Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


Dissertation Sara D. Kersten.pdf (7.34 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Nonfiction is not another name for fiction: The co-construction of nonfiction in a primary classroom

Kersten, Sara
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460978333

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
The purpose of this research was to analyze one 2nd grade teacher’s instructional practices as she helped her students co-construct an understanding of nonfiction as a genre. Research was conducted over the course of 14 weeks with 22 students and one teacher. Data were collected from videos of large and small group instruction; videos of the students working together; and pre- and post- interviews of the teacher and students. In addition, field notes and student work were also part of the data corpus. The major findings of the study include: 1) The teacher taught nonfiction in four ways in order to help her students co-construct an understanding of the genre. She taught nonfiction through text features, content, linking fiction and nonfiction, and the process of creating nonfiction books. 2) When selecting nonfiction books for her students, the teacher considered four criteria as important characteristics of the genre to consider. She asked if the book was nonfiction, adhering to the definition we had created, “Nonfiction contains factual information about the world in which nothing is made up.” The other three criteria were aesthetics, organization and style, and text consideration. 3) The teacher’s close observations of her students’ misunderstandings caused her to change her instruction. She changed her instructional practices in response to students not understanding the function of text features and having trouble differentiating between fiction and nonfiction. In addition, she began to study the complexity and, what she referred to as, the consideration of nonfiction books when her students had difficulty reading the complex books in the class. As a result, she changed her instruction by including more considerate nonfiction books and even worked with her students to help them understand what makes a nonfiction book considerate.
Patricia Scharer (Advisor)
Barbara Kiefer (Committee Member)
Laurie Katz (Committee Member)
Mollie Blackburn (Committee Member)
218 p.
Education; Elementary Education; Language Arts; Literacy; Literature
nonfiction; primary literacy; childrens literature; instructional practices; teacher beliefs; language arts

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kersten, S. (2016). Nonfiction is not another name for fiction: The co-construction of nonfiction in a primary classroom [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460978333

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kersten, Sara. Nonfiction is not another name for fiction: The co-construction of nonfiction in a primary classroom . 2016. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460978333.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kersten, Sara. "Nonfiction is not another name for fiction: The co-construction of nonfiction in a primary classroom ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460978333

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1460978333
799
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.