ENGAGING WITH ADVERTISING MEDIA IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM: CASE STUDY OF A RURAL SEVENTH GRADE CLASS ____________________________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri - Columbia _____________________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _________________________________________________________ by M. JUANITA WILLINGHAM Dr. Amy A. Lannin, Dissertation Supervisor December 2011 DEDICATION For my husband, Gary, for his unwavering support in this, our journey, and for God, who has this amazing plan for me ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Missouri Writing Project hooked me when I took my first four-week institute in the summer of 2002. That a graduate course could be so life-changing just made me want more. Now, almost a decade later, I write this dissertation. This could not, would not have happened without many people -- family, friends, colleagues -- pushing, questioning, supporting me. My sincere appreciation to all ... My doctoral committee for your encouragement, I thank you. You knew I could do this even as I worried I could not. Thank you, Amy Lannin, Roy Fox, Richard Robinson, Donna Strickland, Lloyd Barrow, and Carol Gilles. My professors, I thank you, even Betsy Baker who worked me nonstop in class and who asked the hard questions that still have me thinking. My fellow doctoral students, I thank you. There is a light to this tunnel, and you helped me find it. My teacher participant, "Whitney," of whom Dr. Fox says, "Bless her for staying true to the internal rudder which guides her as a teacher." Thank you for graciously hosting me. My student participants, I thank you. I hope you enjoy your story here. My teaching colleagues at North Callaway School District, I thank you. You put up with me using your classrooms and practicing interview skills. My family and friends not yet mentioned, I thank you for your patience, your push, your belief in me. ii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. ii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 How this Study Began ................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 6 Rationale for a Study in Media Literacy in a Constructivist Classroom................. 7 Need for Media Literacy. ...................................................................................... 7 Why a Constructivist Classroom. ............................................................................ 9 Research Methodology ............................................................................................... 11 The participants. ..................................................................................................... 12 Limitations ................................................................................................................... 13 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................... 15 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 - Review of the Literature ............................................................................ 17 Media Literacy Education .......................................................................................... 19 Definition. ............................................................................................................... 19 History. ..................................................................................................................... 21 Constructivism and the whole language philosophy to teach media literacy. 29 What is Thinking?....................................................................................................... 38 Thinking and language. .......................................................................................... 40 Thinking and talk. ................................................................................................... 42 Levels of thinking. ................................................................................................... 53 Reading the Media ...................................................................................................... 55 Reading theories. .................................................................................................. 55 Reading and feeling................................................................................................. 58 Reading and images. ............................................................................................... 61 Reading and general semantics. ........................................................................... 67 Creating and Composing Media ................................................................................ 72 Play to create and compose. ................................................................................... 72 Multiple rhetorical modes to create and compose. ............................................ 76 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 84 Chapter 3 - Methodology ............................................................................................... 86 Method: Research Paradigm .................................................................................... 86 Setting........................................................................................................................... 92 The School................................................................................................................ 92 The Participants. .................................................................................................. 96 The Teacher. ....................................................................................................... 96 The Students. .................................................................................................... 98 Data collection ........................................................................................................... 100 Data analysis .............................................................................................................. 120 Research ethics .......................................................................................................... 135 Autonomy. ............................................................................................................ 136 Beneficence. ......................................................................................................... 136 iii Justice. .................................................................................................................. 137 Dealing with potential for harm. ......................................................................... 137 Informed consent. ............................................................................................... 137 Chapter 4 - Findings ..................................................................................................... 138 Overview of Methodology ........................................................................................ 138 Overview of Data Analysis Procedures ................................................................... 139 Getting Reacquainted with the Teacher and Students .......................................... 139 Cheyenne, a work-conscientious, quiet student. ................................................ 140 Snapshot of a constructivist classroom. .............................................................. 148 Immersion. ........................................................................................................ 148 Collaborative groups. ....................................................................................... 149 Writing invitations.............................................................................................. 150 Workshop routine. ............................................................................................ 150 Snapshot of a constructivist teacher. ................................................................. 151 Confidence-building attitude. .......................................................................... 151 Scaffolding questions. ...................................................................................... 153 Slinky discussion.. ........................................................................................... 154 How Do Instructional Practices Influence Young adults' Responses to Media? 161 Young adults teach each other technical skills. .................................................. 161 Young adults digress while writing about commercials and print ads, but return to initial important points. ......................................................................