Researchware

Janine Certo (Michigan State University), Kathleen Moxley (Central Michigan University), Kelly Reffitt (Mercer University), and Jeffrey A. Miller (Duquesne University) recently used HyperRESEARCH to better understand children's perceptions of literature circles in their article "I Learned How to Talk About a Book: Children's Perceptions of Literature Circles Across Grade and Ability Levels" published in Literacy Research and Instruction, Vol 49. Issue 3, July 2010 pp 243-263.

In their abstract, the authors state: "The purpose of the present study was to investigate students' perceptions of their experiences with literature circles across elementary grades. A stratified random sample of 24 diverse students in grades one, three, four, and five were individually interviewed to obtain perceptions of their attitudes toward literature circles and their perceptions of what they learned. Data analysis was conducted primarily using Hyperresearch™ qualitative software for Windows using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings included: (a) students described literature circles as the most enjoyable part of language arts, (b) students believed that writing before and after literature circles enhanced the discussion, and (c) participants perceived that students used (and observed others using) responses to literature and comprehension strategies."