Wayne State University Wayne State University Dissertations 1-1-2017 Digital Literacies And “glee”: The Role Of Fan Fiction Virtual Writing And Social Commentary In Response To Bullying Themes With Adolescent Writers Mandy Rita Stewart Wayne State University, Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations Part of the Education Commons, Educational Sociology Commons, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons Recommended Citation Stewart, Mandy Rita, "Digital Literacies And “glee”: The Role Of Fan Fiction Virtual Writing And Social Commentary In Response To Bullying Themes With Adolescent Writers" (2017). Wayne State University Dissertations. 1746. https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/1746 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@WayneState. It has been accepted for inclusion in Wayne State University Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@WayneState. DIGITAL LITERACIES AND “GLEE”: THE ROLE OF FAN FICTION VIRTUAL WRITING AND SOCIAL COMMENTARY IN RESPONSE TO BULLYING THEMES WITH ADOLESCENT WRITERS by MANDY STEWART DISSERTATION Submitted to the Graduate School of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2017 MAJOR: CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION Approved By: ________________________________________ Advisor Date ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ © COPYRIGHT BY MANDY STEWART 2017 All Rights Reserved DEDICATION To my husband, Jason, who allowed me to dream beyond the typical expectations for a teacher and a mom. He never wavered in his firm belief that I was capable of doctorate level work, and that I should never settle for less than my highest dream. I could not have done this without his encouragement, time, sacrifice, and support to finish this process. I am truly lucky to have found my true love, who was willing to put my needs above his and take over so much of the day to day care of our family. To my boys, Jackson and Seamus, I love you, and I hope that you will remember that Mom didn’t study all the time, and that you are always the center of my world. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writing of this dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my professors and members of my committee. To Dr. DeBlase, Dr. Feathers, Dr. Tonso, Dr. Dillaway, Dr. Crawford-McKinney, and Dr. Hill, thank you for your time and expertise in this process. I am grateful that you didn’t lose hope, even with a troublesome student that moved five hours away and took a decade to complete their dissertation. Looking back, I made many mistakes and decisions that made this journey longer and more difficult, and every one of you still gave your advice, encouragement, and time to help me to complete this degree. Thank you for your help, it made all the difference. To my family, thank you for supporting me even though you thought I was crazy to do all this, it was worth it in the end. Always, thanks to the participants, whose writing was always authentic and personal, for letting me wade into your virtual world for this study. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ................................................................. 1 Introduction to the Study .................................................................................................................2 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................................8 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................................14 Research Question .........................................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE...................................................................17 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................17 Virtual Writing is Consistent with Best Practice ...........................................................................18 Fan Fiction Participants are a community with its own Culture ....................................................30 Fan Fiction Writing can be Socio-Identity Practice .......................................................................35 Bullying is a Serious Social Problem.............................................................................................40 Glee is a Pop Culture Phenomenon with Far Reaching Social Impact ..........................................46 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................52 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................52 Research Design.............................................................................................................................53 Researcher Background .................................................................................................................54 Research Perspective and Role ......................................................................................................55 Participants and Recruitment .........................................................................................................56 Informed Consent...........................................................................................................................58 iv Research Setting.............................................................................................................................59 Data Collection ..............................................................................................................................60 Posting and Reviews ..........................................................................................................63 Interviews ...........................................................................................................................63 Questionnaire .....................................................................................................................64 Researcher Reflective Journal ............................................................................................65 Organization of Data and Findings ................................................................................................65 Trustworthiness ..............................................................................................................................68 Member Checks ......................................................................................................................68 Persistent Observation ............................................................................................................69 Audit Trail ..............................................................................................................................70 Summary ........................................................................................................................................70 CHAPTER 4: THE VIRTUAL WORLD OF GLEE ................................................................72 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................72 Case Study: Ashling .......................................................................................................................76 Introduction to Ashling ......................................................................................................76 OTP- One True Pairing ......................................................................................................78 Ashling’s Variety in Fan Fiction Writing ..........................................................................81 The Possibilities of Perspective and Monologue ...............................................................84 LGBT Relationships on Television as Inspiration for Writing Exploration ......................86 Ashling’s Fan Fiction Interaction ......................................................................................87 Finding #1 ......................................................................................................................................93 Case Study: Tasha ........................................................................................................................103 v Introduction to Tasha .......................................................................................................103 Tasha’s writing: The Author’s Use of Humor .................................................................104 Tasha’s Fan Support System ............................................................................................108