Browsing by Subject "Literacy"
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Item A line in the sand: A fourth-grade teacher counters high-stakes testing by using read-alouds as the fulcrum around which students' perceptions of reading and writing are formed(2011-12) Wasiuta, Ellen; Janisch, Carole; Johnson, Margaret; Price, Margaret A.; Lesley, MellineeThe pressures of high-stakes testing have increased exponentially over the past decade. Writing teachers are faced with instructional decisions that pit extensive test preparation using writing exercises formatted to match the test, for the acquisition of acceptable scores, against well-recognized "best practices" in the field of literacy: student ownership and choice in a Writing Workshop, use of mentor texts, and use of read-alouds. The purpose of this qualitative, naturalistic, auto-ethnographic study was to understand how and why read-alouds became a central component of a fourth-grade English classroom. This centrality of the read-alouds was illuminated by noting the effects of the read-alouds on the students' self-selected readings, their compositions, and their perceptions of their own developing literacies. The study was framed by four major research questions: (1) What is the nature of the evolution of fourth-graders' writing and self-selected reading as influenced by on-going read-alouds by the teacher? (2) How does the chosen text to be read aloud influence students' perceptions of themselves as readers/writers - literate human beings? (3) What is the relationship between the genres selected for the read-aloud and the writing produced by fourth graders as well as their self-selected reading choices? and (4) What does a teacher learn about her own growth as a literacy teacher through an auto-ethnographic study? The findings from this research study revealed that using high-quality, rich read-alouds as a fulcrum in the foundation of Writing Workshop contributes to the long-term engagement and motivation of students as they take ownership of their literacy learning. The study demonstrated that the immersion of students in high-quality, authentic literacy experiences with read-alouds at the core helped those students form positive perceptions of themselves as readers and writers as well as positive perceptions of reading and writing.Item An adult ESL curriculum development project : integrating academic effectiveness with a critical orientation(2012-05) Joseph, Amy Elizabeth; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Martínez, Ramón Antonio; De Lissovoy, NoahThis paper is a curriculum proposal for a mid to high beginner adult English as a Second Language class. It is hoped that this curriculum will prove to meet students’ academic needs, especially in terms of development of literacy, listening skills, and language learning strategies. In addition to this, the lessons include a critical orientation; that is, the class is structured to facilitate student engagement with social issues, namely racism and economic struggles. With these considerations in minds, two units comprising half the semester were developed and relevant extra materials are provided.Item An exploratory study of emergent literacy development as demonstrated through play(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Baker, Michelle D.The purpose of this study was to explore the use of play as a resource for examining children's emergent literacy development. Specifically the study addressed the following questions: 1. What types of emergent literacy demonstrations do children exhibit while playing in a literacy-enhanced environment? 2. What do these demonstrations reveal about children's knowledge of literacy? The study took place in my pre-kindergarten classroom, which is a part of the kids-day-out program of a Southern Baptist church in the southwestern Untied States. The classroom consisted of 10 four-and five-year- old children who were due to start kindergarten in the fall of 1997. The class followed a daily schedule which included a seventy-five minute play period. My observations focused on one five-year-old girl who played in a variety of centers. This is a participant observation study of a prekindergarten child during play in literacy-enhanced centers. Data were collected using the participant observation guidelines of Bogden and Biklen (1982), Glesne and Peshkin (1992), Lincoln and Guba (1985), and Hatch (1995). Descriptive data were recorded through the use of field notes and videotaping. Additional data included a collection of participant artifacts and informal interviews. The data were analyzed using the constant comparison method as described by Bogdan and Biklen (1982). This study adds to the research base in the area of emergent literacy assessment using play. This study offers implications for practitioners about the importance of including literacy-enhanced play centers and time to play in the classroom. This study also describes how play observations are a useful resource for assessing a child's knowledge of the functions and concepts of print. Further, this study demonstrates how some children more clearly demonstrate their emerging literacy abilities in less structured, authentic settings than on more structured literacy assessments.Item Biblical literacy in a secular world: Secondary students’ perceptions of the influence of Biblical practices on academic achievement.(2017-09-22) Evans, Ashlei Nicole; Haas, LoryPurpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine middle and high school students’ perceptions of the relationship between their Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability) and academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) according to gender, ethnicity, and participation in religiously affiliated activities. More specifically, the first purpose was to examine student perceptions of the relationship between Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability), as well as overall academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) among boys and girls in Grades 7-12. A second purpose was to investigate student perceptions of the relationship between Biblical literacy practices and academic performance (i.e. grades, test scores, reading ability), as well as overall academic success (i.e. attendance, behavior, motivation, goals, decision-making) among five ethnic/racial groups (i.e., Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, and more than one ethnicity) of students in Grades 7-12. The third purpose was to explore students’ perceptions of the impact the Bible has on their lives. Finally, a fourth purpose was to analyze student perceptions of the relationship between participation in religious affiliated out-of-school activities and academic success, as well as decision-making among students in Grades 7-12. Method A correlational research design was used to conduct this quantitative study. Cross sectional survey research was conducted to collect data regarding the participants’ demographics (e.g. gender and ethnicity), perceptions, Biblical literacy practices, and participation in religiously affiliated out-of-school activities. Chi-square tests were run using SPSS to determine Biblical literacy practices, academic performance, and academic success as a function of gender, ethnicity, and participation in religiously affiliated activities. Findings Regarding gender, the findings reveal a greater number of girls engage in reading the Bible and participate in religiously affiliated activities in-and-outside of school than boys. More girls indicated they perceive reading the Bible is beneficial to academic performance and academic success more than boys. As it pertains to ethnicity, a statistically significant higher percentage of Black students noted the importance of reading the Bible and its impact on their behavior than other ethnic groups. Asian students had statistically significantly lower percentages when referring to whether the Bible increases their reading ability, its impact on their motivation to succeed, and how they make decisions. In relation to participation in religiously affiliated out- of-school activities and the impact on their personal lives and relationships, there were no statistically significant differences between the grade levels and gender; however, a statistically significant difference was indicated among Black, White, and Hispanic students. Findings with regard to gender are similar to previous research wherein girls are more engaged in reading and perform higher in reading achievement than boys. However, the findings regarding ethnicity varied. A consistent finding among boys and girls, as well as all ethnic groups was their perception that reading the Bible improves their reading ability. Research conducted reveals that students believe their Biblical literacy practices significantly influences their reading ability, behavior, motivation, decision-making, and personal life.Item Bilingual reading assessment : identification of English language learners at risk for reading disorders(2012-05) Finelli-Thomsen, Allegra Joy; Peña, Elizabeth D.Children who are English Language Learners (ELLs) are often falsely identified with reading disorders. Similarly, some ELLs with true reading disorders are overlooked because it is assumed that they are still acquiring the necessary reading skills in English. This review of current bilingual assessment literature focuses on the use of early screening tasks to identify potential reading disorders among ELLs. These assessment tasks cover phonological, letter naming, rapid naming, sequencing and reading skill sets. This review synthesizes current research findings to determine which tasks are the most appropriate for assessing future reading disorders among children from linguistically diverse backgrounds. Results were mixed. Further research is needed to determine the best methods for reading assessment of ELLs.Item Creating new spaces : investigating opportunities for identity exploration in a high school English classroom(2007-05) Vetter, Amy Maurine, 1976-; Fairbanks, Colleen M.; Maloch, BethItem Creating new spaces: investigating opportunities for identity exploration in a high school English classroom(2007) Vetter, Amy Maurine; Fairbanks, Colleen M.; Maloch, BethThe purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how identity exploration occurred in a high school English classroom. This semester-long study employed ethnographic methods of data collection, including student and teacher interviews, classroom observations, and video and audio recordings of classroom events. Data was analyzed using the constant comparative method and discourse analysis (Davies and Harré, 1990; Gee, 2005; Strauss and Corbin, 1990). Sociocultural theories of language and literacy and theories of identity and agency were used to inform analysis about the relationship between identity and literacy in this high school English classroom with a White teacher and African American and Latino/a students (Bakhtin, 1981; Holland, Skinner, Lachicotte, and Cain, 1998; Wells, 1999). Findings suggest that the following four categories of instructional practices and talk were used to facilitate identity exploration by the teacher: (a) connection of classroom literacy practices to the everyday lives and literacies of students, (b) encouragement of multiple perspectives and viewpoints, (c) engagement in the investigation of sociopolitical issues, and (d) development of student agency. These practices and ways of talking attempted to create a figured world that valued students’ backgrounds and discourses. The case studies of three students provided insight into how they appropriated, resisted, and/or transformed identities and literacy practices during identity work. The students’ stories indicated that identity exploration provided a space for them to reshape old identities and imagine new identities, to transform the classroom structure in order to be successful, and to examine tensions in order to make changes within their local contexts. This study offers insight into the possibilities of identity exploration in literacy classrooms and argues that identity work may be one way for teachers to transform opportunities in the classroom for students with diverse backgrounds.Item Cross contextual meaning making : a study of children's talk within and across literacy contexts in one multiage classroom(2014-05) Peterson, Katie Elizabeth; Roser, Nancy; Worthy, JoIn this embedded case study, I examined and documented discussions of literature across two literacy contexts within one multiage classroom. Further, I explored the experiences of four focal students within and across the two contexts, highlighting the affordances of each space and considering the implications of tacit rules of participation for individual students. I employed ethnographic data collection methods including field notes, audio and video recordings, semi-structured interviews, and student and teacher created artifacts. Data analysis drew on constant comparative methods as well as traditions of interactive sociolinguistics. Drawing on sociocultural theories of learning and transactional theories of reading response, the study demonstrates the ways in which talk is used as a tool for meaning-making tasks including comprehension, argumentation, and identity construction. The study highlights the purposeful and strategic instructional moves made by the classroom teachers in discussion that facilitated more complete and complex interpretations of texts. The cases of the focal students illustrate the affordances of each context as well as demonstrating the ways in which responses to literature might be leveraged to claim identity positions within the classroom. The study cultivates deeper understanding about the importance of individual contributions within discussion contexts, as well as demonstrating the ways in which children and teachers mediate meaning making in collaborative contexts. The findings suggest implications for the ways in which educators might support and draw on individual approaches to response to facilitate divergent meaning making and expansion of repertoires of response for students. In addition, the study suggests implications for the careful design and development of contexts in which children are granted interpretive authority and encouraged to engage in collaborative meaning-making.Item Cultivating literacies among emerging bilinguals : case study of a third grade bilingual/bicultural community of practice(2012-05) Lynch, Anissa Wicktor; Fránquiz, María E.; Wetzel, Melissa M.; Callahan, Rebecca M.; Valenzuela, Angela; Heinzelman, Susan S.This study focused on emerging bilingual students in an urban elementary bilingual classroom. Schools and teachers play a fundamental role in emerging bilingual children’s language acquisition and academic preparation. Emerging bilinguals currently enrolled in U.S. schools must learn a new academic language and academic content in a climate marked by standards-based reform and anti-immigrant sentiment. Utilizing case study methodology, this investigation explored the ways in which emerging bilinguals and their teacher co-constructed literacy practices and the connection between literacy practices and identity. Microanalysis of discourse was performed on data collected during literacy practices to examine positionings, the ways people present themselves in a situation. Data included field notes from classroom observations, audio and video recordings, teacher and student interviews, and artifacts in the form of student work and district and curriculum documents. Participants engaged in a wide variety of literacy practices utilizing material resources of the classroom, their teacher, their emerging bilingual abilities, and prior experiences both in and out of the classroom as resources to construct meaning from texts. Literacy practices were characterized by high expectations for student achievement and group membership, the development of students’ linguistic and cultural knowledge, building students’ self-efficacy related to literacy, and affirmation of participants’ bilingual/bicultural identities. Students demonstrated several positionings during literacy practices. Analysis of these positioning suggested that their identities were shaped by their participation in literacy practices and their interactions with other members of this community of practice. The community of practice that participants co-constructed was characterized by a focus on inclusivity, purposeful opening of interactional spaces, expanding repertoires of practice, and caring. Results of this study suggested that teacher and student disposition and affect can be taught, which raised questions about the current focus on only knowledge and skills in teacher education programs rather on teacher disposition and affect. There are also implications for teachers and researchers who have an interest in communities of practice and effectively educating emerging bilingual students.Item DIFFERENCES IN READING PERFORMANCE OF TEXAS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AS A FUNCTION OF ECONOMIC STATUS, GENDER, AND ETHNICITY/RACE: A MULTIYEAR STATEWIDE STUDY(2016-11-07) Mc Gown, Jenny; Slate, John R.; Moore, George; Lunenburg, FredPurpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which degree of economic status, gender, and ethnicity/race are related to the reading achievement of Texas elementary school students. The first purpose was to analyze the degree to which differences exist in reading performance by degree of economic disadvantage for elementary school students. A second purpose was to examine the extent to which differences are present in reading performance between boys and girls in elementary schools. Finally, a third purpose was to determine the extent to which differences are present in reading performance for four different ethnic/racial groups (i.e., Asian, White, Hispanic, and Black) of elementary school students. Archival data from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System was analyzed to make these determinations. A multiyear statewide analysis of academic performance of the state-mandated reading assessments in Grade 3 was used to determine the degree to which trends were present in reading performance by economic status, between boys and girls, and among different ethnic/racial groups. Method A causal-comparative research design was used in this quantitative study. Grade 3 STAAR archival data were obtained for the 2012-2013 through the 2014-2015 school years. Each of the three Reporting Categories was analyzed to determine if differences existed by degree of economic status, gender, and ethnic/racial groupings. Additionally, the percentage of students meeting the Level II Final Satisfactory Performance Standard was analyzed to determine progress in closing historic achievement gaps. Findings Students who were extremely poor had statistically significant lower average scores than students who were moderately poor on the Grade 3 STAAR Reading assessment. Both groups of students in poverty had lower reading scores than students who were not poor. Boys had statistically significantly lower average scores than girls in all reporting categories. Trends present across ethnic/racial groups were that Hispanic and Black students had statistically significantly lower average scores than Asian and White students and Black students had the statistically significant lowest average scores. Results were congruent with the existing literature regarding economic status, gender, and ethnicity/race as factors influencing literacy.Item Does parental involvement increase student achievement? How, why, and for whom?(2010-12) Haldeman, Jennifer L.; Osborne, Cynthia Anne, 1969-; King, ChristopherIncreasing the amount and quality of parental involvement as a means of increasing student achievement has been an important policy focus for the last half century, and is especially true today as the United States is faced with an increasingly diverse student body in its public school system. This report examines what parental involvement and student achievement are, the impact of parental involvement, which groups receive the most impact, and factors that affect parental involvement. The focus is the elementary school level, using literacy level as the primary means of student achievement. Of particular interest are schools with diverse student populations that tend to be linguistically diverse and are identified under the federal Title I program. Current research indicates a positive relationship between parental involvement and its effect on student achievement. The most important factor for quality parental involvement that results in improved student achievement is not the type of activity, but how interaction occurs and the intensity level. Parental involvement programs should provide targeted activities that are curriculum related and culturally sound; they must also have the capacity to be practically implemented in the increasingly busy lives of parents and students. While current studies do support this relationship, parental involvement operates within a complex web of interrelated contexts; further quantitative research using more experimental methods and controlled studies could provide results that would strengthen the evidence of using parental involvement as a policy or program choice for increasing student achievement. Policy recommendations are directed primarily at school teachers and administration. Those recommendations are to 1) ensure a welcoming environment through invitations by teachers and students; 2) increase parental self-efficacy; 3) develop extended family resources; 4) highlight the different avenues of parental involvement; 5) allow time for teachers to plan and develop relationships; and 6) ask the parents.Item The effects of L1 orthographic features and phonological awareness on Chinese speakers learning to read in English(2010-12) Moody, Joe William; Sardegna, Veronica G.; Schallert, DianeThis report focuses on language transference between alphabetic (English) and logographic, non-alphabetic (Chinese) languages, with respect to the importance of phonemic awareness in literacy acquisition. Within large ESL/EFL classrooms, language learners from all cultures are taught in the same way. Instruction rarely caters for specific problems directly associated with L1 transfer or the learner’s culture. The purpose of this report is not only to gain a better understanding of the differences in literacy acquisition between the two languages (English and Chinese), but also to assess the impact of this difference on Chinese children learning how to read in English. Research is examined that focuses on the role that phonemic awareness plays in the acquisition of English literacy and in the acquisition of Chinese literacy. The relationship between Chinese orthographic features and word recognition processing in English as a second language is explored as well as cross-language transfer of phonological awareness and its effect on English literacy acquisition. Pedagogical implications are also discussed on how to apply these findings to the classroom for instructors of English as a second language.Item The effects of morphological awareness training on reading : a systematic review(2011-05) Fink, Tamara Caryl; Sheng, Li, Ph. D.; Bedore, LisaThe results of 17 peer-reviewed studies utilizing morphological intervention were evaluated and compared in this meta-analysis. Participants included children from preschool to ninth-grade studying deep alphabetic, shallow alphabetic, or logographic (i.e., Chinese) orthographies. Cohen’s d was calculated to examine the effects of training on reading outcomes. Effects were analyzed according to child factors (ability level and age), intervention factors (agent, duration, frequency, setting, and group size), and orthographic factors. Additionally, effects were analyzed according to linguistic level (morphological, phonological, lexical, and supralexical) as well as group (experimental treatment group versus control group; experimental treatment group versus alternative treatment group) for the ability level, age, and orthography comparisons. Results indicate that (a) morphological training generally benefits students regardless of ability level and age; however, effectiveness varies per linguistic level, (b) with proper training and scaffolding, a variety of instructors can effectively implement morphological intervention, (c) the push-in school setting is generally the most effective setting, although gains were seen across all settings, (d) treatment was most effective when offered to individuals or large groups, (e) morphological intervention yield the greatest gains when lasting longer than one month, (f) it is effective for all types of orthographies.Item Enhancing reading comprehension in upper-elementary English language learners : a review(2012-05) Nowadly, AmandaJoe Sullivan; Peña, Elizabeth D.; Sheng, LiThe effects of comprehension-strategy based and decoding/fluency-based reading interventions on the reading comprehension skills of upper-elementary English language learners (ELLs) were evaluated in this review. Nine studies assessing the efficacy of ten interventions were systematically reviewed. Findings showed that comprehension strategy-based interventions were associated with positive gains in reading comprehension, while decoding and fluency-based interventions were not. Support was shown for direct instruction with guided and independent practice, large group discussions, and small-group student-led discussions. Support was also shown for the use of the following comprehension strategies: summarizing the text, identifying the main idea, making personal connections to the text, monitoring vocabulary comprehension, making predictions, asking questions, and visualizing.Item Exploring the Underlying Factor Structure of the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) in a Spanish Translation of the Familia Inventory(2014-06-02) Adame-Hernandez, CindyDifferences in children?s skills at the beginning of formal schooling have been reported, with Hispanic children, often performing below their Caucasian counterparts. The home literacy environment (HLE) has been reported to be the cause of the early differences, but the paucity of Spanish language instruments aimed at studying the HLE of Hispanic families has affected research in this important area. One available instrument is the Spanish version of the Familia Inventory, designed to assess family interactions related to literacy. Research has shown that the Spanish inventory is not equivalent to the original English version possibly due to an erroneous translation. The purpose of this study is to complete a psychometric examination of a re-translated Spanish language version of the Familia Inventory with a low-socioeconomic Spanish-speaking Hispanic sample using confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The inventory was administered to 132 parents of preschoolers. Results from CFA models revealed that the 10 a-priori subscales suggested by the developer of the inventory and a four-factor model suggested by a researcher did not yield adequate model fit with this sample. Follow-up analyses of individual subscales yielded poor fit for the majority of the subscales. Exploratory factor analysis using the original 57 items of the inventory suggested a five-factor model accounting for 43.3% of the variance. It is suggested that the inventory needs to be theoretically re-conceptualized.Item Four Korean bilingual children's out-of-school literacy practices in the United States(2012-05) Song, Kwangok; Worthy, Jo; Bomer, Randy; Maloch, Beth; Schallert, Diane; Wetzel, MelissaThe purpose of this study was to understand the nature of Korean bilingual children’s out-of-school literacy practices. Four Korean-English speaking bilingual children and their parents were participants in this qualitative multi-case study. The children were between seven and nine years old and attended public schools. The families lived in and around a large city in the Southwestern of the United States. In the city, there was a well-established Korean community. Data collection was conducted through multiple methods. The duration of the study was approximately four and a half months per child, staggered across eight months of data collection. Parents were interviewed twice regarding literacy activities with their child, the focal child’s experience of schooling, their perspectives of family’s language use, and their expectations for the child. Participant observation was also conducted at each child’s home to examine her/his literacy activities and interactions with family members. The children and parents were also informally interviewed throughout the data collection. Children’s writing, drawing, and crafts were collected. The children and family members were also invited to participate in a video project in which they video-recorded and took pictures of their activities for two months. Data were analyzed through constant comparative approach, activitysetting analyses, and grounded theory approach. The findings suggest that the focal children engaged in parent-guided literacy activities and self-chosen literacy activities. The parents provided extensive support for children’s academic achievement and learning to read and write in Korean. These activities were derived from parents’ experiences, beliefs, parenting practices familiar to Korean parents, and expectations for their children’s future. Children’s self-chosen literacy activities varied widely. The children drew on various resources from their social and cultural worlds to participate in an imaginative world and imagined future. Therefore, Korean bilingual children’s literacy activities situated in the current moment and space were always globally connected to other times and spaces.Item I have a father who reads to me : implications for early language and literacy development(2014-12) Joyner, Stacey Lynette; Brown, Christopher P., Ph. D.; Roser, NancyReading aloud to very young children has been described as one of the “most important activities for developing the knowledge required for eventual success in reading” (Bus, van IJzendoorn, & Pelligrini, 1995, p. 19), and it is equally as strong as phonemic awareness as a predictor of reading achievement (Bus et al.). In the dialogue around reading aloud to children, mothers are routinely envisioned as the actors. Indeed, much of the research on families and reading aloud centers on the mother’s role in this process (e.g., Ninio & Bruner, 1978; Phillips & McNaughton, 1990; Reese, Cox, Harte, & McAnally, 2003). Despite a gap in research around fathers’ roles in influencing their children’s general development (Cabrera, Shannon, & Tamis-LeMonda, 2007), some theorists indicate that fathers can play an important role in their linguistic, cognitive, and emotional development (Gadsden, Brooks, & Jackson, 1997; Nord, Brimhall, & West, 1997). An understanding of what fathers contribute to read alouds with texts written in English in general and an examination of how those contributions vary from father to father may enable teachers to recognize and address differences that exist in children’s pre-school experiences and how those differences may be manifested in classrooms. This, then, may prove beneficial to educators who work with families encompassing a variety of demographic and structural characteristics in their efforts to support literacy acquisition. The input provided by fathers in this study varies over a wide spectrum in terms of frequency and style; similarly, the invitations to think abstractly vary across multiple levels. In addition, the familiarity of the book being shared, both in terms of language and content, appears to exert a strong influence on the number of interactions and the invitations to think abstractly during read alouds. The implications of these findings suggest that we should challenge our assumptions regarding the economic and situational factors that result in the labeling of children as academically “at risk.” I outline actions for consideration by parents, educators, and stakeholders who are working with young children and their families to promote language and literacy development.Item L1 literacy in the ESL classroom : working with low-literate adult refugees(2014-05) Brumback, Martha Louise; Pulido, Diana C.Increased numbers of low educated adults lacking basic first language literacy skills are moving to the United States making literacy an important individual difference to consider in the field of second language acquisition and ESL instruction (Tarone, Bigelow, & Hansen, 2009; Young-Scholten, 2013). Many of the materials and instructional approaches typically used in ESL classes assume students are literate in their first languages which is increasingly not the case. These learners may be affected by difficult life experiences such as interrupted schooling resulting from long sojourns in refugee camps. Chapter one of this Report will give readers an introduction to some of these low-literate learners, focusing on the background of a specific group of Somali learners at Kakuma refugee camp. Chapters two and three review research on the development of literacy skills and the efficacy of various approaches to teaching basic literacy skills. Special attention is paid to how first language literacy skills might affect an individual's acquisition of L2 literacy. Chapter four examines a pilot ESL course which taught low-literate adult Somali refugees at Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya and suggests introducing basic first language literacy skills into the ESL course curriculum.Item Learning to write in (networked) public: children and the delivery of writing online(2014-12) Roach, Audra Katherine; Bomer, Randy; Hoffman, Jim; Maloch, Beth; Schallert, Diane; Hodgson, JustinThis investigation explored how three children (together with parents) developed networked publics that were diverse, well-connected, and powerful in the world. It was framed in response to calls in the field to better understand the new literacies young writers develop online and outside of school, and to increase literacy educators’ attention to the role of public audiences in writing and how writing is circulated. Performative case study methodology, ethnographic methods, and digital methods were employed to track and describe the online networks of three children (ages 11-13). These focal children were actively involved with their parents in social media, and had developed widespread networks with shared interests in children’s books and book reviews (Case 1), baseball (Case 2), and helping the homeless (Case 3). The children’s online networks were conceptualized as networked publics, drawing on Warner’s (2002) notion of publics as ongoing discursive relations among strangers, and on Actor-Network Theory’s notion of networks as assemblages of diverse interests that mobilize toward a common goal (Callon, 1986) and that develop stability in relation to ongoing circulations of texts (Latour, 1986; Spinuzzi, 2008). Research questions were framed broadly around the rhetorical canon of delivery [now digital delivery (Porter, 2009)], and were concerned with how writers distributed texts online, how those texts circulated, how the networked publics become more stable and powerful, and what instabilities children and parents had to negotiate in order to accomplish all of this. Data sources included interviews with 15 children and 28 adults, and fieldnotes observations of approximately 1,700 screen-captured webpages and other online artifacts. Findings showed that the young writers and their parents initiated and sustained networked publics through distribution practices that were oriented toward building trust; their texts displayed: interest, appreciation, reliability, service, credibility, and responsiveness. Both grassroots and commercial entities circulated texts in these networks, as they were sources of the ongoing renewal these different groups all needed in order to thrive. Sources of instability included conflicts over standards of writing quality, matters of profit, and the constancy of the demand to generate new interest and writing online. Children and their parents responded to these instabilities by welcoming and negotiating heterogeneous perspectives and partnerships. Implications of the study call for further research and teaching about the art of networked public discourse and digital delivery.Item Literacy and its discontents: modernist anxiety and the literacy fiction of Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, D. H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley(Texas A&M University, 2008-10-10) DuPlessis, Nicole MaraLiteracy theory, a multi-disciplinary, late-twentieth century endeavor, examines the acts of reading and writing as cognitive and social processes, seeking to define the relationship between reading and writing and other social and cognitive - especially linguistic - acts. As such, literacy theory intersects with discussions of public and individual education and reading habits that surface with the rise of the mass reading public. This dissertation analyzes scenes of reading and writing in the fiction of Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, D. H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley as implicit authorial discourses on the function of literacy, including properties of written language and the social consequences of literate acts. It argues that reading and writing form important thematic concerns in Modernist fiction, defines fiction that theorizes about reading and writing as "literacy fiction," and proposes fictional dramatizations of literate activity as subjects for literacy theory. Chapter I argues that early twentieth-century Britain is an important historical site for intellectual consideration of literacy because near-universal access to education across social classes influences an increase in middle and working class readers. Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway provides a test case for the analysis of scenes of reading because her democratic concern with education is well established in the scholarly literature. Chapter II argues that in "The Celestial Omnibus" and "Other Kingdom," Forster critiques use of literacy as cultural capital. Chapter III argues that Forster's A Room with a View and Howards End portray the dangers of naive reading and the difficulties of autodidacticism for the working class, respectively. Chapter IV argues that Lawrence's "Shades of Spring" and Sons and Lovers introduce the theoretically unexplored topic of literacy's influence on intimate relationships. Chapter V argues that Huxley's Brave New World responds to the Modernist discourse on literacy by addressing the restriction of individual literacy by the State and elite intellectuals. The conclusion summarizes Modernist representation of literacy, states the significance of the methodology and its further applications, and refines the definition of literacy fiction. Because Modernist writers scrutinize the relationship between external forces and the individual psyche, their anxiety-tinged portraits treat both cognitive and social functions of literate acts.