Smagorinsky, P., & O'Donnell-Allen, C. (1998).
Reading as mediated and mediating action: Composing meaning for literature
through multimedia
interpretive texts. Reading
Research Quarterly, 33(2), 198-226.
Introduction
This study examined the students composing literature through social
discourse and the identification of contextual constraints and the intertextual
relationship used during this process. The studies purpose was to analyze the
efforts of a small group of high school students to interpret a character in
Shakespeare's Hamlet by using a body biography that was illustrated
with words and images that represented their understanding of the meaning of the
text as well as the character. The study investigated four questions: 1) What
are the consequences of the specific intercontextual framework of the class
under study on particular acts of composing within that framework? 2) How do
intertextual factors influence specific acts of composing on an intertextual
continuum? 3) In what ways does a small-group setting potentially enable
exploratory talk to contribute to the production of an interpretive text? 4) In
what ways does the production of a multimedia interpretive text enable a
particular group of students to compose meaning for literature?
Method
This study took place in a large (1,662) two-year senior high school in
Southwestern U.S. Most of the
students and faculty were white, with Native Americans and African Americans
being the largest minority groups among students. The students of a high school
English class were divided into five groups of five students per group; these
groups were tape recorded during their group discussions.
Each group was given a main character in the play, Hamlet and the
students was asked to generate a character analysis through the construction of
a body biography, a life-size human outline that is filled with images and
written text that represented their understanding of the character. For this
article, the researchers focused on the transcribed discussion of one of the
five groups. This chosen group was
given the central character of Laertes in Hamlet.
The
research data was collected as a yearlong study. Two observers were present
during the various class sessions while the teacher implemented literacy
activities such as drama, multi-media composing, group work, process writing,
reader response journals, inquiry-based learning methods, and group discussions.
The observers compiled and edited field notes written with a laptop computer. In
addition, a daily teacher log, teacher's plan book, and interviews with the
students were used as data sources. A portable tape recorder was utilized to
record the group's discourse during the development of their body biography.
The body biography transcribed tapes were considered the primary source for the analysis of the group interactions. The tapes were coded to identify specific classroom discussions and think-aloud processes. The Coding system included: 1) Social Process described how students communicate with each other as they worked; 2) Context described students attention to the guidelines of the assignment; 3) Text described how the students made references to the text and how they represented these ideas into the body biography; 4) Intertext-Graphic Representation included the graphic/visual image discussed about the text; 5) Intertext-Written Representation included both quotes and writing that represented facets of the character.
Results
The results of the study found that students were concerned with the
guidelines of the assignment and the time frame for completion, which
established social interactions among each other that promoted the structure of
their body biography activity. The students adopted roles that enabled them to
focus their efforts productively and accomplish the task on time. Through
exploratory discussion, the group constructed meaning by developing an
understanding of the character, Laertes and his role in the play using prior
classroom discussions and prior literary knowledge to further interpret the
text. They discussed the literal action, the interpretation, and how to depict
the play in the body biography. They agreed upon how to represent their ideas
pictorially, verbally, and in writing. Thus, exploratory discussions promoted
the students' critical thinking skills and developed a new understanding about
the play.
In discussion, the case analysis
was considered incomplete and biased due to the fact that the data collected was
based on one group of students' discussions and did not take into account the
students' thinking processes. The researchers were surprised that the
students did not make any personal connections to the literature and/or
characters. During the exploratory discussions, the students did not use any
personal experiences to make any interpretations to construct meaning. The
researchers inferred that the students' assignment was based on textual
analysis and did not lend itself to personal interpretations and that the
difficulty of reading Shakespeare was challenging for the students.
Discussion
In conclusion, the process of meaning construction of literature was
represented through the exploratory discussion that encouraged the students'
to collaboratively develop text interpretation, which were represented in the
body biography. The analysis of this group's reading of Hamlet suggest
that reading is a continually mediated process in which a social context
provides constraints that limit, channel, and enable readers' way of thinking
about, talking about, and representing the meaning that they impute to written
signs. The linking of reading and
writing processes can develop representations that can lead to continuation of
further development of literacy.