EN GOD MÄNNISKA ÄR EN SÅ’N SOM INTE DRÄNKER HUNDAR” Etisk medvetenhet uttryckt i litteratursamtal – en kvalitativ studie

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore if, and how, Swedish students in the ninth grade show ethical awareness as well as a deeper understanding of fictional texts when discussing texts with ethical themes in small groups. It also endeavours to examine whether the students take advantage of their own as well as their classmates’ thoughts to deepen their understanding. Yet another aim is to see what kind of aspects influence, control and guide their discussions. In order to answer the research questions, students’ discussions about three extracts from När hundarna kommer (When the dogs come) by Jessica Schiefauer were recorded, transcribed and analysed. The method used when analysing the discussions was inspired by critical discourse analysis Martha Nussbaum’s theory about learning ethics through reading fiction has been an important source of inspiration for the theoretical framework of the study although ideas expressed by Suzanne Keen and Magnus Persson have been used to challenge her theory. Theoretical approaches are also drawn from Judith Langer and her theory of literary envisionment and envisionment-building classroom as well as from Louise Rosenblatt and Alice Roe, who both argue that the understanding of texts depends on the reader as well as on the text itself. The study shows that although the literary texts inspire the students and give them new ideas connected to ethics, it is not possible to see whether reading and discussing them actually enhance the students’ ethical awareness. When these students summarize what the text is about they often base their understanding on the whole novel although they were meant to discuss three different parts from it. Girls more often than boys mention details from the text when they summarize it, which might explain why girls’ reading comprehension is sometimes better than boys’. However, more research is needed to see whether this is true or not. Lastly, it can be seen that students often associate to their own experience when they talk about the text. Although they sometimes base their associations on causes and matters mentioned in the text they quite often make guesses, which might influence their understanding of the text.