The social drama of literature discussions in a fifth/sixth-grade classroom

This year-long study examined how conceptions of what it means to read and discuss literature shaped peer-led literature discussions in a fifth/sixth-grade classroom. Using performance theory as a lens, the researcher explored the relationship between social and interpretive expectations in the classroom and the positions students took up during literature discussions. Analysis of literature events showed that in peer-led groups students worked to create solidarity and delineate boundaries, to vie for power and interrupt authority, all related to their engage ment with and interpretations of literature. The social drama that existed in this classroom surfaced often during peer-led literature discussions, creating situations in which students negotiated social positions and commented on the meaning of social and interpretive competence. This research complicates the role that power and status play in literature discussions, making visible shifts in power as they occur in moment-to-moment interaction. The findings hold implications for teachers and researchers to critically examine the practice of peer-led literature discussions and the many social conditions that shape how students engage with literature.