Scientific Research on Student Learning in Great Books

Urban students improved their critical thinking and ability to support opinions citing text.

Criscuola, M. (1994). Read, discuss, reread: Insights from the Junior Great Books program. Educational Leadership, 51(5), 58-61.

Criscuola, M., & Hare, V. C. (1992). The Junior Great Books curriculum of interpretive reading, writing, and discussion: A proposal submitted to the Program Effectiveness Panel for the National Diffusion Network of the U.S. Department of Education. Chicago: The Great Books Foundation.

Struggling readers improved literal and inferential reading comprehension.

Heinl, A. M. (1988). The effects of the Junior Great Books program on literal and inferential comprehension. Tucson, Arizona: National Reading Conference. 

High-ability readers strengthened their critical thinking and critical reading skills and their attitudes toward reading.

Bird, J. J. (1984). Effects of fifth graders' attitudes and critical-thinking/reading skills resulting from a Junior Great Books program. Ed.D. dissertation, Rutgers University.

Students' comprehension and response to literature improved more with Shared Inquiry™ than with student questioning.

Graup, L. B. (1985). Response to literature: Student-generated questions and collaborative learning as related to comprehension. Ed.D. dissertation, Hofstra University.

Beginning readers' literal comprehension improved more with Shared Inquiry than with prediction questions. 

Biskin, D. S., Hoskisson, K., & Modlin, M. (1976). Prediction, reflection, and comprehension. The Elementary School Journal, 77, 131-139.

Students' inferential thinking and self-esteem grew by stages with Shared Inquiry.

Feiertag, J., & Chernoff, L. (1987). Inferential thinking and self-esteem through the Junior Great Books program. Childhood Education, 63, 252-254.