Braga, Denise Bertoli; (1990) Critical reading: a socio-cognitive approach to selective focus in reading. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

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Abstract

This research discusses selective focus in reading a text in relation to the philosophical guidelines of critical education. To pursue this question a model for critical reading is initially sketched, and the literature on selective focus in text reading is reviewed. The existing literature analyses selective focus under the framework of two perspectives: reader-based and text-based. This thesis proposes a third possibility: a social-based perspective. A socio-cognitive conception of selective focus is delineated on the basis of theories that explore the effect of social factors on literacy, language use, and higher cognitive processes. The issues raised at the theoretical level are also investigated in an empirical study. Expert reader's insights about their own reading practices are taken into consideration. Three studies are reported. Two exploratory studies - designed to refine methodological procedures - analyse the response of two groups of four readers. The interview questionnaire that guides the main data collection is based on the results obtained in these initial investigations. The main study considers the data provided by fifteen structured interviews. The sample include readers from three type of course in higher education: initial teacher training for pos-graduate students, master degree students, and doctoral students. A qualitative analysis describes in detail how reader-based, text-based and social-based factors interact within the context of these readers' reading practices. Considering the empirical evidence, the thesis proposes that neither the reader nor the text should be investigated without an appreciation of the social context. However, socio-cultural context is shown not only to provide a further set of variables but also to permeate the development of text-based and reader-based factors. This has important theoretical and educational implications. The final argument of this study is that classroom practices that aim to promote critical reading should give a proper emphasis to the socio-cultural aspect of selective focus.

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