Meghan Overby
Literature Review
Introduction:
Literature circles increase motivation and critical thinking skills in students when
paired with a comprehensive reading program. The purpose of literature circles is to
increase motivation, comprehension and critical thinking in reading for student’s young
and old alike. Literature circles are a form of reading group where students read a text
together and then have time to discuss and explore the text in a group setting. Sandra
DaLie describes literature circles in the most basic sense to get her readers to understand
the bottom line. She says, “Literature circles provide an opportunity for me to teach the
reading of literary texts in a way that is consistent with what I understand about learning
and reading”(pg. 84). Literature circles are used in classrooms all over the world and are
becoming a new and growing trend. However this literature review will focus on
literature circle research of students from grades K-6.
This literature review is broken into three main sections; Literature Circles
Identified and Explained, Reading Comprehension & Critical Thinking, Getting Students
Talking, and Student Engagement and Motivation. This allows the reader to see the
progression of literature circles as they are to be used in a classroom setting. These
categories provide a coherent breakdown of the most crucial aspects of literature circles.
Critical thinking and discussions are key to creating a successful literature circle program
in a classroom, and it has amazing benefits for the students which will clearly be
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explained in the following sections. It is equally important to include literature circles as
part of a balanced literacy program and not the sole outlet for literature instruction.
Literature Circles Identified and Explained:
Daniels describes literature circles in a clear and concise way, which can help
build basic understanding of the strategy in his book Literature Circles, Voice and Choice
in Book Clubs and Reading Groups. He explains that his classroom circles consist of
heterogeneous groups of students who choose to read and discuss the same book. The
group members all agree on an amount of reading that will be done each day for their
conversational meeting. The students then discuss after they read what is important to
them from the text they are reading and what specifically stood out. They can also use
this time to clarify any misunderstandings with peers. While the groups meet, the
teacher’s role is a “floating facilitator”, not a member of any group but a mentor to help
guide students and briefly join each group to assess (Daniels, 2002). This can also be an
opportunity for teachers to make a comment that would challenge or redirect their
students thinking about the topic at hand (Daniels, 2002). This is the basic framework for
literature circles and each teacher can implement them in their own way and a way that
works for their classroom. However there are key elements to consider.
There are a plethora of approaches to literature circles, some are more structured
than others but most see similar results and follow the same general guidelines. The
strategies that are used in literature circles are not grade level specific and they can be
used and modified to fit any grade level. Literature circles are part of a well-balanced
literacy program and should not be used as the sole source of instruction at any level.
When used in conjunction with a literacy program the results include more engaged
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students, increased comprehension and motivation to keep reading. DeLie goes on to add,
“The (literature) circles are becoming enormously popular among teachers across the
country, probably because they are so versatile and can be modified to accommodate a
wide range of ages, circumstances and needs” (pg. 85).
There are two major theories that support literature circles, socio-cultural theory
(Vygotsky, 1978) and the transactional theory (Rosenblatt, 1938). In Day’s study of 22
sixth graders she explains these two theories. “ Vygotsky (1978) believes that children
learn language and literacy by participating in meaning-centered and culturally valuable
literacy activities. In collaborative social atmospheres students, alongside adults or more
competent peers, reflect, listen, theorize, and create new knowledge. Similarly,
Rosenblatt (1938) maintains that in collaborative discussions about literature, teachers
and students take an active role in engaging with a text to create meaning” (pg.159).
Literature circles are an interactive part of a balanced literacy program. In I
Learned How to Talk About a Book: Children’s Perceptions of Literature Circles Across
Grade and Ability Levels by Certo, Moxley, Reffitt and Miller, a study which follows
students in first, second, third, forth and fifth grades report, “As part of balanced literacy
instruction, literature circles have potential to rejuvenate excitement about teaching,
invoke excitement about reading and discussing among students”(pg.256). Certo’s study
explains the basic benefits to reading groups, however the format of literature circles is
important to understanding the strategy of literature circles.
The key elements of literature circles include student discussion time and small
group work. Certo’s study supports, “A key ingredient within the small group framework
(for literature circles) was peer-led talk and time to talk in a group about a book”(pg.244).
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Book choice is another key element to literature circles and allows students the power to
choose a book they want to read. This aspect of literature circles empowers students and
increases engagement in reading. All aspects of literature circles need to be aided with a
reading and literature program and literature circles are to be used as an addition to a
literacy program.
If literature circles are used properly, they can help students achieve new aspects
of reading, such as deeper discussion and peer perspective. Stien and Beed reference
Daniels in their study of 22 third graders, Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction
in the literature circle setting, “Two goals in my classroom are for every student to feel
ownership and to take responsibility for his or her learning. I have found literature circles
to be one of the best practices to meet these goals” (Daniels, 1994,2002). Literature
circles are a way for students to take control of their reading and learning while gaining a
sense of independence.
In the research of Deanna Day from her study From Skeptic to Believer: One
Teacher’s Journey Implementing Literature Circles (2008) she explains literature circles
in a way that encompasses the whole realm of what literature circles can be used for.
Literature circles or grand conversations are a way for students
to practice reading, writing, conversing, listening, and interpreting.
Within small groups students share their own ideas, opinions, and
personal experiences in response to literature…Together students
collaborate, think critically, and negotiate meaning (pg. 158).
Literature circles are used as a way to get students talking and thinking critically about
texts in any subject area. Within the realm of literature circles there is a lot of freedom for
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a teacher to implement what works best for them. The main goal is to encourage students
to take initiative and lead their own discussions in a peer group where they have had
influence on the text they are reading.
Reading Comprehension & Critical Thinking, Getting Students Talking:
Literature circles have the power to get students talking and critically thinking
about the text they are reading at any grade level. Beed and Stien reported that,
Third graders were interested in and capable of having lively,
in depth, interesting conversations with literature. Students
assume ownership in selecting books…and in discussing what’s
important to them. Students can comfortably move from role
sheets to tabbing to interactive conversations at the third-grade
level (p 518).
This is found to be true of readers at all grade levels according to many studies (Certo,
2010 and Firmender, 2013). The ability to get students talking is a major benefit of
instituting literature circles in a classroom. The educational value is endless; one benefit
is that students are more engaged in their learning and therefor retaining more
information.
There is a noticeable amount of academic growth that goes on when students
engage in literature circles in their classrooms. DeLie speaks about seeing her student’s
growth in their reading abilities as a result of their experiences in literature circles. DeLie
indicates that, “ When we put students in the center of their own learning process,
provide them with support and encouragement, and trust their ability to rise to our
expectations, we can step back and watch true learning in action”(pg.99). With this
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method of encouraging students to take the lead it is typical to see extensive growth in
their comprehension and critical thinking skills. Day’s research shows that “As students
are reading they are actively thinking and learning. In discussions, they engage in
ongoing dialogue discussing insights, raising questions, and sharing their interpretations,
helping them to become critical thinkers and readers”(Day, 2008, pg. 159).
Literature circles not only provide a platform for students to learn how to discuss
with peers and talk about books, but they can also increase comprehension. In Day’s
research she found that when “students returned in the fall, they were tested and many of
their entry-level scores jumped two or three grade levels. Glenna (teacher) accounts this
increase to the literature circle experiences they had the last few months”(pg. 173).
Literature circles are a tool that can be used to help increase student comprehension and
critical thinking skills. To fully see these results you must motivate and engage your
students. A simple way to do this is to get them talking to one another.
When discussing the application of literature circles Beed and Stien report that
everyone was eager to share their comments and interpretations of the text. All students
were engaged and involved during the literature circle and actively participating. (Beed,
2004). This eagerness opens their minds to asking more questions and learning more
from their peers because students want to contribute and hear what their classmates have
to say and they are eager to make a connection. In the study, Cognitive and Affective
Contributions of the Literature Circles Method on the Acquisition of Reading Habits and
Comprehension Skills in Primary Level Students by AVIC and YUKSEL, it was found
that the following was true in the context of literature circles. “The average of the scores
obtained from the pre-application of the reading comprehension scale was 66.1 while the
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average of the scores obtained from the post- application of reading comprehension was
73.2”(pg.1297). The eagerness described in Beed & Stien’s study and the measurement
of growth in AVIC’s demonstrates that literature circles help make text meaningful
therefore increasing comprehension.
Motivation and Engagement in Reading
Motivation and engagement are two key elements to creating life long learners.
Research shows that engagement and motivation are critical to getting students to gain a
deeper understanding of the materials they are reading. Literature circles include many
opportunities to engage and motivate students. When discussing the introductions of
literature circles and the mini lessons used to model the expectations, Beed & Stien report
“ Even during these “tryouts” the students seemed excited to share their roles and to
converse about the story. This excitement about learning is supported by Vygotsky’s
(1978) theories of social interaction”( Beed & Stien, 2002). Day finds that literature
circles provide and prompt purposeful discussions about reading and that talk is a main
way to motivate students to read. She found that students were delighted to read books
they had never seen before and were about relatable issues to them personally. (Day,
2008)
The research from Certo’s study found that, “Twenty-two of the twenty-four
students overwhelmingly reported they enjoyed coming to literature circles, referring to it
as “fun” and characterizing it as the best part of language arts”(J. Certo et al)(pg.250).
From the studies it is clear that by using literature circles students are getting excited and
wanting to read and participate more (J. Certo et al, Day, DeLie). Day’s study found
success by encouraging students to share personal connections. Posing questions helped
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students gain a deeper understanding of the book. Literature circles increased motivation
and students actively comprehended the texts (Day, 2008). If a student is learning and
actively participating their likelihood to have a positive association with the activity is
high. The idea of a student learning and actively participating creating a positive reading
association is supported and seen in both Certo and Day’s studies.
When students have a voice in the books they read it increases motivation and
engagement, this strategy is called book choice. One implementation option is giving
students a set of book choices and letting students decide from there. In Day’s research
she found that providing choice was “A critical factor in motivating students to read and
talk in literature circles”(pg.170). In the conclusion of Day’s research on literature
circles in her class room she found that, “the majority of students were engaged and
excited throughout this experience”(pg. 172)
Another significant finding from Certo’s study was that, “50% of the students
interviewed reported that because of texts they discussed in literature circles, they picked
up and read other books”(pg.251). This shows that the motivation stimulated during
literature circles is carrying on to personal choice reading time. Personal choice is an
aspect of creating a life long reader. Certo’s finding supports the creation of life long
readers with the use of literature circles with motivation and eagerness to read.
Conclusion:
The implementation of literature circles into curriculum and classrooms is
relatively new, therefore in depth research has room for expansion. This literature review
covered a wide range of grade and ability level (K-6), thus some generalizations were
made from the research. Literature circles are a proven “method that is quite effective in
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getting children to adopt reading habits and endearing them to reading. In addition, it
improves the reading skills and comprehension skills of the students”(AVCI, 2011).
It is clear that literature circles are beneficial to students at all grade levels and
that continued motivation and eagerness is needed to create a life long learner. However,
what is lacking from the research is the implementation of the literature circles. The
current research shows a few key elements of literature circles but each study implements
in a different way. More research needs to be conducted of best practices of
implementing literature circles at particular grade levels. Overall, this research is helpful
and clear that literature circles should be implemented in classrooms to increase reading
motivation and comprehension.
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References
AVCI, S., & YÜKSEL, A. (2011). Cognitive and Affective Contributions of the
Literature Circles Method on the Acquisition of Reading Habits and
Comprehension Skills in Primary Level Students. Educational Sciences:
Theory & Practice, 11(3), 1295-1300
Certo, J., Moxley, K., Reffitt, K., & Miller, J.A (2010). I Learned How to Talk about a
Book: Children’s Perceptions of Literature Circles Across Grade and Ability
Levels. Literacy Research & Instruction, 49(3), 243-263.
DaLie, S. O. (2001). Students becoming real readers: Literature circles in high school
English classes. Teaching reading in high school English classes, 84-100.
Day, D., & Ainley, G. (2008). From Skeptic to Believer: One Teacher’s Journey
Implementing Literature Circiles. Reading Horizons, 48(3), 15
Daniels, H. (1994). Literature circles: Voice and choice in the student-centered
classroom. York: Stenhouse Publishers.
Daniels, H. (2002). Literature circles, voice and choice in book clubs and reading
groups. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishing.
Firmender, J. M., Reis, S. M., & Sweeny, S. M. (2013). Reading Comprehension and
Fluency Levels Ranges across Diverse Classrooms: The Need for
Differentiated Reading Instruction and Content. Gifted Child Quarterly, 57(1),
3-14.
Kim, Y., Wagner, R. K., & Lopez, D. (2012). Developmental Relations between
Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension: A Longitudinal Study from
Grade 1 to Grade 2. Journal Of Experimental Child Psychology, 113(1), 93-111.
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Law, C., & Kaufhold, J. A. (2009). An Analysis of the Use of Critical Thinking Skills in
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Many, J. E., & Henderson, S. D. (2005). Developing a Sense of Audience: An
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Morrow, L. M. (1985). Retelling stories: A strategy for improving young children's
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Rosenblatt, L. M. (1994). The reader, the text, the poem, the transactional theory of the
literary work. Southern Illinois Univ Pr.
Squires, D., & Bliss, T. (2004). Teacher visions: Navigating beliefs about literacy
learning. Reading Teacher, 57(8), 756-763.
Stien, D., & Beed, P. L. (2004). Bridging the gap between fiction and nonfiction in the
literature circle setting. Reading Teacher, 57(6), 510-518.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. (14 ed.). London, England: Harvard University
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