Talking about literature: Student perceptions and experiences in the community college literature classroom

Research on the ways English teachers' discussion practices shape community college students' experiences with literary texts is sparse at the college level. The purpose of this study was to examine community college students' perceptions and experiences of the discussion practices of their English teacher in an Introduction to Literature course. It was also to develop a deeper understanding of the ways community college students' past experiences with teachers' discussion practices shape their literary experiences in the college classroom.;Using a multiple case study approach, this research examined the classroom experiences and perceptions of four community college students' classroom discussion experiences and relationships with literary texts in a community college Introduction to Literature course. The primary methods used were classroom observations, interviews, one focus group and field notes.;For the conceptual basis of my analysis, I drew on the work of the Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, whose work around issues of language and literacy has contributed to research around talking about literary texts. The following questions guided the research study: (1) How do English teachers' discussion practices shape students' understanding and relationship with texts in the college classroom? (2) How do the discussion practices of one English professor influence student interactions and responses to texts in an Introduction to Literature course? (3) How does discussion as a mode of response to literature structure who gets to speak, what gets said, and whose opinion is valued?;The results indicate that the research participants brought with them into the Introduction to Literature course a history of discussion practices from their past experiences with literary text discussions. In the study, the community college teacher's discussion practices played a crucial role in creating a climate that supported a culture of dependence, leaving the participants without a space from which to share their thoughts and ideas with others. This study suggests the need to develop discussion practices in the community college English classroom that make room for new relationships with multiple texts.