Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.

In this study I examined how a group of native speakers and non-native speakers of English confronted the same three short stories, what reactions emerged from their reading and interacting with the texts, what details the students responded to, and what cross-cultural and gender differences were ev...

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Main Author: Randic, Jasna.
Other Authors: Warnock, John
Language:en
Published: The University of Arizona. 1994
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186789
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spelling ndltd-arizona.edu-oai-arizona.openrepository.com-10150-1867892015-10-23T04:33:24Z Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature. Randic, Jasna. Warnock, John Johnson, Donna M. Saville-Troike, Muriel Roen, Duane H. In this study I examined how a group of native speakers and non-native speakers of English confronted the same three short stories, what reactions emerged from their reading and interacting with the texts, what details the students responded to, and what cross-cultural and gender differences were evident in their responses. In particular, I looked for patterns that exist in student responses in terms of gender, native versus non-native speaker analysis (linguistic), and Spanish and Chinese speaker differences (cultural backgrounds). This study is grounded in reader-response theory, schema theory, and gender studies. Part of my analysis draws on Elizabeth Flynn's 1980 study on reading patterns of male and female college students, and her three categories of readers: dominant, submissive, and interactive. In addition to Flynn's categories, I examined student responses to stories in terms of categories noted by Vipond and Hunt: information-driven, story-driven, and point-driven. My students had to fulfill three tasks: first, they had to write their reactions to the stories, second, they had to summarize the stories, and third, they had to choose one story as a focus for an epistolary essay. My findings indicated a strong influence of schemata on student responses. Their responses to the stories showed cultural background influences and gender influences on their reading and responding. Students made comments about their own cultures and they often compared and contrasted a certain issue in their own culture and in the US. In terms of gender differences, I found salient differences between American male student responses and other represented groups. From a pedagogical perspective, all students came to text with different schemata, and responded to text according to their schemata; that is, their culture conditioning, gender, education, and so on. This study prompted students to articulate the connections in their schemata. Dialogue in a literature-based writing class is necessary, to promote awareness, and self awareness. 1994 text Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186789 9432856 en Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. The University of Arizona.
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language en
sources NDLTD
description In this study I examined how a group of native speakers and non-native speakers of English confronted the same three short stories, what reactions emerged from their reading and interacting with the texts, what details the students responded to, and what cross-cultural and gender differences were evident in their responses. In particular, I looked for patterns that exist in student responses in terms of gender, native versus non-native speaker analysis (linguistic), and Spanish and Chinese speaker differences (cultural backgrounds). This study is grounded in reader-response theory, schema theory, and gender studies. Part of my analysis draws on Elizabeth Flynn's 1980 study on reading patterns of male and female college students, and her three categories of readers: dominant, submissive, and interactive. In addition to Flynn's categories, I examined student responses to stories in terms of categories noted by Vipond and Hunt: information-driven, story-driven, and point-driven. My students had to fulfill three tasks: first, they had to write their reactions to the stories, second, they had to summarize the stories, and third, they had to choose one story as a focus for an epistolary essay. My findings indicated a strong influence of schemata on student responses. Their responses to the stories showed cultural background influences and gender influences on their reading and responding. Students made comments about their own cultures and they often compared and contrasted a certain issue in their own culture and in the US. In terms of gender differences, I found salient differences between American male student responses and other represented groups. From a pedagogical perspective, all students came to text with different schemata, and responded to text according to their schemata; that is, their culture conditioning, gender, education, and so on. This study prompted students to articulate the connections in their schemata. Dialogue in a literature-based writing class is necessary, to promote awareness, and self awareness.
author2 Warnock, John
author_facet Warnock, John
Randic, Jasna.
author Randic, Jasna.
spellingShingle Randic, Jasna.
Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
author_sort Randic, Jasna.
title Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
title_short Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
title_full Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
title_fullStr Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
title_full_unstemmed Gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
title_sort gender differences and cross-cultural variations in student responses to literature.
publisher The University of Arizona.
publishDate 1994
url http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186789
work_keys_str_mv AT randicjasna genderdifferencesandcrossculturalvariationsinstudentresponsestoliterature
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