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“Stop messin’ with something!” CHILDREN NEGOTIATE COLLABORATIVE, MULTIMODAL RESPONSES TO LITERATURE: A STUDY OF FIFTH-GRADERS’ COMPOSING PROCESSES, IDENTITIES, AND POSITIONING by KIMBERLY MCDAVID SCHMIDT B.A., Drake University, 1994 M.A., University of Colorado Denver, 1998 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education 2016 This thesis entitled: “Stop messin’ with something!” Children Negotiate Collaborative, Multimodal Responses to Literature: A Study of Fifth-Graders’ Composing Processes, Identities, and Positioning written by Kimberly McDavid Schmidt has been approved for the School of Education ___________________________________________________________ Bridget Dalton ___________________________________________________________ Elizabeth Dutro Date November 8, 2016 The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. IRB protocol # 15-0104 ii ABSTRACT Schmidt, Kimberly McDavid (Ph.D., School of Education) Stop messin’ with something!” Children Negotiate Collaborative, Multimodal Responses to Literature: A Study of Fifth-Graders’ Composing Processes, Identities, and Positioning Thesis directed by Associate Professor Bridget Dalton This qualitative, comparative case study explored how fifth-grade students in an urban elementary classroom collaboratively composed multimodal responses to literature through the use of digital devices such as Chromebooks. Over several weeks, students critically read several of Jacqueline Woodson’s books. Then, students collaboratively composed multimodal slide presentations in Google Apps, analyzing literary themes, textual evidence, and personal connections to literature. This study examined two group’s collaborative and multimodal design processes, focusing on students’ positioning, identities, and roles in relation to the tools, project goals, and discourses related to school success and race. Multimodal analysis yielded four key findings. First, Group 1 collaborated by messin’ with the tools and one another, to negotiate ownership in direct and playful ways throughout the composing process, and Group 2 collaborated by negotiating complimentary roles where they tooK turns listening to one another and performing different roles, even when they disagreed. Although there was substantial variation in group processes, both groups were successful within the project parameters, suggesting that variation in composing processes can be valuable. Second, students took on new roles that positioned them as successful collaborators, readers, and writers in ways that differed from their classroom identities. However, this sometimes resulted in iii unequal contributions between group members, with some students having more opportunity to impact the presentation and develop composition and collaboration sKills. Third, students negotiated power and control through the use of shared and individual digital devices, suggesting that tools play an important role in collaborative processes. Finally, students in both groups positioned themselves apart from and in relation to the discourses of race present in Woodson’s books. Group 2 compared Woodson’s experiences to their own immigration experiences, while Group 1 distanced themselves from the experiences in the literature. These findings broaden our understanding of how students collaborate as they use digital tools to create multimodal responses to literature, offering new insights about students’ collaborative processes, positioning, and identities in small groups. iv I dedicate this dissertation to my family, my husband Jason Schmidt and my children, Jake, Anna, and Garret. Thank you for your unwavering support in this huge endeavor. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely appreciative of the time I spent with Ms. Moore and the students at Henry Elementary in this research project. Ms. Moore believed in the abilities of all students and let children express themselves creatively and emotionally, always doing her best to support them. Furthermore, the students were brilliant, brave, and savvy with their digital expertise. Jillian, Rhianna, Isa, Yannet, and Lucía taught me to explore the unexpected and follow their lead in the ways they made Jacqueline Woodson’s literature meaningful. Also, I thank the principal, Ms. Kelly, who was the heart of the culture of the school, and believed education was the hope for the students. She accepted all students at her school, and saw the potential in each of them. To my dissertation chair, Dr. Bridget Dalton, with deep respect, I appreciate your friendship and mentorship through many conversations, detailed feedback, and support along the way. You led me to join conversations that exist in the field of multimodal composition, while extending research in a way that reflects my personal interests. Thank you for inspiring me through your passion, your careful listening, and your encouragement that the research study was strong. To my committee members, Dr. Elizabeth Dutro, Dr. Susan Jurow, Dr. Silvia Noguerón- Liu, and Dr. Bianca Williams, thank you for your leadership in your respective fields. You have inspired me through your strength, as you pursue your passions and lead others to do the same. You taught me to reflect upon my positionality as a researcher, and the ways in which people, students, and researchers negotiate identities in academia and in schools amidst competing discourses about what it means to be a woman, a woman of color, a researcher, and a teacher in the current political climate. Thank you for your heartfelt conversations and your advice in your respective fields. vi To Shelby Wolf, my first advisor and mentor at CU Boulder, for your friendship and mentorship. With loving fondness, I remember your passion for teaching, your love for literature, and your care for graduate students as you encouraged me to attend to my family as well as pursue my academic goals. I miss your read alouds and laughter. To my teachers and colleagues, for your wisdom and leadership in your respective fields, I deeply respect your diverse perspectives and backgrounds. In particular, my CSR research group was my CU family. These wise, compassionate women were my friends and colleagues who commiserated with me about life and our important research in middle schools. To my family and friends, for your support along the way of this journey. You were accustomed to seeing the computer attached to my fingertips. I hope that I inspire you to someday pursue your dreams, no matter how big they seem, and I look forward to experiencing the simple things with you shortly, like reading books. Thank you Dad for your fine-grain editing, and Mom for helping me transport kids while I spent hours at the library. I appreciate your unwavering support. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...……………………………………………………………………………iii DEDICATION ………………………………………….………………………………...v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .………………………………………………..……………vi LIST OF TABLES ...………………………………….…………………………………xi LIST OF FIGURES ...…………………………….…………………………………….xii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ..……………………………….………………………………1 Overview of the dissertation ……………….………………………………….5 II. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ...….…………8 Conceptual Framework ...….…..………………………………………………9 Multiliteracies and Multimodality Perspectives ...……...…………………9 Sociocultural Perspective ..………………………………………………11 Critical Perspectives: Student Roles, Positioning, Identity, and Discourse .……………………………………………………………13 Literature Review ..……..……………………………………………………18 Analysis .…………………………………………………………………19 Theme # 1: Case Study and Descriptive Research ………………………21 Theme # 2: Collaboration …...………..…………………………….……22 Theme # 3: New Identities and Repositioning ..…………………………25 Theme # 4: Cultural Resources and Positioning ..……………………….28 Summary ..……………………………………………………………………31 III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN Research Methodology ..……………………………………………………..34 Setting and Participants……..……………………………………………35 School: Henry Elementary ...…………………………………………35 Research Participants .....……………………………………………..37 Participant Researcher Role ..…..……………………………………43 Unit of Study: Author Study and Literary Analysis ..……………………47 Multimodal Responses to Literature through Google Slides ..….……49 viii Process, Tools, and Apps ..………………………………………..…50 Google Apps and Chromebooks ..…….……….……………………..52 Data Sources ..…...……………………………………………………….52 All Students ....……………………………………………………….54 Focal Students ...……………………………………………………..55 Small Groups ..….……………………………………………………58 Principal and School ....………………………………………………60 Data Analysis ..………………………………………………………………62 Methodological Tools ....…………………………………………………62 Phase 1: Qualitative Analysis Looking for Patterns and Themes ....……..63 Phase 2: Micro Analysis of Interactions ....………………………………68 Phase 3: Comparison of Micro to Macro Structures .....…………………69 Trustworthiness and Limitations…………………………………………71 IV. CASE 1- GROUP 1: ISA, JILLIAN, AND RHIANNA Negotiation of Content and Design ….………………………………………77 Identities, Roles, and Multimodal Design…....………………………………84 Isa: Leader- “Jillian, you got to do your connections!” ….………………85 Jillian: Lead Designer: “Watch this. See, look! I’ll make it look good.” .....……………………………………………………………..88 Rhianna: “Stop messin with something, Jillian!” ....…………………….93 Tools and Apps ..….………………………………………………………….97 Project Goals …..……………………………………………………………104