The other researcher, Heather Richmond, had been working with literature circle strategies as part of her reading literacy courses. These successes led the researchers of the Boys' and Girls' Literacy: Closing the Gap project to explore the literature circle strategy as an effective way to bridge the literacy gender gap.
Reading/Learning Theory
A transaction approach to reading or reader response theory focuses on the relationship between the
reader and the text. This approach, proposed by Rosenblatt, acknowledges that there is a transaction or
dynamic interaction between author, text, and reader. Similarly, the reader's understanding of literature is
enhanced when students share their own experiences and explanations through authentic or meaningful
reading experiences (Cooper, 2003; Campbell Hill, et. al., 1995). In reference to Rosenblatt, Cooper (2003, p.15)
states "She believed that readers have the right to, and do, establish or construct their own meanings." Reader
response theorists advocate that the goal of literacy instruction is for students to become lifelong readers. They
acknowledge that this goal is more likely to be realized when students are given more opportunities to read for
enjoyment or pleasure rather than reading to simply recall specific information (Tompkins, 2003).
The social constructivist view of learning emphasizes the importance of social interactions of the learner with other people. According to this viewpoint which is based on the work of Lev Vygotsky (Vygotsky 1978), the key to learning is centered on the social support that the learner receives. This support can be provided by both adults and peers (Au, Carroll & Scheu, 1997). Additionally, Au, Carroll and Scheu (1997) explain that Vygotsky believed that complex forms of thinking which include reading and writing need to be thought of in a holistic manner and not just as a subset of isolated skills to be mastered. Furthermore, they state,
"The skills have to be used in their proper time and place, as part of a complicated process. It is this whole complicated process that children must learn. This view implies that students will learn literacy best by engaging in authentic literacy activities, not isolated skill activities. Literacy learning activities should involve the full processes of reading and writing, and skills can be taught as part of students' involvement in these full processes" (p. 16).