Impact of Literature Circles in the Developmental College Classroom

Abstract

This article describes a mixed-methods study that examines the effects of literature circles (peer-led small group discussion of an assigned reading) on the reading achievement of college students taking developmental reading courses. The researcher-developed intervention was comprised of three connected activities (collaborative oral re-tell, short written response, and open discussion). Quantitative methods were used to measure the effectiveness of the intervention, and qualitative methods were used to analyze reading attitude/motivation and textual engagement. Thirty-eight college students in required reading courses participated in the five-week study, randomly assigned to either the treatment (participation in literature circle) or control (independent reading) condition. Comprehension was assessed through an oral re-tell of the novel, a researcher-developed book-specific assessment, and a pre-existing assessment on an unfamiliar passage. Quantitative analysis, which is the focus of this article, revealed that the students assigned to literature circles outperformed the control group students (significant main effect). While the qualitative findings are not discussed herein, analysis revealed that literature circles not only improve reading comprehension and depth of textual engagement but also provide an opportunity for discourse, collaboration, and social interaction. These findings suggest that literature circles would be an effective addition to a postsecondary developmental reading curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• developmental studies
• integrated reading-writing instruction
• intervention study
• literature circles/book club/literature discussion
• mixed method
• postsecondary/college/university
• reader response
• reading comprehension
• textual engagement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

* All first person references in this article refer to the first author, Davonna M. Thomas.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Davonna M. Thomas

Davonna M. Thomas is an English Instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College. She completed her Ph.D. in Literacy Studies with a specialization in Reading Disabilities/Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University. She coordinates the Developmental Reading and English (DRE) curriculum at her institution and is currently involved with the North Carolina Community College System’s state-wide developmental redesign initiative.

Jwa K. Kim

Jwa K. Kim is a Professor and the Director of the Literacy Studies Ph.D. Program at Middle Tennessee State University. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology. His research interests include item response theory (IRT), structural equation modeling (SEM), invariance measurement of reading comprehension, and Matthew Effects in reading.