EXPLORING THE MEANING-MAKING PROCESS THROUGH THE CONTENT OF LITERATURE RESPONSE JOURNALS - A CASE-STUDY INVESTIGATION

This investigation sought to determine how the active meaning-making p rocess of 10 sixth-grade students with above average reading and writi ng ability was reflected in their written responses to four books of r ealistic fiction. Students kept literature response journals to record their ongoing thoughts and reflections during the reading process. Th e nine-point categorization scheme that emerged from the content of st udents' responses was used to analyze the journals of 4 of these stude nts in order to determine individual response styles. Further analysis revealed the sequence of response for these 4 students during each qu arter of their reading and writing. The study suggests how complex and unique response to literature is for even upper elementary and middle school students.