A text is not a container for a fixed content and reading is not a text-based activity but a process in which the reader constructs meaning by interacting with the text. Prior knowledge is assumed to be necessary for the reader to fill contextual gaps within the text and to develop a global understanding, or a situation model of the text (Kintsch 1988). Due to concentrating on non-fictional texts, previous empirical research has tried to differentiate between "high-knowledge readers" and "low-knowledge readers" (e.g., McNamara & Kintsch 1996). However, concerning fictional texts it does not make sense only to quantify the readers' prior knowledge in "more" or "less" since it is mainly a matter of "different" knowledge.In order to concretize and to substantiate the functions of knowledge during the text reception, I chose a specific topic: "the process of separating from the family during adolescence". In my qualitative research I examine a) the students' knowledge of "the process of separating from the family" and b) their reception of selected fictional texts dealing with that very topic. Thus I can compare and analyze when and how their conceptions are being used in their receptions of the texts. Therefore the research questions are: What kind of conceptions of "separating from the family" do school students have? Which specific knowledge and mental attitudes can be identified? When and how do these conceptions affect their reception of fictional texts dealing with the topic "separating from the family"? Finally, how can we use productively the diverse students' conceptions and their different receptions in literature classes?In this research I examine the relationship between students' conceptions and their text reception concerning the topic "the process of separating from the family during adolescence". Altogether the sample will consist of approximately 15 students (9th grade, different German school types). On the one hand, I examine the students' conceptions of "the process of separating from the family during adolescence" with half-structured interviews. On the other hand, I use modified Thinking-Aloud Protocols and another set of interviews in order to analyze the students' reception of six short texts dealing with that very topic. I record all interviews and Thinking-Aloud Protocols and transcribe them into a written form. I analyze the data following the methods of Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin 1990). Unlike G.T., I do not only use theoretical sampling strategies but also methodical ones. In the analysis of the interviews, inductive and deductive methods are combined. I use sociological and psychological concepts which try to describe "the process of separating from the family during adolescence" in order to build categories. I complement the analysis with inductive coding procedures and extend the theoretical view with the students' perspective. The analysis of different sources of data is carried out and integrated in ATLAS.ti. Working with the "Model of Educational Reconstruction" (Kattmann et. al. 1997), I plan to utilize the results of my research for the design of a concrete learning environment ("Educational Structuring"), possibly the development of a teaching unit and teaching guidelines. First results show very different individual concepts of "the process of separating from the family". Nevertheless it is possible to elaborate certain key aspects like potentials of conflict or specific role expectations. They seem to interact with the processes of text reception in different ways and variably strong. Especially the students' judgements of the acting protagonists seem to be strongly connected with these conceptions. Another finding is a high "ambiguity tolerance" of some students.Kattmann, U., Duit, R., Gropengießer, H., Komorek, M. (1997). Das Modell der didaktischen Rekonstruktion, Zeitschrift für Didaktik der Naturwissenschaften, 3, 3-18.Kintsch, W. (1988). The use of knowledge in discourse processing: A construction-integration model, Psychological Review, 95, 163-182.McNamara, D. S., Kintsch, W. (1996). Learning from text: Effects of prior knowledge and text coherence, Discourse Processes, 22, 247-287. Strauss, A., Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.