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Issues in the Responses of Students to Culturally Diverse Texts: A Preliminary Study. Report Series 7.3.

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Title: Issues in the Responses of Students to Culturally Diverse Texts: A Preliminary Study. Report Series 7.3.
Language: English
Authors: Jordan, Sarah, Purves, Alan C., National Research Center on Literature Teaching and Learning, Albany, NY.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 1993
Sponsoring Agency: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Cultural Differences, Higher Education, Interviews, Multicultural Education, Multicultural Textbooks, Reader Response, Reading Research, Secondary Education, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes
Abstract: A preliminary study set the groundwork for exploring the challenges secondary school teachers and students face in reading texts drawn from their own culture and from cultures quite different from their own. Interviews were conducted with 89 secondary school students, and also with university teachers and secondary school teachers of African American or Anglo-European descent (or who taught courses devoted to one or more of these groups) concerning their understanding of the course aims and objectives and of specific texts of one or more of the target cultures (African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, and Anglo-European). Results indicated that (1) students reacted to the story or characters and did not look at the text as a cultural artifact; (2) teachers and students had few problems reading the text as long as they did not raise cultural issues concerning the texts; (3) problems understanding what they read were seen as problems with the writer or with themselves as readers, not as problems in their cultural knowledge; and (4) many teachers believed that students need to like something to be able to comprehend it. Findings suggest that teachers have not yet come to terms with how they can best influence students to see the same cultural concerns that they have, and that unless some attempt is made to give students some factual information about the background culture of texts, then the cycle of one voice, rejection of unknown voices, could continue. (The interview schedule is attached.) (RS)
Entry Date: 1994
Accession Number: ED361701
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Issues in the Responses of Students to Culturally Diverse Texts: A Preliminary Study. Report Series 7.3.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jordan%2C+Sarah%22">Jordan, Sarah</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Purves%2C+Alan+C%2E%22">Purves, Alan C.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22National+Research+Center+on+Literature+Teaching+and+Learning%2C+Albany%2C+NY%2E%22">National Research Center on Literature Teaching and Learning, Albany, NY.</searchLink>
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
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  Data: N
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 26
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 1993
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  Label: Sponsoring Agency
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  Data: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
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  Data: Reports - Research
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  Label: Descriptors
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Differences%22">Cultural Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interviews%22">Interviews</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multicultural+Education%22">Multicultural Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multicultural+Textbooks%22">Multicultural Textbooks</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reader+Response%22">Reader Response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading+Research%22">Reading Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Attitudes%22">Teacher Attitudes</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: A preliminary study set the groundwork for exploring the challenges secondary school teachers and students face in reading texts drawn from their own culture and from cultures quite different from their own. Interviews were conducted with 89 secondary school students, and also with university teachers and secondary school teachers of African American or Anglo-European descent (or who taught courses devoted to one or more of these groups) concerning their understanding of the course aims and objectives and of specific texts of one or more of the target cultures (African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, and Anglo-European). Results indicated that (1) students reacted to the story or characters and did not look at the text as a cultural artifact; (2) teachers and students had few problems reading the text as long as they did not raise cultural issues concerning the texts; (3) problems understanding what they read were seen as problems with the writer or with themselves as readers, not as problems in their cultural knowledge; and (4) many teachers believed that students need to like something to be able to comprehend it. Findings suggest that teachers have not yet come to terms with how they can best influence students to see the same cultural concerns that they have, and that unless some attempt is made to give students some factual information about the background culture of texts, then the cycle of one voice, rejection of unknown voices, could continue. (The interview schedule is attached.) (RS)
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
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  Data: 1994
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
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  Data: ED361701
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  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 26
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Cultural Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Higher Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviews
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multicultural Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multicultural Textbooks
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reader Response
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reading Research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Secondary Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Issues in the Responses of Students to Culturally Diverse Texts: A Preliminary Study. Report Series 7.3.
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            NameFull: National Research Center on Literature Teaching and Learning, Albany, NY.
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            NameFull: Jordan, Sarah
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            NameFull: Purves, Alan C.
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              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 1993
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