The effect of literature discussion formats on the quality of written responses to open response questions in grade three students.

    This investigation of discussion formats, and their effect on written responses to literature, is based on the reader response theory and the Vygotsky perspective that social interaction aides the acquisition of cognitive skills and growth. It is also based on research that shows rich and ample experiences with spoken language influence written language.

     An alternating treatment design with initial baseline was implemented to compare the effects of no discussion vs. teacher facilitated and student-led discussions on written responses to text. Findings indicate positive results for both teacher facilitated formats with student generated questions and student-led discussion groups on the written responses of third grade students to open response questions when compared to a no discussion baseline. Student led discussion formats were found to be most favorable for a special needs student and general student engagement.