At the Intersection of Poetry and a High School English Class: 9th Graders‟ Participation in Poetry Reading Writing Workshop and the Relation to Social and Academic Identities‟ Development DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Susan Koukis Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Anna Soter, Advisor George Newell Mollie Blackburn Terry Hermsen Copyright by Susan Koukis 2010 Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine whether “marginalized” (Moje, Young, Readence, & Moore 2000) 9th grade students in a low-level, tracked English class perceived themselves as more successful students in English class after participating in a 10-week Poetry Reading Writing Workshop. A second purpose was to determine whether their knowledge of poetry terms and concepts such as metaphor, and subsequent performance on the poetry sections of standardized tests improved. My nested case study focused on 19 students in a low-level 9th grade English class. As the practitioner researcher, I conducted in- depth research with six focus students chosen through purposeful sampling. I collected data over the course of three months, using the types of instruments most common to case study research. Data analysis for my nested case study was ongoing and recursive between field work and reflection. Data were coded for patterns that represented categories pertaining to my research questions and coding was refined as I gathered and re-read additional data sources. The findings revealed that students learn better, and are more engaged when they have choices (Atwell, 1998; Lauscher, 2007). When students were forced to read poems that I chose for them, their journal and discussion comments were consistently negative. Students stated that they could not relate to the content or the format of these poems, and thus often summarily dismissed them as unimportant, boring or confusing. ii The findings suggest that students had a better knowledge of poetry after the workshop. Students improved their scores on a literary terms quiz and on practice Ohio Graduation Test poetry selections, but these improved scores did not affect their own definition of themselves as successful English students, which remained closely tied to overall grades, attendance, and behavior. A clear understanding of metaphor and other poetry terms were indicated in focus student interviews and also through their applications in their poetry exercises and responses. Within a tracked system, marginalized students have limited choices to feel successful (Oakes, 1985; Yonezawa, Wells, & Serna, 2002). When students are given a “third space” (Gutierrez, Rymes, & Larson, 1995; Soja, 1996), such as a classroom‟s Poetry Reading Writing Workshop where they can transact with poems, then they can practice and play with aspects of their identities through multiple literacies. The students in this study came into my classroom angry or uninterested. While they needed to adjust to the unfamiliarity of no worksheets, no drills, and more choice during the Poetry Reading Writing Workshop, by the end of the workshop more students were engaged in their poetry class reading and writing and in sharing their writing with their peers. The data I collected and analyzed can give insight into the larger considerations of what could and might occur if teachers were to untrack their marginalized students at least in the space of a Poetry Reading Writing Workshop where students are given the possibility to work through poetry to discover different aspects of themselves. iii This document is dedicated to my family who listened patiently to years of whining and sent me to my room when I procrastinated too long. It is also dedicated to my father, Dr. Ed Robinson, who willed me his stubbornness, and who would have said, “Congratulations! It‟s about time.” iv Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the many professors whose classes motivated me to continue reading, writing, and researching for so many years, especially Drs. Mertz, Newell, Clark, Hirvela, Blackburn, Bloome, and my advisor, Dr. Soter. Being a member of the first Columbus Area Writing Project gave me encouragement to write, as did the three poetry classes, and literary theory class I took with Dr. Soter over the years. I would like to thank Drs. Blackburn and Clark for re-vitalizing my teaching through their seminars on adolescent literacy. I would like to thank both the members of my candidacy committee and my dissertation committee, Drs. Soter, Newell, Blackburn, and Hermsen for their patience and gentle criticism. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Soter for her meticulous revisions and suggestions as I worked my way through the dissertation jungle. I would like also to thank my many colleagues at Marysville High School for being so accommodating as I juggled research and teaching, and my family for juggling the rest of life‟s responsibilities whenever I was sequestered in my office or away at classes. It has been a long, but rewarding process. v Vita 1972…....... ………………………Rutherford B. Hayes High School 1976………………………………B.A. Humanities, Ohio Wesleyan University 1985………………………………B.S. English Education, The Ohio State University 2002………………………………M.A. English Education, The Ohio State University 1985 to 1989……………………. Teacher, Hambakis School of English Language Athens, Greece 1991 to present…………………. Teacher, Marysville High School, Marysville, Ohio Publications Concentric Circles of Interest: Widening Student Responses to M.T. Anderson‟s Feed Through Student Book Club Discussions. In Soter, A., Faust, M. & Rogers, T. (Eds.), Interpretive Play: Using Critical Perspectives to Teach Young Adult Literature. Norwood, MA, Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc. Co-authored chapter with Newell, G. & Boster, S. (2007). Best Practices in Developing a Writing across the Curriculum Program in a Secondary School. In Graham, S. MacArthur, C.A., & Fitzgerald, J. (Eds). Best Practices in Writing Instruction. New York: Guildford Press. Fields of Study Adolescent Literature Poetry Writing Across the Curriculum Major Field: Education vi Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………...iv Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………..v Vita………………………………………………………………………………………..vi List of Tables………………………………………..………………………………….....x List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………....xii Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………….………...1 Background………………………………………………………………………..1 Search for Studies of Teaching and Learning Poetry……………………………..2 Poets‟ and Teachers‟ Claims…………………………………………………..…10 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………...13 Impetus of the Study……………………………………………………………..14 Focus of the Study……………………………………………………………….15 Research Questions………………………………………………………………16 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………...18 Assumptions Framing the Study…………………………………………………19 Summary…………………………………………………………………………20 Chapter 2: Literature Review….…………………………………………………………22 Overview…………………………………………………………………………22 vii The Case for Teaching Poetry: Poets and Poetry Researchers…………………..23 Reader Response Theory: Transacting Change………………………………….30 Theories of Vygotsky and Bakhtin………………………………………………32 The Transformative Power of Metaphor………………………………….......…37 Identity Studies…………………………………………………………………..42 The Negative Effects of Tracking…………………………………….………….53 Small Group Discussion…………………………………………………………57 Atwell‟s Reading Writing Workshop……………………………………………58 Practitioner (Teacher) Researcher………………………………………………..60 Summary…………………………………………………………………………69 Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………………72 Research Design………………………………………………………………….73 Research Site……………………………………………………………………..75 Methods of Data Collection and Analysis……………………………………….87 Summary…………………………………………………....…………………..110 Chapter 4: Analysis and Discussion…..………………………………………………..111 The Social Context……………………………………………...……………...112 Class Academic Performances and Attitudes……………………………...…...115 Focus Students in 8th Period Language and Literature 9……………………….124 Poetry Testing…………………………………………………………………..155 Poetry Reading and Writing Classroom Events…………………………….…..161 Poetry‟s Crucial Role in My Philosophy of Teaching the Marginalized Reader……………………………………………………………185 viii Summary…………………………………………………………………….….186 Chapter 5: Findings and Conclusions…………………………………………………..188 A Return to the Research Questions…………………………………………....190 Limitations of this Study………………………………………………………..197 Implications ………………….……………………………………………..…..200 Closing………………………………………………………………………….205 References………………………………………………………………………………207 Appendix A: Recruitment Phone Script…………………………...…………..……….225 Appendix B: Consent Forms for Parents………………………………………….……226 Appendix C: Explanatory Letters for Parents………………………………….……….230 Appendix D: Assent Forms for Students…………………………….……………...….231 Appendix E: Explanatory Letters for Students……………………….…………….…..235 Appendix F: Results of the Pre- and Post-Poetry Reading Writing Workshop Attitudes towards School by Individual Students............................................……...237 Appendix G: Results of the Pre- and Post-Poetry Reading Writing Workshop Attitudes towards Reading by Individual Students.........................................……..245 Appendix H: Results of the Pre- and Post-Poetry Reading Writing Workshop Attitudes towards Reading by Individual Students.........................................……..266