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Fan Fiction In The English Language Arts Classroom, Kristen Finucan

MA in English Theses

Inspired by the observation of an obvious deficit in students’ comprehension of higher level literature, as well as an apparent weakness in both verbal and written critical analysis skills, this study explores the creation of collaborative fan fiction by students as they read the classic text, The Great Gatsby. Fueled by research in the areas of fan fiction, participatory culture, and cooperative learning, this inquiry took place over the course of six weeks in a high school English class comprised of 10th and 11th grade students. Throughout the study, the researcher examined student survey results, videos of students as they …