Abstract: The aim of this study is to look at the connections between speech and gesture at the level of iconic gestures and their lexical affiliates. The primary interest is to see if the lexical affiliates of gestures representing the four aspects of iconicity belong to any specific word class or take a specific position within clause structure. David McNeill’s theories on gestures and the growth point as well as Nick Enfield’s idea of the composite utterance serve as the main theoretical background for this study. The findings suggest that iconic gestures connect to specific units of speech.
In this thesis I explore the narratological paradigm of conversion and its usefulness in interpreting the Metamorphoses of Apuleius. I believe that this paradigm is not useful in exploring the novel. However, a closely related paradigm - which I call a "narrative of metamorphosis" - can in fact help us interpret the novel and make sense of the final book of the novel known as the Isis book, which has generated much scholarly debate.
This project investigated the connection between literature circles and student engagement in middle school English classes. This study shows that literature circles can cause increases in students' behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in reading, and English. It adds to existing local and international research into effective middle school pedagogies, student voice, and reading strategies.