DOCUMENT RESUME *ED 14 840 CS 202 363 AUTHOR Applebee, Arthur Noble TITLE The Spectator Role: Theoretical and Developmental Studies of Ideas about And Responses to Literatu?e, with Special Reference to Four Age Levels. PUB DATE 73 NOTE 446p.; Ph.D. Thesis, University of London EDRS PRICE MF$0.76 HC-$22.21 Plus Postage DESCRIPTOBS Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; *English Instruction;, *Language Development; Language Skills; *Language 'Usage; *Linguistic Theory; Mass Media; *Models; Oral Cqmmunication; Story Telling; Written Language IDENTIFIERS *SpectatOr Role ABSTRACT Theoretical aspects of the spectator role in James Britton's (1970) model of language use are explored,within a perspective based primarily on the work of George Kelly, Susanne Langer, Jean Piaget, Michael Polanyi, and Denys Harding. This view is amplified in a series of empirical studies based on stories told by children between the ages of two and five, and on written and oral responses to repertory grids and open-ended questionnaires by six, nine, thirteen, and seventeen year olds and from five schools. s. Separate samples of eleven, thirteen, and sixteen year olds were drawn for a supplementary study of various spectator-role genres and media. Developmental changes center in:(1) the relationOtip between spectator-role experience and the life of the individual; (2)_ knowledge of the conventions of spectator7role discourse; and (3) the complexity of the experience (both personal and literary) over which a person has mastery. Spectator-rolediscourse emerges as a separate mode of language use at a very early age, but there is only a gradual separation of spectator-role experience from other life experiences. Not until adolescence is such discourse clearly a way to present possibilities rather than to describe reality. (Author) *********************************************************************** * Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the best 'copy available. Neverthele s, items of marginal * * reproducibility are oftenencountered and thi affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions RIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EVS): EDRS is not * responsible, for the quality ot the originalocument. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be ma e from the original. *********************************************,*************************, -40 1/4$ S Of PARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION & WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION '.$ DOCLA,E VT mAS BEENREPRO OUCED E zAC, RECE eED PROM OR c.,t4 ".+E RE RSON OR ORGAN,ZAT0'. OR OP,.10"4 A NC, R0,05 OP E STA' E C CO NOT NECESSARtLREP14 SEN'Occ,C1 AL NiONAL OF EDL,CA' POS ',04 OR POL CY THESPECTATOR- ROLE. of Theoretical andD:yelopmental Studies Literaturo, Ideas about andResponses to fleiferenea to Four.Age Levels,r. with Special Arthur Noble Applebee Arthur :'oblc,^,pplebec _4 London in partial submitted tothe.Univeraity of Cr} A thesis degree of Ph.D.,1973. fulfi)nent of theXPquirerents of the r 1 ABSfRAC1 Theoretical aspects of the spectator rolein James Britton's (1970) model of lannuage use are explored within aperspective based primarily in the work oS,Georf:e Kelly, Susanne Langer, JeanPiaget,-Michael Polanyi, and Denys Hardin's. This view is amplified in a series ofemOrical studies five, and 9ri based on .-:ories told by children between the ages of two and written and oral responses to .repertory grids and open-ended questi..mires by six, nine, thirteen, and seventeen year olds from five schoo S.Separate samples of eleven, bhirteen, and sixteen year oldswerevdrawn for a supplementary study of various spectator-rolegenrci and tiedia. Developmental changes center in: 1) tha relationship between spectator-- role experience and the life of the individual; 2) knowledge ofthe conventions of spectator-role discourse; and 3) the complexity of the experience (both personalmnd literary) over which a person has rastery. Spectator-role discourse emerges as a separate mode of language use at a very early age, but there is only a gradual senarationof gleactator- role experience from other life experiences. Not until adolescence is such discourse clearlyaway.to present possibilities rather than to describe reality. .%cross.the studied, there is a gradual increase in knowled,--e of conventions and in the complexity of thee;,:perience handled. Narrative form itself sho775 a sequ:nce of stages paralleling Vynotsky's (1962) stages of concept development; two processes, centering =end chaining, underlie these stages and seem generalizable to more sophisticated literary t forms. Verbal fon,zulations of response are analysed in four stages paralleling Piaget's stages of intellectual development. At each stage, Langer's (1967) objective and subjective rodes(bf feeling show parallel but distinct formulations. Major dimensions in construing stories include 'evaluation', 'simplicity', 'realism', and 'seriousness', each of which shows developmental changes in its definition and importance.Response to various genres and media sum ests there is a common spectator-role' construct: system, within . , \which there are typical expectations aboutieach genre. 3 TABU: OF COt-ZrEWS '2 A bstrac* 0- List of Figures and Tables 5 Acknowle:igements 7 I. Prolegomenon 8 1. Introduction.... 4- 8 2. A View of Man.' 9 3. Action Systems '.\ 16 .21 4. The Otitst ion of Rules 4 J 1 ] 38 II. The Modes of Discourse L. The SocialoContext 38 2. The Expressive Mode 44 3.'Part-icipant and Spectator 50 4. Elaborative Choice 66 -5. The Model as a Whole ,.... 76 III. General Procedures in the Collection and Analysis of Data 83 1. Introduction 83 2. The Annlysis of Children's Stories 84 3. Data from Interviews and Puestionnaires 87 99 4. Treatment of Data 1 5. Reporting of Results f 102 104 IV. The Emergence of a Sense of Story 1. Introduction. 104 2. Early Forms of the Spectator Role 104 3. Formal Characteristics of Stories 112 4. Fact and Fiction 115 5. Further Expectations About Stories ... 126 6. Summary 136 V. Poetic Form 139 1. Introduction 139 2. Organization and Com2lexity in Children's .Itories 139 3. An Approach Through Theories of Concept i Development i 147 4. Further Development of Poetic Form I. 160 5. Summary 163 VI. Fantasy and Distancing in Children's-Stories 164 1. Introduction 164 2. The Widening Renlm of the Possible 164 3. Consistency in Choice of Options in Telling Stories 170 4. The Interaction of Form and Content ' 173 5. Summary 185- , ' VII. Developmental Stages in the rorlation of Literary Response 187 1. Introduction '182 . 2. The EleTents of Response. 188 3. Levels in the Discussin o: Stories 197 4. Other Differences iletveen Retelling, and Tellirut- About 204 5. The Ability to (;enerali7e- 215 6. Relp-ted Research 224 7. Suvrnary " 229' VIII. The Nature of Evaluation. 230 1. Introduction 230 2; Developm2ntal Stages in the Evaluation of Stories 233 3. Spontaneous Zvaluation in Unstructured Discussions .)f Stories 245 4. Liking and Judging: A Prelud,.. 249 5. A Model of Developmental Change in Response to Literature 250 IX,: The Development of Construct Systems 254 1. Introduction 254 2. Standard Grids and Individual Construing 259 . Neaningfulnss 265 Organization t.. 277 . ConstructSystems, at Six and Tin 284 6. Construct SysteMs iron `71ne to Seventeen -294 7. SumrPry 308 X. Patterns of Expectation and Patterns of Preference 310, 1. Introduction 310 2. What Are Stories Lice? 311 3. Other Forro of Spectator Role Discourse... 315 4. Liking and Jud,-4ing 331 5. Summory " 339 y XI.- Reprise -ei k 341 I Appendix I. Supplementary Tables 350 Appendix II. Scoring Children's Stories 377 Appendix III, Design and Analysis of Specific Instruments 389 Instruments 406 , Appendix IV. References 420 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ' Figures 1. Modes of Discourse 77 2Age-Changes in Mean Square Variation 270 3. Spherical Maps of the First Three Components of 4) Variation at Ages Six and Nine 286 . 4: Spherical Maps of the First Three Dimensions of Construing in Selected Six Year Olds 293 5. Spherical Maps of the First Three Components of Variation at Agps Nine and Seventeen 296 6. Six Genres as They Are Construed at Six and Nine 323 7. Seven Genres es They Are Construed at Eleven, Thirteen, and Sixteen FI 324 8. Boys' and Girls' Preferences for Selected Genres and Media... 330 \\ Tables' 1. Age in Months of Children Telling Stories..... 86 2. Age, Reading Ability, and Vocnbulnry Scores for the Children Interviewed 3. Age, Verbal Reasoning Ability, and Estimates of Own- Reading,for Secondary School Students 4.\Sociai Class and. Socioeconomic Groups of Secondary School Students 9 5. Use of Formal Elements of Story Form 11 6. Recognition of Fictional Elementg in Stories 119 7. Effect of Older Siblings on Recognition of Fiction in Stories 125 8. Expectations About Suitable Subjects for Stories 128 ' 9. Knowledge of Common Story Characters 131 10. Reflection of Adult Expectations About the Roles of Selected Animal and Fantas"9 Characters 136 11. Complexity in Children's Stories 140 12. Use of Structuring Devices in Children's Stories 143 13. Plot Structures in Children's Stories 149 14. Characteristics of Plot. Structures in Children's Stories 156 15. Distancing in Children's Stories 167 16. Con5istency Between First and Second Stories Told by Two, Three, and Four Yen:r Olds 171 17. Relationships Between Distancing and Strength of Theme 177 ti 18. Relationships Between Distancing and Statusof-Actions Depicted 179 19. Purves-aippere Categories in Unstructured Discussions of Stories 192- . 20. Length and Variety in Unstructured Discussions of . Stories 195 21. Levels in Unstructured Discussions'of Stories 203 22. Formal Characteristics of Discussions of Stories at Six and 206 23. Formal Characteristics of Varibus Levels in Dis sing a Favourite Story or "Little.Red Riding Hood".. 208, 24. Characteristics of Retellings of anUnfamiliar Fable 210 25. Explanations of Familiar Sayings atSix and Nine.