A dialogic account of reader–text interactions

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptualization of reading comprehension that extends beyond the traditional cognitive viewpoint on comprehension common in the field.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on literature and theory from various perspectives (cognitive, sociocultural and critical), the authors propose a conceptual heuristic that can inform future scholarship.

Findings

Using four foundational principles of reader–text interactions as a starting point (non-neutrality, tethered polysemy, variable agency and unruliness), the authors describe reader–text interactions in terms of the tethers/resources that are brought into the interaction, the moment-to-moment improvisation that occurs when readers meet a text and the changes at the intra- and interpersonal levels that result from and influence future reader–text interactions.

Originality/value

The conceptualization can inform future research and practice in literacy by situating meaning making within a broader understanding of the processes and consequences of textual interaction.

Citation

Davis, D.S., McElhone, D. and Tenore, F.B. (2015), "A dialogic account of reader–text interactions", English Teaching: Practice & Critique, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 335-349. https://doi.org/10.1108/ETPC-04-2015-0026