UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII LIBRARY PUMP UP THE POD: POPULAR CULTURE AND PODCASTING IN A CRITICAL SECONDARYLANGUAGEARTSCOURBE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DMSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUffiEMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM STUDIES MAY 2006 By Sarah Byrne Bausell Thesis Committee: Helen Slaughter, Chairperson Donna Grace Rhonda Nowak We certitY that we have read this thesis and dlat, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a dlesis for die degree of Master of Education in Curriculum Studies. THESIS COMMI1TEE '144# 4/# Chairperson QMJ~ ~~~ 11 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Kenny who is always hopeful, kind, and, most importantly, hilarious. © Sarah Byrne BauseIl2006 iv ABSTRACT This is a qualitative investigation of critical theory and pop-culture in a secondary classroom. The study occurred .over a period of 38 days at a private parochial school in Honolulu, Hawaii and included 17 heterogeneously grouped students enrolled in an elective English course. Constructivist grounded theory (Channaz, 2005) was applied to both the srudy design and the curriculum, to understand a) how adolescents engage with pop-culture literacy practicesltexts and b) how adolescents experience podcasting as a replacement for traditional composition assignments. Data was co llected through one questionnaire, individual interviews, group interviews, field notes and student artifacts (including analysis and transcripts of five student podcasts). Findings show that participants have integrated particular pop-culture literacy practices to radical degrees; that the wide use of such practices has Impacted their epistemologies and even ontologies; and, that the use of podcasting as an alternative means of student expression bas significant pedagogical potential. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................... ...... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... viii PREFACE .................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................. 9 Critical Theory: roots of resistance and assimilation ......................................... 9 Critical Frameworks of schooling and pedagogy .............................................. 10 Popular Culture literacy practices .. ...... ................ .................. ...... .............. ...... 13 Critical Literacy .. ..... ........ .............. ...... .............. ........................ .......... .......... 18 Pedagogical support for critical popular cultural literacy ........ .......... ................ 20 CHAPTER 3: ME11IODS ......................................................................................... 25 Part 2: Curriculum design and procedures .. .................. ...... ............ .......... .............. 26 Critical pedagogical decisions .......... ......................................................... 26 Literature circles: the topography of knowledge making .... .......... .................... 29 Merging pleasure and school domains ................................................... 30 Selection and responses to popular cultural texts...................................... 30 Possibilities for student media constructions .......................................... 30 Part I: Study Design ................ ....................................................................... 31 Participants ......................................................................................... 32 Questionnaire development .................................................................. 33 Questions concerning media use ............................................... 33 Questions referring to demographic characteristics ..................... 34 Questions referring to social characteristics ........ .............. ......... 34 Attitudes toward language arts curriculum ................................. 34 Field notes and seminar transcripts ....................................................... 35 Student artifacts .................................................................................. 35 Interviews .......................................................................................... 36 Individual ............................................................................... 36 Group ..................................................................................... 28 Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS ......................................................................................... 40 Part I: Participant's popular cultural literacy practices ..................................... 40 ContextuaJ factors .......... ......... .......................... .......... .............. 41 Popular cultural literacy types .................................................... 43 Entertainment practices ............................................................ 45 Communicative practices. ............ .................. .............. ............. 47 Productive practices ...... ........ ................ .......... ............ ............. 49 Part 2: Curriculum findings ............................................................................ 50 Unit 1: Contemporary Monsters ........ .................. ............ .......... 52 Student deconstructions ...................... ............................ 53 Student constructions ...................................................... 55 vi Unit 2: What's justice got to do with it? .................................... 61 Texts used..... ................................... ............ ...... ............. 61 Stodent deconstructions •.......•...... .... ..•... ••.. ...................... 62 Student constructions •••.... ...... ........ .......... ..•••.•. .......... ...... 63 Unit 3: Diamond encrusted Burberry socks ••.•... .......... ..•. ............ 69 Texts used ...................................................................... 70 Stodent deconstructions ................. ...... ...... ...•.•.. .•.. .... ..•... 72 Student constructions ..... ........ ....•..... ..•... ...... ...... ........ .....• 74 Unit 4: Hester, you don't have to tum out that red light ................ 77 Texts used ...................................................................... 77 Student deconstructions ....... ...... ...... ...... ..•••. .... .....•.. ..••.... 78 Student constructions .••.. ..•. ...... .... ..•... ..... ....... ....... ....... .... 79 CHAPTER 5: PODCASTING WITH ADOLESCENT LEARNERS ...................... 86 Milo .............................................................................................................. 87 Jonathan ........................................................................................................ 89 Devon and Thomas .••..... .................... ....••••.•. .... ..•••. ........... ..... ...... ...... ........ .... 90 Eileen ............................................................................................................ 91 Maelee, Leliani, and Jackie .............••••..••.•••.••.......................••...••.......•........... 93 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 96 Discourse implications. ............. ..................... .... ............ ..•... .•..•• .•.... ........ ...... 96 Readers response implications .•.•...... ........ ...• .......... .•.. ..••.. •.••••••.. ..••.. ........ ...... 97 Implications of using podcasting as a pedagogical tool..................................... 99 Learner and Teacher dynamics ....................................................................... 100 Limitations .................................................................................................... 101 APPENDIX A: CONCEPT MAPS ........................................................................... 102 APPENDIX B: QUESTIONANNAIRE..................................................................... 106 APPENDIX C: PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS ............................................................ 112 ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................... 120 REFERENCES............................................................................................................. 122 vii UST OF TABLES Table fB 1. Extent of use of popular culturalliteracies 37 2. Identity categories present in fmal podcasts 38 3. Types of popular culturalliteracies 44 4. Traditional and popular cultural texts used Sl 5. Student podcast topics, self and peer reflections S9 6. Student fmal podcasts sorted by topic and identity code 87 viii UST OF FIGURES fim!m :fwm 1. Reflexive steps in curriculum design 27 2. Reflexive steps linking curriculum and study design 28 3. Devon's caricature of Lady Justice 66 4. Summer's caricature of Lady Justice 66 S. Nonani's caricature of Lady