I Learned How to Talk About a Book: Children's Perceptions of Literature Circles Across Grade and Ability Levels

The purpose of the present study was to investigate students' perceptions of their experiences with literature circles across elementary grades. A stratified random sample of 24 diverse students in grades one, three, four, and five were individually interviewed to obtain perceptions of their attitudes toward literature circles and their perceptions of what they learned. Data analysis was conducted primarily using Hyperresearch (TM) qualitative software for Windows using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings included: (a) students described literature circles as the most enjoyable part of language arts, (b) students believed that writing before and after literature circles enhanced the discussion, and (c) participants perceived that students used (and observed others using) responses to literature and comprehension strategies.