This master's thesis focuses on the phases of school-based interpretation of literary texts in literature classes. The aim of the thesis is to investigate how primary school teachers plan and implement the recommended model of school interpretation phases outlined in the Slovenian national curriculum, how much time and emphasis they devote to each phase, the role of teachers and pupils within these phases, the teaching methods employed, the implementation of interpretative reading, the realization of intended learning objectives, and teachers’ opinions and perspectives regarding these phases.
The theoretical part presents the foundations of the Slovene language subject, literary didactics, traditional and communicative approaches to literature teaching, literature instruction itself, learning objectives, teaching methods, and the role of the teacher. Particular attention is devoted to the individual phases of school-based literary interpretation: introductory motivation, the announcement and contextualization of the text, interpretative reading, the pause following reading and the initial responses, responses following reading through analysis, synthesis and evaluation, and rereading accompanied by new tasks.
The empirical part is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The study involved twenty primary school teachers who taught literature classes during the 2025/26 school year. Data were collected through the analysis of lesson plans, direct classroom observation using an observation protocol, and structured interviews with all participating teachers.
The results indicate that almost all teachers follow the model of school interpretation phases, although individual phases differ in terms of frequency, emphasis, and time allocation. Teachers did not consider the post reading pause and expression of responses to be among the key phases, while its less consistent implementation may limit students' opportunities for an immediate personal response to the text they have read. The roles of the teacher and pupil vary throughout the different phases. Various teaching methods are employed depending on the phase. The interpretative reading phase was present in all observed lessons and received considerable emphasis, with teachers consistently acting as reading models. Learning objectives were generally clearly stated in lesson plans and subsequently assessed, while pupils actively participated in achieving them. The analysis revealed that teachers largely perceive the phases of school interpretation as an important guideline for planning literature instruction.
The overall analysis of the findings demonstrates that the theoretical principles of the communicative approach to literature teaching and the model of school interpretation phases are being implemented in educational practice. At the same time, the results point to the less consistent implementation of the phase involving a pause after reading and the expression of initial responses, which limits pupils’ opportunities to react directly and personally to the literary text. The model of school interpretation phases thus appears to be an important and flexible didactic framework for planning and implementing literature instruction.
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