On the Evidence of Theory

Abstract

While some literary scholars claim that their discipline's research practices do not fit the scholarship of teaching and learning, close reading — the signature critical practice of literary studies — provides a useful model. Close reading involves not only attention to the text but also the integration of text and theory. This article analyzes how literary scholars use close reading practices in writing about teaching and learning. The study finds that literary scholars use disciplinary methods effectively in analyzing their teaching, integrating the text of teaching with theories about literature and learning, but they do not read the evidence of students learning in the same ways.