THE ORAL RESPONSES OF THREE FOURTH GRADERS TO REALISTIC FICTION AND FANTASY

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze and describe the nature of fourth grade girls\u27 oral responses to realistic fiction and modern fantasy short stories. The participants were three fourth grade girls. An initial interview elicited background information about the participants as readers. Individual interviews and peer discussions of a modern fantasy and a realistic fiction short story, read aloud to the participants by the researcher, provided the data. Discussions of the stories were audiotaped and transcribed by the researcher. Data collection and analytical procedures were consistent with descriptive research in which hypotheses are generated from the data. The data analysis generated descriptive categories of oral responses to text, organized under the major categories; characters, events and themes. Major hypotheses which resulted from a synthesizing of the findings across the categories of analysis are as follows: (a) responses to stories concern characters, events, and themes; (b) factors which contribute to interpreting stories are: personal purpose, evaluations and inferences about characters and events, and acceptance of characters\u27 perspectives; (c) story type (realistic fiction or fantasy) does not influence the way in which stories are interpreted; (d) evidences of learning in responses include: considering oneself in characters\u27 positions and story events, abstracting a larger significance from characters and inferring themes; (e) there are differences in learning within and across responders; (f) peer discussion enhances interpretations and learning from stories. Further research into the nature of responders\u27 transactions with stories was recommended. Specific issues suggested for additional study are: (a) the descriptive categories for analyzing oral responses to text; (b) factors contributing to responders\u27 interpretations of characters and events; (c) evidences of learning from stories; (d) differences in learning within and across responders; (e) the relationships among reading, responding and composing