SOMEONE WITH LIKE A LIFE WROTE IT - THE EFFECTS OF A VISIBLE AUTHOR ON HIGH-SCHOOL HISTORY STUDENTS

This study investigated the effects of a visible author (one who write s in the Ist person, revealing personal opinions and self) on adolesce nts reading history textbooks. Six high school sophomores read a passa ge from a textbook that featured an anonymous author (one who writes i n the 3rd person, revealing little about personal opinions and self) a nd a similar text featuring a visible author. Data from think-aloud pr otocols and semi-structured interviews were analyzed to understand the impact of these authors on students' construction of historical knowl edge and on their attitudes toward the texts and toward the discipline as a whole. Students interacted frequently with the visible author, e ngaging in mental conversations. These conversations led students to a closer relationship with the information presented in the text. The n ature of these relationships, both for the visible text and the anonym ous text, is discussed.