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Cited by 76Educational Philosophies and PedagogiesLiteracy and Educational PracticesThemes in Literature Analysis

Gaining Insight Into Human Nature: A Review of Literature Classroom Intervention Studies

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Schrijvers, Marloes, Janssen, Tanja, Fialho, Olivia, Rijlaarsdam, Gert·2019·Review of Educational Research
DOI 10.3102/0034654318812914
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Abstract

In this review, we explore whether and how literature education may foster adolescent students’ insight into human nature. A systematic search of five databases was complemented with citation tracking, hand searches, and expert consultation. We included 13 experimental and quasi-experimental intervention studies. Methodological quality and quality-of-intervention descriptions were assessed. Analysis of empirical support for expected intervention effects indicated that, under certain conditions, literature education may foster students’ insight into human nature. One intervention affected students’ insight into themselves, two affected their understanding of fictional others, and six affected their understanding of, views on, or intended behavior toward real-world others. Subsequent analysis of interventions with full or partial empirical support yielded instructional design principles on (a) text selection; (b) activating, annotating, and reflecting on personal life and reading experiences in writing activities; and (c) verbally sharing these experiences with others in exploratory dialogues. Limitations and implications for future studies are discussed.

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  • School-based practices can be introduced to foster adolescents' feelings of empathy from reading, for example within the context of fiction books or graphic novels.

    “Previous research suggests that school-based practices can be introduced to foster adolescents ' feelings of empathy from reading, for example within the context of fiction books (Schrijvers et al., 2019) or graphic novels (Chisholm et al., 2017).”

    From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Schrijvers et al., 2019

    The Discussion (page unavailable) concludes that literature classroom interventions may foster adolescents’ understanding of fictional characters and real-world others, and the review describes an intervention using novels. But the Understanding of Fictional Others section reports no measured improvement in empathy for fictional characters in the studies that tested it. The source therefore supports the possibility of school-based practices fostering related understanding, not a demonstrated increase in adolescents’ feelings of empathy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Of the 13 studies included in the review, 9 had full or partial support for effectiveness, suggesting that literacy instruction can support adolescents' insights into human nature.

    “Of the 13 studies included in the review, 9 had full or partial support for effectiveness, suggesting that literacy instruction can support adolescents ' insights into human nature.”

    From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Schrijvers et al., 2019

  • A review of research found that most interventions focused on supporting something akin to empathy.

    “a review of research (Schrijvers et al., 2019) exploring whether, and how, literature education may foster adolescents ' insight into human nature, found that most interventions focused on supporting something akin to empathy (i.e., adolescents ' understanding of, views on, or intended behaviour towards real-world others).”

    From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Schrijvers et al., 2019

  • Carefully selected texts, aligned writing tasks, and dialogue with peers are all likely to influence the effectiveness of literature education to foster understanding of others.

    “the review summarised that (a) carefully selected texts, (b) aligned writing tasks that activate personal experiences before reading/require noticing of own experiences during reading/reflecting on experiences directly after reading and (c) dialogue with peers to share reading experiences after, are all likely to influence the effectiveness of literature education to foster understanding of others”

    From Reading and Empathy: Qualitative insights into adolescents' experiences with fiction books (2025) · cites this paper as Schrijvers et al., 2019

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. Eva-Wood (2004), was whether selected texts were "literary" texts as indicated, for example, by language use that deviates from conventional language use (Van Peer, Hakemulder, & Zyngier, 2007) or by "gaps" that the reader must fill (Iser, 1980). Yet it may be worthwhile to select texts that are considered to be literary because the concept of literariness may explain the impact that fictional texts have on readers' sense of self and their social perceptions (e.g., Hakemulder et al., 2016). References *Studies included in the review are denoted with an asterisk.
  2. Darragh, J. J. (2015). Exploring the effects of reading young adult literature that por- trays people with disabilities in the inclusion classroom. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 3(4), 1-48.
  3. Fialho, O. (2012). Self-modifying experiences in literary reading: A model for reader response (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://era.library.ualberta.ca
  4. Fialho, O. (2018, July). Deepening readers' perceptions of self and others (IGEL Conference paper), University of Stavanger, Norway.
  5. *Garrod, A. (1989). Promoting moral development through a high school English cur- riculum. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 35(1), 61-79.
  6. Iser, W. (1980). Interaction between text and reader. In S. R. Suleiman & I. Crosman (Eds.), The reader in the text (pp. 106-120). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  7. Muřakovský, J. (1976). On poetic language (J. Burbank & P. Steiner, Trans.). Lisse, Netherlands: Peter de Ridder Press.
  8. Nystrand, M. (1997). Opening dialogue: Understanding the dynamics of language and learning in the English classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
  9. Reigeluth, C. M. (1999). What is instructional-design theory and how is it changing? In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. 2, pp. 5-29). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  10. Rosenblatt, L. M. (1994). The reader, the text, the poem. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. (Original work published 1978)

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Authors
Schrijvers, M., Janssen, T., Fialho, O., & Rijlaarsdam, G.
Affiliations
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • Utrecht University
ORCID
Venue
Review of Educational Research
Publisher
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Published
2018-11-22
Volume
89
Issue
1
Pages
3-45
ISSN
  • 0034-6543 (ISSN-L)
  • 1935-1046
DOI
10.3102/0034654318812914
OpenAlex
W2900549303
Cited by
76
References
102
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8
FWCI
16.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Review of Educational Research (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (360 30 240)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies
  • Social Sciences › Education › Literacy and Educational Practices
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Themes in Literature Analysis
Keywords
literature teaching, human nature, adolescent students, classroom intervention, self-understanding, text selection, reading annotation, reflective writing, teaching principles

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