五專英語學習者同儕文學討論之質性研究

Abstract

同儕領導的文學討論能讓學生透過小組互動變得更願意對文本做獨特的詮釋。然而，國內對學生如何在小組閱讀中共助學習的研究並不多見，因此，本研究旨在探討台灣英語學習者在小組閱讀時以社會互動為媒介 (socially-mediated) 來建構文意之學習歷程。 研究對象為兩組、八位不同程度的五專部二年級應用外語科學生，八次具代表性的小組討論為主要的資料來源，並以Rosenblatt(1994) 的知性閱讀 (efferent reading) 和感性閱讀 (aesthetic reading) 作分析，其他資料包括半結構式訪談、非正式訪談、學生閱讀日誌、實地筆記和反思札記，以瞭解這兩組學生在為期兩個月的研究中閱讀行為上可能會有的改變。 研究結果顯示，兩組學生皆以知性和感性的立場來進行小組閱讀，知性閱讀分為了解故事內容和分析信息 (input) 兩類型，其中一組僅以釐清不懂的部份來了解故事內容，另一組則經歷逐字翻譯、簡短敘述故事大綱、釐清故事情節的階段，此外，有一組的討論重點在分析信息的不同層面，例如故事標題是否合宜，而另一組則偏重信息的特定層面，即角色分析。 感性閱讀分為個人投入 (personal engagement)、角色評價 (character evaluation) 和個人聯結 (personal connection) 三種類型，有一組以個人的情感和身歷其境的方式投入故事，另一組則將自己的生活經驗和故事情節做聯結，兩組學生皆對故事的角色做評價。在知性的分析 (efferent analysis) 和感性的回應(aesthetic response) 中，學生展現批判性思考和反思性思維。 研究結果也顯示，雖然這兩組有不同的閱讀模式，但學生都在知性和感性之間的連續體 (efferent-aesthetic continuum) 創造意義，有一組由始至終游移於兩極之間，另一組則在後兩個故事討論中才如此，這組改變的最大原因是一位學習低成就學生的提問激發了其他成員對閱讀素材做深度反思，也進而促成個人改變與個人成長。 在本研究中，學生是能獨立了解故事內容以建構批判和反思意義的思考者，因此，即便是初階的閱讀，第二語言學習者在閱讀時都應重視讀者和文本之間的互動。除此之外，進行小組閱讀時，低成就學生可以是主動參與甚至能領導文學討論的能力較強的同儕 (more knowledgeable peer)。

The use of peer-led literature discussions allows students to become actively engaged in meaning making through the exchange of interpretations of texts. However, relatively little published research has examined the collaborative reading process of EFL learners in the local context. The present study therefore aimed to explore how Taiwanese EFL learners created socially-mediated meaning from texts. Participants were two heterogeneous groups consisting of four second-year students with different levels of reading ability each, majoring in applied English from the five-year program at a junior college. Transcribed audiotapes of 8 representative discussions served as the major data source for the study and were analyzed using Rosenblatt’s (1994) definition of efferent and aesthetic transactions. Semi-structured interviews, informal conversational interviews, student’s reading logs, field notes and reflection journals were also collected to find out the changes that might have occurred in the two groups’ reading behaviors during the two month long study. The findings indicated that both groups approached the texts efferently and aesthetically. They produced two different types of efferent reading, namely searching for facts and analyzing the input. One group consistently clarified the confusing events to get the story facts, whereas the other group shifted from detailed story translation to brief plot summary and then to clarification of the confusing sources in the text. Additionally, while one group evaluated whether the different aspects of the input such as the title of the story were acceptable, the other group analyzed the same particular aspect of the text, character analysis. Regarding aesthetic transactions, three categories were identified, that is, personal engagement, character evaluation, and personal connection. One group expressed their personal engagement by articulating their emotional reactions and entering into the story world. The other group made personal connection by comparing what happened in the story to what happened in their own lives. Character evaluation is a consistent theme that both groups developed. Through efferent analyses and aesthetic responses, the EFL learners demonstrated critical thinking and developed reflective thoughts. The findings also revealed that both groups transacted between the efferent and aesthetic realms despite the fact that they journeyed through different reading patterns. One group switched back and forth along the efferent-aesthetic continuum throughout the entire study, whereas the other group didn’t move in and out between these two reading stances until the last two story discussions. This change was largely due to the low-achieving reader in this group who generated questions to inspire her peers to reflect on what they read, which stimulated personal transformation and personal growth. In conclusion, the EFL learners in this study were independent thinkers who could dissolve the barriers in comprehension to construct critical and reflective meaning. Therefore, second language reading, even at the beginning stage, should be viewed as an interactive transaction between the reader and the text. Also, the more knowledgeable peer can be the linguistically inadequate reader who takes the initiative to participate in social interactions around the literacy events.