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The Use of Critical Literacy Methods to Teach for Democratic Consciousness

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The Use of Critical Literacy Methods to Teach for Democratic Consciousness Western Washington University Western CEDAR The Edna L. Sterling Collection Western Libraries and the Learning Commons 2020 The Use of Critical Literacy Methods to Teach for Democratic Consciousness Tavia Quaid Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/sterling_collection Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Quaid, Tavia, "The Use of Critical Literacy Methods to Teach for Democratic Consciousness" (2020). The Edna L. Sterling Collection. 4. https://cedar.wwu.edu/sterling_collection/4 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Libraries and the Learning Commons at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Edna L. Sterling Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Use of Critical Literacy Methods to Teach for Democratic Consciousness Tavia Christine Quaid Concordia University–Wisconsin College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Leadership in Innovation and Continuous Improvement Jerry McGuire, Ph.D., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Gary L. Railsback, Ph.D., Methodologist Robert J. Bizjak, Ed.D., Content Specialist Concordia University–Wisconsin Copyright 2020 Abstract This action research study was initiated out of my concern that secondary education was heavily focused on career preparation rather than citizenship and student participation in the democratic process. An interest in how critical literacy teaching methods could increase student democratic consciousness prompted the three-cycle critical action research design. The foundation for the study was critical theory. Critical theorists, in particular seminal writer Paulo Freire (1970), have addressed goals for education that develop student inquiry and analysis of how different types of power are portrayed by writers, thus identifying the key components of critical literacy. Social constructivist Lev Vygotsky (1934/1997) addressed literacy methods that align with critical literacy teaching strategies. Vygotsky’s methods are included in the International Baccalaureate’s approaches to teaching and learning: the pedagogic framework for the instruction of IB’s curriculum. The study research question was to what extent does critical literacy, as implemented with the International Baccalaureate’s Approaches to Teaching and Learning, develop students’ democratic consciousness and their skills for participatory democracy. In three ninth grade pre-baccalaureate classes in the Pacific Northwest, this study used critical literacy instructional methods to address reading, speaking, writing, questioning, and creative discourse to develop students’ democratic consciousness. Critical discourse analysis, new historical criticism, reflective journals, research that identified the origin and purpose of the sources, Socratic seminars, informal and formal correspondence, and self- assessment were the key instructional strategies implemented. The cycles were based on three core texts: Cry, the Beloved Country (Paton 1948/2003), The Samurai’s Garden (Tsukiyama, 1994), Enrique’s Journey (Nazario, 2013). Socratic seminars and online discussions expressed student questioning and respect for others’ ideas and perspectives, while creative assessments ii demonstrated student insight and proved the impact of affective learning. Formal letters to elected officials proved students’ ability to present a logical argument for societal improvement. However, the results indicated that more authentic evidence of student democratic participation might have been observed if opportunities for service learning had been included among the instructional methods. The study results demonstrated that younger secondary students showed democratic consciousness in response to multi-skill critical literacy methods that promote student inquiry, reflection, and creativity. Keywords: democratic consciousness, critical theory, critical literacy, instructional methods iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to Fr. Michael Norkett (1941-2018) whose compassion, humility, humor, and love guided me in my youth and supported my pursuit of a career in education. The faith that gives me strength and hope is a flame fanned by the memory of his presence in my life. iv Acknowledgements I am grateful for the support of my committee. Gary Railsback provided much appreciated guidance for my understanding of research methodology. Bob Bizjak was an encouraging content reader; his comments and style suggestions were always wise and kindly conveyed. I am completely indebted to my chair Jerry McGuire. Without his patience and wisdom, I doubt I could have maintained my enthusiasm and focus. Jerry’s recommendations, shared knowledge, and conceptual processing helped me envision what I wanted to do. I appreciate his sense of humor and consistent clarity. I am also grateful and very proud of my freshmen students 2019-2020; they were my inspiration. Without their willing participation, this study would not have been possible. Finally, I thank my family for their support and encouragement. The years of study, and the months of research, analysis and writing made me a bit of a semi-present person. Gabrielle, Anastasia, Tom: thank you; I love you. v Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Background, Context, History, and Conceptual Framework for the Problem ................................ 2 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................................ 3 Purpose of the Study…..…………………………………………………………………………..4 Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………..5 Rationale, Relevance, and Significance of the Study……………………………………………..5 Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………………………….7 Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations ……………………………………………………12 Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………...13 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................... 15 Research Questions…..…………………………………………………………………………..16 Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………………………………..16 Democracy ........................................................................................................................ 16 Critical Theory………………………………………………………………….………..20 Critical Pedagogy ………………………………………………………………………..29 vi Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature………………………………….36 Critical Literacy Reading Strategies ................................................................................. 38 Critical Literacy Dialogue Strategies ……………………………………………………46 Critical Literacy for Student Voice ………………………………………….……….….49 Review of Methodological Issues………………………………………………………………..54 Action Research ................................................................................................................ 54 Case Study ………………………………………………………………………………54 Ethnographic Study ……………………………………………………………………..55 Literary and Discourse Analysis Focus ……………………………………………..…..56 Mixed Methods ………………………………………………………………………….58 Synthesis of Research Findings………………………………………………………………….58 Coverage…..……………………………………………………………………………………..59 Critique of Previous Research …………………………………………………………………..61 Chapter 2 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………..64 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................ 67 Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………………………67 Research Questions…..…………………………………………………………………………..68 Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………………………………….69 Background, Context, History, and Conceptual Framework for the Problem….……………..…70 Research Design……………………………………………………………………………….…74 Participants………………………………………………………….……………………………77 Instrumentation………………………………………………………………………………..…81 vii Critical Acition Research Cycles …………………………………………………………….....83 Cycle One: Cry, the Beloved Country…………………………………………................84 Cycle Two: The Samurai's Garden………………………………………………………87 Cycle Three: Enrique's Journey.…...…………………………………………………….92 Data Collection………………………………………………………………………………..…95 Identification of Attributes…….…………………………………………………………………96 Data Analysis Procedures………………………………………………………………………..97 Limitations of the Research Design.……………………………………………………………..98 Validation:Credibility, Dependibility and Trustworthiness…………………………………….100 Ethical Issues……………………………………………………………………………...……101 Chapter 4: Presentation of the Results ................................................................................... 104 Description of the Sample ..........................................................................................................
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