Rethinking the reading-writing workshop: Tensions and negotiations betweena Stephen King reader and her teacher

This study used grounded theory and other inductive research methods to exp lore what happens when engaged readers of popular fiction bring their out-o f-school interests into a school-based reading-writing workshop. Previous s tudies of adolescents' participation in workshops have tended to focus on t he structure's impact on disengaged or inexperienced readers. In contrast, this study explored the participation of students who already considered re ading to be an important part of their lives. In particular the interaction s between Catherine, an 11th grader with a passion for Stephen King, and he r teacher are profiled. Results suggest that students who are engaged reade rs of popular fiction outside of school may come to the reading-writing wor kshop with a set of expectations that is different from their teacher's and from that of other students who do not read regularly for pleasure. Studen ts who fit Catherine's profile may need certain kinds of scaffolding in ord er to expand their range as readers. They may also need their teachers to p rovide a clear articulation of the purposes for workshop, as well as to dif ferentiate those purposes for students with varied experiences and interest s. The study proposes a conception of reading-writing workshop that is cons istent with assisted-performance (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988) perspectives on instruction and draws on scholarship that extends, elaborates, and critique s Rosenblatt's (1978, 1983) transactional theory of reading.