CO-CONSTRUCTING CRITICAL LITERACY IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOM DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Laura Marie Pietrandrea, B.S., M.S. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Professor Caroline Clark, Adviser Approved By: Professor Patricia Enciso ________________________ Professor Ian Wilkinson Adviser College of Education Copyright by Laura Marie Pietrandrea 2008 ABSTRACT Literacy, viewed as a social and transactional practice, has the capability to raise awareness of culturally dominant systems of meaning, thus making difference visible and questioning why certain groups have been “othered” in historical and current times. Critical literacy seeks to interrogate issues of equity present in texts and society, for individuals to make applications to their own lives, and for individuals to take action towards social justice. The purpose of this case study was to explore and describe the teaching methods used to present critical lenses to sixth-grade English and Language Arts students in order to examine and interpret texts, specifically focused on issues of racism, gender bias, exclusion, and equity. Additionally, student participants of the Literacy Research Club, utilized as co-researchers both inside and outside the English and Language Arts classroom, aided the process of curriculum construction. Ethnographic methods were used to provide thick description of the teaching methods as well as to capture student perspectives in the classroom. Data were collected over a 9-month period and included observations of classroom activities and Literacy Research Club meetings, student work samples, and transcripts of Literacy Research Club meetings and classroom literature circle discussion groups. Data analysis included inductive analysis to explore themes, patterns, and issues emerging from the data. The goal of the data analysis was to develop a grounded theory of enacting a critical literacy curriculum in a sixth grade English and Language Arts ii classroom, and to explore the development of student awareness of critical perspectives and positions. Analysis revealed that written and oral language use illuminated positive or negative reactions to critical literacy including resistance to critical literacy, acceptance of critical literacy, critiquing the “norm,” power relationships, cultural production, and cultural reproduction. Student resistance was often manifested through silence and incomplete class work. The findings of the study demonstrated that while students will participate in teacher-developed critical literacy activities, the deeply ingrained cultural beliefs and attitudes are difficult to deconstruct. As students and teachers engage in co-constructing the curriculum, the thinking and learning that occurs suggests a developmental taxonomy moving individuals from identifying inequities towards productive social action. Teachers who wish to enact a critical literacy curriculum need to work alongside their students to interrogate hegemonic beliefs, providing space to explore, question, challenge, and reframe sociocultural assumptions. Engagement in critical literacy activities has the potential to increase students’ sense of agency over their own lives and opportunities for independent transfer and transformation across all areas of life. iii Dedicated to my parents, Robert and Christine Pietrandrea, my family, Beth, Andy, Calvin, and Aaron… my support and my encouragement. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am so grateful to everyone who assisted me in this momentous journey. First, I want to acknowledge my parents, Robert and Christine Pietrandrea, who never doubted my ability or intelligence. Thank you for all your encouragement and support! I would also like to thank my sister Beth, brother-in-law Andy, and my wonderful fiancé, Aaron, whose pride helped me to carry on with writing. Much love to all of you! To my dissertation committee, Dr. Patricia Enciso, Dr. Ian Wilkinson, and Dr. Caroline Clark: thank you for your flexibility and sharing your knowledge. My adviser, Dr. Caroline Clark: Thank you for all your suggestions, support, prompt and detailed answers to a variety of questions, and for challenging me to go beyond my initial ideas to delve deeply into my findings. A very special thank-you goes to my aunt, Barbara Gioffre, who transcribed my research tapes. Without her help, I may still be working on the transcription today! All the students in my classes during the 2006-2007 school year also deserve thanks. While we struggled together to understand how critical literacy impacts our personal lives and larger communities, we also celebrated our growth as individuals who learned how to share our voices and rethink our assumptions. VITA October 10, 1976……………………………………Born – Rochester, Pennsylvania 1998…………………………………………………B.S. in Education Elementary and Special Education University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio 1998-2001…………………………………………...Intervention Specialist, 6 th Grade Van Buren Middle School Kettering, Ohio 2001…………………………………………………M.S. in Education (Literacy) University of Dayton Dayton, Ohio 2001-2008…………………………………………...6 th Grade Teacher English/Language Arts Van Buren Middle School Kettering, Ohio 2006-2007…………………………………………...Lecturer School of Education, Teaching & Learning The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio vi FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Education Studies in Reading, Children’s Literature, and Critical Literacy vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… iii Dedication………………………………………………………………………... iv Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………….. v Vita……………………………………………………………………………..…. vi List of Tables………………………………………………………………………. xi List of Figures……………………………………………………………………... xii Chapters: 1. Framing the Study……………………………………………………………... 1 Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 1 The Importance of Critical Literacy in the Middle School……………….. 3 Literacy as a Social Practice………………………….…………… 4 Statement and Significance of the Problem……………….………………. 7 Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………….. 10 Research Questions………………………………………………………… 11 Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………12 Summary…………………………………………………………………… 13 2. Review of the Literature………………………………………………………... 15 Introduction………………………………………………………………… 15 Critical Literacy……………………………………………………………. 15 Enacting a Curriculum of Critical Literacy……………………………....... 18 Personal & Curricular Interrogation……………………………….. 20 Classroom Practices………………………………………………... 23 viii Risk & Resistance………………………………………………….. 35 Students as Co-Researchers………………………………………………... 38 Filling in the Gaps…………………………………………………………. 40 Summary…………………………………………………………………… 42 3. Research Methodology………………………………………………………… 43 Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 43 Research Methods………………………………………………………… 43 Context of the Study……………………………………………………… 44 Choice of Research Site………………………………..…………. 44 Choice of Research Context…….……………………………..….. 45 Gaining Entrance………………………………………………….. 46 Participants………………………………………………………………… 48 Student Participants………………………………………………... 48 Data Collection…………………………………………………………….. 52 Classroom Observation………………………………………….…. 53 Field Notes…………………………………………………………. 54 Classroom Assignments & Activities……………………………… 54 Sociograms…………………………………………………………. 54 Student Work Samples……………………………………………... 55 Student Exit Slips…………………………………………….…….. 55 Literature Circle Discussions………………………………………. 55 Literacy Research Club Discussions………………….……………. 56 Role of the Researcher……………………………………………………... 56 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………. 58 Data Analysis for Question #1……………………………………... 59 Data Analysis for Question #2……………………………...……… 59 Data Analysis for Question #3………………………………...…… 61 Trustworthiness & Transferability….……………………………………… 62 Triangulation……………………………………………………….. 62 Member Checks……………………………………………………. 62 Transferability……………………………………………………… 63 Summary…………………………………………………………………… 64 4. Findings of the Study…………………………………………………………… 65 Introduction………………………………………………………………… 65 Enacting a Curriculum of Critical Literacy in a Sixth Grade English and ix Language Arts Classroom……………………………..…………………… 66 Curricular and Classroom Activities………………………..……… 67 Seedfolks ……………………...……………………………. 70 The Purpose of School……………………………..………. 84 Freak the Mighty …………………………………………… 89 Pictures of Hollis Woods ………………………………..… 95 The Holocaust and Daniel’s Story ……………….………... 100 Summary…………………………………………..……………….. 113 Four Cases: Period A, Period B, Period C, and Literacy Research Club… 113 Period A……………………………………………………………. 114 Summary……………………………………………..…….. 118 Period B…………...……………………………………………..… 119 Summary………………………………………..………….. 136 Period C……………………………………………………..……... 136 Summary…………………………………..……………….. 152 Literacy Research Club…………………………………...…….…. 152 Summary………………………………………..…………. 163 Summary………………………………………………………..…………. 163 5. Discussion and Recommendations Introduction…………………………………………………………………165 Discussion of the Findings…………………………………………………. 168 Curricular Activities and Engagements……………………………. 168 A Taxonomy of Critical Literacy Thinking & Learning…………... 172 Resistance and Passive Acceptance of Critical Literacy……………177 Gender as a Mediating Factor……………………………………….180 Students as Co-Researchers…………………………………………184 Teacher Power and Student Power………………………………….185 Limitations of the Study…………………………………………………… 186 Social Action………………………………………………………..186 Equipment……………………………………………………..…… 188 Authors and Writing……………………………………………….. 188 Lenses………………………………………………………………