ABSTRACT

Fiction, more than expository text, nurtures intimate connections between text and the reader’s life experiences. This dimension of reader response is underexplored in relation to children. Adapting methods from Empirical Literary Studies to educational research objectives, the authors employed the concept of ‘remindings’, i.e. reminiscing prompted by text, in studying children’s life-resonant responses to self-selected leisure books. Six workshops were run in primary classrooms during which participants (N = 148; age 8–11) engaged in remindings and mental imagery. Written remindings were then analysed for systematic variation across fiction book genres (Real-world vs. Fantasy; Relationships vs. Adventure). They found that Real-World Adventure books prompted remindings of discrete life events, while Real-World Relationships books prompted remindings of more diffuse experiences. Fantasy Adventure books were the least likely to prompt remindings. Further genre-based differences emerged in the distribution of themes within remindings. The authors consider the consequences of these insights for supporting young readers.

摘要

小说比说明性文本更能培养文本与读者生活经历之间的密切联系。与儿童相关的读者反应的这一维度尚未得到充分探索。将实证文学研究的方法应用于教育研究目标，作者采用“提醒”的概念，即文本提示的回忆，研究儿童对自选休闲书籍的生活共鸣反应。在小学教室举办了六场研讨会，参与者（N= 148; 8-11 岁）从事提醒和心理意象。然后分析书面提醒以了解小说书籍类型（现实世界与幻想；关系与冒险）之间的系统变化。他们发现现实世界的冒险书会让人想起离散的生活事件，而现实世界的关系书会让人想起更分散的经历。奇幻冒险书最不可能提示提醒。在提醒中的主题分布中出现了更多基于类型的差异。作者考虑了这些见解对支持年轻读者的影响。