancy among pre-university students
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