© 2016 Stacey Jannette Korson
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© 2016 Stacey Jannette Korson THE “LIVED-IN” MOMENT: THE AESTHETIC POTENTIAL OF NONFICTION LITERATURE IN A THIRD GRADE CLASSROOM BY STACEY JANNETTE KORSON DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Karla J. Möller, Chair Professor Liora Bresler Associate Professor Christine Jenkins Professor Sarah McCarthey ii ABSTRACT Despite the fact that “emphasis on nonfiction literature in the development of literacy understandings, content knowledge, and literacy abilities is not new” (Möller, 2013, p. 59) at the university level, having been advocated by literacy scholars across all decades since the 1970s, research has documented across two decades that elementary students have received and continue to receive only minimal exposure to nonfiction texts in classrooms and schools (Duke, 2000; Jeong, Gaffney, & Choi, 2002; Ness, 2011; Pappas, 1991). Given the requirements in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which call for 50 percent of classroom reading to be nonfiction by fourth grade, there is a need to investigate how students respond to different formats of nonfiction literature. The dissertation investigates the selection and use of nonfiction literature in a third grade class as well as students’ responses to different formats of nonfiction. This project explores the nonfiction literature selections of the teacher, the responses of the students, and the link between the two. In a four-month qualitative study of a third-grade teacher and five focal students I highlight the complex web that links the teacher’s instruction with the evocation of an aesthetic1 response by the students. The main research questions that guided this study are: How and why do teachers select nonfiction literature for classroom use? In what ways are teachers including nonfiction literature in their classroom instruction? What do students notice and discuss about different formats of nonfiction literature? How do specific types/formats of nonfiction literature invite students to take and develop personally meaningful stances (aesthetic, efferent, mixed or shifting stances) when reading? 1 In this study I focus specifically on Rosenblatt’s definition of aesthetic. iii Data sources for this study come from the perspective of a third-grade teacher through interviews and classroom literacy observations. In addition, this study presents the “lived- through” response of five focal students as I observed their response to reading nonfiction literature and engagement in literature discussion groups. Analysis of the data unravels a complex web of classroom practice, social reading context, and personal preference that shaped the responses that students evoked when reading nonfiction literature. In sum, this study demonstrates the potential for third grade students to evoke an aesthetic response when reading different formats of nonfiction literature. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I give all thanks and praise to God, who had a bigger plan for me than I had for myself. Through him all things truly are possible. I must begin by thanking my advisor and friend, Dr. Karla Möller, who has supported me throughout my doctoral work. Thank you for always being by my side and having a hand on my back. I knew that you were there to catch me when I stumbled and to push gently when I hesitated. I will forever be indebted to you for the countless hours of unwavering support and thoughtful feedback that challenged me to think more deeply, as well as for your continuous belief in my ability to succeed on this journey. Thank you to the members of my committee: Dr. Sarah McCarthey, Dr. Liora Bresler, and Dr. Christine Jenkins. You have guided me throughout my doctoral program. In your classes you challenged me to consider all perspectives and angles, you mentored me in teaching pre- service teachers, and your feedback, questions, and guidance while at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has helped me become a better researcher. A deep appreciation is extended to my doctoral colleagues for sharing this journey, for the late night texts of support, conversations, and guidance. Each of you has played a role in my success. Dr. Cristin Geoghegan, thank you for always sharing your work as an example and for lending an ear whenever I needed to talk. Dr. Natasha Murray-Everett, thank you is not enough. Thank you for holding me accountable, for being there during the most difficult (and the best) moments, and mostly for being my friend. I know over the past five years we often wondered if the end would get here—it did! I cannot begin to thank all the countless friends and family who have supported and believed in me. Thank you for your prayers and unwavering support. Shelia, thank you for v always answering the phone and reminding me to stop and look back at the mountain I had climbed, not just at what was left. To Jessica, you truly understood—thank you for knowing when I fell off the face of the earth that I would be back. Your notes of encouragement always came when I needed them the most. Finally, to Cay, Deb, and Mary—Mondays kept me sane. Thank you for the laughter, prayers, and the margaritas. None of this would be possible without the McNair program at the University of Central Missouri. To the McNair program, thank you for planting a seed. As a first-generation college student, earning a Ph.D. was something I never imagined was possible. Christina Ridgley-Smith, thank you for dragging me into that office. For all the students I have taught along the way, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your learning. I learned much more from you than you will ever know. Special thanks to Mrs. Schilling and her students – Thank you for inviting me into your classroom and making this study possible. To my family, there are no words to express my gratitude and love. Mom and Dad, you taught me at a young age through your example the value of hard work and sacrifice. Thank you for that example, for your support, and your unconditional love. Ricky, thank you for the conversations and the encouragement. Your perspective challenged me to be more articulate and defend my own positions. To my husband Darwin, you have sacrificed the most over these past five years. Thank you for allowing me to pursue this dream and doing everything possible to help me along the way. Your constant love and support sustained me. You are my everything. They say it take a village to raise a child. As I complete this dissertation I know it takes a village to earn a Ph.D. as well. Thank you to all who were a part of my village. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 – THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ........................................................... 14 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3 – RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................................... 59 CHAPTER 4 – A TEACHER’S NAVIGATION OF NONFICTION LITERATURE .... 87 CHAPTER 5 – STUDENTS’ LIVED THROUGH MOMENTS .................................... 121 CHAPTER 6 – SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS .................................................... 206 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 223 APPENDIX A RECRUITMENT LETTER .................................................................... 236 APPENDIX B INTERVIEW PROTOCOL .................................................................... 237 APPENDIX C RESEARCH PROCEDURES ................................................................. 238 APPENDIX D LITERATURE USED IN INSTRUCTION ........................................... 242 APPENDIX E DESCRIPTION OF NONFICTION LITERATURE .............................. 246 APPENDIX F IRB APPROVAL .................................................................................... 249 APPENDIX G TEACHER CONSENT LETTER ........................................................... 250 APPENDIX H STUDENT ASSENT LETTER .............................................................. 252 APPENDIX I PARENTAL CONSENT LETTER .......................................................... 254 1 INTRODUCTION Aliteracy Poem Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are amazing! The principal says they can comprehend anything— Even a medical textbook. Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are incredible! The superintendent says their oral reading is completely seamless— Like the gentle flow of an eternal spring. Mrs. Thompson’s second graders are fantastic! The P.T.A. president says they finished the reading workbook and the phonics workbook before the end of the Third Quarter. Mrs. Thompson’s second graders worry me. You see, I’m the aide who works in Mrs. Thompson’s classroom, and I know something that the others don’t. Mrs. Thompson’s second graders don’t like to read. - from Life’s Literacy Lessons: Poems for Teachers by Steven L. Layne (2001) In Aliteracy Poem (Layne, 2001), the narrator expresses concern for a group of second graders who by many measures appear to be effective readers, yet despite apparent literacy success, actually do not like to read. As a former classroom teacher, and in my current work in schools, I see this situation all too often. Students have learned to decode words,