SU Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/10732

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Literacy Identity and Experiences of College Students Diagnosed with Reading Disabilities
(2020-12-16) MacDonald, Katherine; Franzak, Judith; Kim, Koomi; Porter, Heather; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy; Doctoral Studies in Literacy
As an increasing number of students diagnosed with reading disabilities enter higher education, it is the task of university faculty, staff, and administrators to determine how to best support this diverse group. Understanding the unique literacy identity and experiences of these students can empower and engage educators in creating a more accessible and inclusive academic setting. This qualitative multiple case study explores the literacy identity of five college students diagnosed with reading disabilities and how experiences with Miscue Analysis (Goodman, Watson, & Burke, 2005) contributes to their literacy identity. According to this study, college students with reading disabilities develop complex literacy and disability identities in childhood influenced by their positive and negative experiences in the home and school settings. These experiences affect their beliefs about themselves as readers, learners, and individuals with disabilities into adulthood. However, these students can revalue their literacy identity through engagement with Miscue Analysis. Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) and Collaborative Retrospective Miscue Analysis (CRMA) provide the opportunity for these readers to learn about their meaning making processes and themselves as readers. CRMA provides an avenue for these students to connect with peers through their mutual experiences and develop confidence and agency. Other implications of this study include using a disability interpretive lens and social model of disability in the home and school settings to assist students with reading disabilities in developing a positive literacy identity and development of literacy centers in the college setting to support them in revaluing their literacy identity and learning more about their reading processes.
In-Service Secondary English Teachers' Exploration of Their Reading Identities and How These Identities Manifest Themselves in Their Teaching Practice
(2021-04-06) Sroka, Matthew; Franzak, Judith; Williamson, Thea; Siers, Ron; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This participatory action research study (Herr and Anderson, 2015) explored the reading lives, reading histories, reading identities and teaching practices of five in-service English teachers involved in a professional learning network (Trust, Krutka, and Carpenter, 2016) in order to deepen our understanding of the reading and teaching lives of these participants. I utilized purposive sampling (Salkin, 2012) in order to recruit English teachers who were interested in their reading lives and the reading lives of their students. Data included seven bi-weekly online group meetings, two individual semi-structured interviews with each participant (Brinkmann & Kvale, 2015), reading journals (Filetti, 2016), a discussion board (Ajayi, 2010), participant generated artifacts, and other teaching artifacts such as lesson plans, class worksheets, and syllabi. Findings reveal that English teachers (a) value and desire to read but personal reading lives tend to become de-prioritized by professional and personal responsibilities, (b) hold beliefs about reading and text selection that are at times in tension with classroom practice, (c) have reading lives that are shaped by current events, and (d) crave communities in which to discuss their reading lives and teaching lives.
The Literacies of Secondary Career and Technical Education Classrooms: A Case Study of the Delaware Pathways Program
(2021-05-07) Davis, Andrea; Franzak, Judith; Porter, Heather; Stutelberg, Erin; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
America’s public secondary educational system has long included vocational education in its curriculum (Castellano, Stringfield, & Stone, 2009; Kantor, 1986; Kantor & Lowe, 2004), but increasingly ties its markers of career and college readiness to the availability of Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, as research has shown relationships between success in high school CTE courses and income levels after graduation (Aliaga, Kotamraju, & Stone, 2014; Kantor & Lowe, 2004, Edgar, 1988; Carnevale, Rose, & Cheah, 2013). Understanding the academic and literacy requirements of these CTE classes is an important step toward student success. This qualitative case study (Stake, 2006) of the Delaware Pathways program identifies the literacies of the participating CTE classrooms, explores how these literacies are conceptualized by program administrators and program documents, and how they are enacted by CTE teachers in classroom settings. In this study, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders were interviewed about the literacies of the CTE classes included in the Delaware Pathways program. These interviews were coded and analyzed alongside federal, national, state, district, and building-level program documents guiding the program. Findings showed the primary types of literacy experiences occurring in these classrooms, the importance of literacy in the Delaware Pathways, the effects of the education and training of CTE teachers, the need for additional special education supports, and the continued challenges of equitable CTE education.
Exploring Diverse Elementary Students' Literacy Development in a Literacy Club
(2021-05) Leibu, Beth; Kim, Koomi; Wiencek, Joyce; Williamson, Thea; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This study explored diverse students’ literacy development in Grades 3–5 in a literacy club. It also served as a self-study to examine how I developed and facilitated this literacy club. This study focused on a group of diverse students engaged in a literacy club across two study phases. The first phase consisted of an after-school literacy club pre-COVID-19 and the second phase occurred in an online literacy club during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study suggest that diverse students benefited from co-creating the literacy events in the literacy club. Students developed their literacy through socioculturaly engaging literacy activities, which enabled them to have choice and ownership of their literacy events. Students learned from and through their peer collaboration and dialogic exchanges around culturally relevant topics to include social justice, racism, and inequity to promote their literacy development. Students benefited from opportunities to discuss their own cultural identities and use their rich socio-cultural and lived experiences to foster their literacy development. Additionally, findings suggest that these diverse students applied multimodal literacies as tools to further their literacy development. This study contributes to the current research related to literacy development, diverse students, culturally responsive pedagogy, and literacy practices in elementary schools.
The Co-Design of Inquiry-Based Writing Professional Learning
(2024-12) Palmer, Amy; Finch, Maida; Franzak, Judith; Waldron, Chad; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Writing professional learning is often overlooked amidst public-school system demands, which include scarce funding and competing state mandates and priorities (Tooley and Connally, 2016). In addition, writing teachers are often subject to professional learning experiences that are directed by others rather than being tailored to their own needs (Hicks et al., 2018). In this study, an elementary English Language Arts supervisor examined a different approach to professional learning that empowered teachers to design their own inquiry learning experiences in collaboration with their colleagues while also building their capacity as instructional leaders in the process. Grounded in inquiry learning (Dewey, 1938; Schön,1992) and community of practice (Wenger, 1998) theories, this study explored how pre-kindergarten through 5th grade elementary writing teachers in a small Mid-Atlantic US school district co-designed inquiry professional learning, and how their English Language Arts supervisor supported their teacher leadership in the process. Data collected included questionnaire responses, transcriptions of audio-recorded pre- and post-interviews and eight collaborative professional learning sessions, field notes, artifacts/documents from professional learning sessions, as well as researcher reflections and analytic memos. Study findings highlight opportunities for further inquiry-based professional learning about writing instruction and shifts to existing professional learning structures to empower and support teachers as professionals and as instructional leaders. Recommendations for future research include more research to provide insights on the role of curriculum supervisors in facilitating inquiry-based professional learning and to examine how schools can build capacity via teacher leaders.
Small Things, with Great Love: Creating Spaces for Kindergarten Writers and Teachers Through Collaborative Inquiry
(2024-12) Spivey, Jennifer; Franzak, Judith; Porter, Heather; Kim, Koomi; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
The aim of this research was to create spaces for kindergarten writers by collaborating with kindergarten teachers through action research cycles. The inquiry’s problem of practice is situated in the understanding that writing instruction within kindergarten classrooms is being sidelined due to a drive to teach in ways aligned to a sub-skills model of reading, an erasure of play, a lack of professional development in early writing instruction, and an over-reliance on scripted curriculum which dictates how and what we must teach. As it stands, a reductionist view of literacy is creating a reductionist practice of writing in kindergarten classrooms. This action research project fostered teachers’ emergent writing pedagogy through a series of collaborative meetings and action steps. Through the collection and analysis of artifacts, documents, photographs, collaborative meeting transcripts, and a series of observations and semi-structured interviews, this study found (1) acknowledging our limitations leads to possibility, (2) centering our students and our own work helps us to reclaim our joy, and (3) developing teachers’ writing pedagogy is similar to the emergent nature of young writers.
Understanding Faculty Multimodal Literacy Practices: A Case Study of Two Postsecondary Classrooms
(2024-11) Cristea, Haley; Porter, Heather; Kim, Koomi; Meyer, Amber; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Multimodality is a growing pedagogical strategy for both in-person and online instruction that arose from instructional practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case study explored how faculty in two undergraduate postsecondary classrooms leveraged their multimodal literacies to provide learning opportunities across both in-person and online classroom spaces. In addition, this study explored how university students embedded in their classroom contexts perceived the multimodal instruction of these faculty in both in-person and online spaces. Findings from this study revealed the pedagogical grounding that influences faculty’s multimodal practices, as well as how faculty leveraged modes in varied and complex ways to support student meaning making during structured in-person learning environments. Additionally, faculty participants demonstrated different levels of transduction and transmediation techniques as they shifted semiotic and modal uses into the online course space. Implications from this study surface the need to focus professional development opportunities on the impact of multimodal literacy practices on students meaning making opportunities for in-person and online course instruction.
Understanding Adolescent Male Students' Reader Identities and Engagement in Reading Intervention Class
(2024-12) Remington, Gabrielle; Kim, Koomi; Franzak, Judith; Finch, Maida; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This action research case study examined how adolescent male readers in reading intervention classes experienced and identified themselves as readers. Additionally, this case study was a self-study in that explored how I, a reading specialist, fostered student reading engagement and reader identity development. This study explored the research questions: (1) How do adolescent male students in reading intervention classes experience and identify themselves as readers? (2) How can I, as a reading specialist, foster student reading engagement and identity development? This research occurred in my classroom, a middle school reading intervention class with eight adolescent male students. I gathered multiple data sources and identified the following themes: (1) a co-constructed literacy learning space fosters student reading engagement and identity development, (2) literacy learning experiences impact student reader identity and engagement, and (3) text matters to support student reading engagement. The implications of this study can encourage teachers to adopt instructional strategies and measures to support striving secondary readers’ literacy growth, as well as their own professional advancement.
Building Culturally Responsive Literacy Teachers: How I, As an Elementary Principal, Used Inquiry Groups to Support Teachers
(2024-12) Gibson, Kirstin; Finch, Maida; Porter, Heather; Andes, Jon; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Schools are becoming increasingly diverse; yet, most elementary teachers are White, middle-class females (NCES, 2021; Urrieta, 2009). Principals are charged with support all students’ literacy instruction, not just those whose cultural background aligns with school leaders and teaching staff. In this study, an elementary principal designed a collaborative inquiry group of second through fifth grade teachers to explore ways of supporting culturally diverse students’ literacy instruction. The research questions driving this study were: (1) How does participation in an inquiry group influence elementary teachers’ knowledge of culturally responsive teaching and literacy instruction? (2) How does leading an inquiry group change my understanding of facilitating professional development? Grounded in sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978) and Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998), teachers in this study co-constructed knowledge of culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2018) and collaboratively planned three culturally responsive literacy lessons. Data collected included three semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded inquiry group sessions, lesson reflection, artifacts, and a researcher notebook. Findings from this study illuminate the importance of culturally responsive literacy teachers building trusting relationships with students, valuing students’ cultural identities, fostering opportunities for collaboration, and dedicating time for students to make connections between literacy texts and their lived experiences. Findings also show I, as the practitioner researcher, learned the importance of building relationships with and among teachers, devoting time for collaborative planning, self-reflection, and being responsive to teachers’ interests when facilitating inquiry groups. Limitations from this study include the duration and focus on one of CRT’s two pathways. Implications are divided into two categories: literacy instruction and professional development. They include ways to incorporate CRT in literacy classrooms as well as ideas for using inquiry groups to facilitate PD. Researchers can further this work by increasing the duration of inquiry groups, affording ample time for teachers to learn both CRT pathways and collaboratively plan culturally responsive literacy lessons.
For the Love of Drama: A Literacy Coach’s Collaboration and Implementation of Drama-Based Pedagogies in the High School ELA Classroom
(2024) Taylor, Chelsea; Finch, Maida; Franzak, Judith; Malone, Ruth; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Secondary ELA teachers use a variety of methods to engage, motivate, and teach their students literacy. Some methods include an emphasis on arts integration. One method of arts integration that has not been studied often in high school is the use of drama-based pedagogies (DBP). DBP are an innovative avenue to improving meaning-making and other literacy practices. Furthermore, research-based strategies are needed to support creative student learning in a time of standardized testing and required curriculum. This study examined how a literacy coach collaborated with a teacher to implement drama-based pedagogies in the ELA classroom with a focus on the teacher and student perspectives concerning how these strategies impact student meaning making and literacy learning. To explore these perspectives, one high school ELA teacher from Gilmore High School implemented DBP with the coach in two of her 11th grade ELA classes. The teacher and coach met weekly to plan lessons implementing DBP. Observations occurred once per week in each class when the teacher implemented the strategies alongside the coach. Interviews were conducted with both the teacher and 12 focal student participants. Data analysis incorporated Process and In Vivo coding in NVivo. Findings of this research suggest the collaboration of a coach and teacher was influential for implementing DBP and validated the teacher’s beliefs about student meaning making through drama. In addition, the research highlights students’ beliefs about DBP helping their understanding of literature and allowing them to experience and embody the text to make meaning of it. The implications of this research include a call for high school practitioners to explore and use DBP to support student meaning making and understanding of literature, as well as stresses the importance of a supportive collaboration between a teacher and coach in implementing DBP.
Literacy Development and Experiences of Third- and Fourth-grade Students Receiving Tier 2 Reading Intervention Services
(2024) Osborne, Jennifer; Kim, Koomi; Porter, Heather; Wiencek, Joyce; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the experiences and literacy development of elementary students receiving Tier 2 reading intervention services. Specifically, this qualitative case study explored the questions of: (a) In what ways are third- and fourth-grade students who are receiving Tier 2 reading intervention experiencing their literacy development across the general education classroom and intervention classroom? (b) How are special education teachers, general education teachers, and the reading intervention teacher instructing to meet the needs of students receiving Tier 2 reading intervention? and (c) In what ways does miscue analysis inform how students who are receiving Tier 2 reading intervention are transacting with various texts? Using observations, interviews, readings with aided and unaided retellings, as well as artifacts, three themes emerged. These themes were that (a) student literacy development varies based on learning context; (b) students transact with texts differently as informed by miscue analysis; and (c) teachers navigate the curriculum using multiple approaches. Based on these findings, this study suggests teachers use multiple text types to formatively assess their students’ literacy development. This study encourages teachers to differentiate their instruction to help bridge a scripted curriculum to their students’ needs. Finally, the findings suggest that teachers provide the opportunity for students to read books that interest them whenever possible.
Finding Our Amandas: A YPAR Study on Black Girl’s Multimodal Literacy and Identity
(2024) Waters, Annette; Williamson, Thea; Meyer, Amber; Henry, Laurie; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Research suggests that Black female students need safe spaces where they can share their feelings on race, gender, and self-concept without judgement (Muhammed,2012; Muhammad & Behizadeh, 2015). Black girls continue to use writing and other forms of literacy to challenge negative images, stereotypes, and the brutality they face in society and in schools (Griffin, 2020). However, research shows that the opportunities of Black girls to freely engage in literacy and identity exploration is limited (Dennis et al., 2021; Muhammad, 2012, 2015). This research seeks to understand how young Black girls explore their multilayered identities through multi-modal literacy. I explore components of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and components of Black feminist thought in this case study to answer the following research questions: 1. How do Black girls in a diverse after school program articulate their literacy and identity through multimodal artifact creation and artist statements? 2. How do the girls use a community exhibition of their artifacts and statements as acts of counter storytelling about their literacy and identity? This study focuses on Black female participants in an elementary afterschool program facilitated by me and my high school co-researchers. After creating a digital vision board of their interests and hopes for the future, curriculum lessons are tailored to those interests. Research concluded with a community exhibition of the girls’ artifacts to challenge the perceptions of Black girlhood. Analysis of the data indicates that the girls illuminated the tenets of Black feminist thought as they engaged with one another and composed multimodal artifacts. The girls’ artist statements and the community exhibition served as opportunities for the girls to present counter-narratives of Black girlhood. The young ladies in this study used literacy counter predetermined ideas of Black girlhood and create artifacts that were authentic to their Black girl identity. I will also show how dialogue is not only its own finding, but it is interwoven throughout the other findings to share knowledge, demonstrate ethics of caring and personal accountability. The study concludes that teachers and schools need to find opportunities for Black girls to explore and examine their identities in spaces that are void of judgment and criticism. Researchers who conduct YPAR studies need to be diligent in managing power structures by creating relationships with youth researchers and work to build their capacity as researchers.
An Exploration of U.S. School Librarians' Beliefs About and Implementation of Culturally Responsive Literacy Teaching
(2024) Davis-Slade, Rebekah; Finch, Maida; Porter, Heather; Fox, James; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
Public-school student enrollment is ever changing. Therefore, school librarians must adapt their instructional practices to meet the needs of culturally diverse student populations. This study employed a survey to explore U.S. school librarians’ beliefs about culturally responsive teaching (CRT), as well as the CRT practices used within their learning environments. Therefore, my research questions were: 1.) What do U.S. school librarians believe about culturally responsive teaching? 2.) In what ways do U.S. school librarians learn about culturally responsive teaching? 3.) What culturally responsive teaching practices are most frequently used by U.S. school librarians? 4.) Is there a relationship between what U.S. school librarians believe about culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and the frequency of implementation? 5.) How do U.S. school librarians implement culturally responsive literacy instruction in their school? 6.) What barriers do U.S. school librarians see for implementing culturally responsive literacy instruction in their library media center? The 159 U.S. school librarians were recruited through the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) ALA Connect forums and Facebook groups for school librarians. The structured survey instrument collected close-ended and two open-ended responses. The close-ended survey responses underwent descriptive and inferential data analysis. In addition to quantitative measures, the open-ended responses were analyzed qualitatively. The results suggest the participants endorsed the belief that culturally responsive school librarians challenge the everyday ways of knowing, promote social justice, validate diverse populations and learning styles, connect home and school knowledge, and maintain high academic expectations. While it can be assumed that a higher level of endorsement for these CRT tenets will be reflected in more frequent implementation, this was not always the case. Open-ended responses illuminated factors standing in the way of school librarians implementing culturally responsive literacy instructional practices, such as limited training, funding, and access to information about families and student home lives. The findings from this dissertation add to the growing body of empirical research focused on culturally responsive teaching within the context of school librarians and their role in literacy instruction.
Women's Creative Writing: Praxis, Activism, and the Aesthetic
(2024) McElroy, Honor; Porter, Heather; Henry, Laurie; Towle, Beth; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
In response to the systemic physical, economic, and political subjugation that women face, this qualitative study, grounded in feminist methodologies (Sprague, 2016), documented how six women, living in a Mid-Atlantic region, used their creative writing as tool to engage in the process of praxis which includes critical awareness, critical action, and reflection (Jemal, 2017). In addition, the study examined how women leveraged aesthetic and critical dimensions in the activist texts (Kynard, 2011) that resulted from praxis. Findings documented that the reflection central to praxis manifested as a reflective stance guiding the articulation of critical awareness and critical action. Creative writing was a powerful tool that facilitated the process of praxis. The aesthetic, the critical, and the imagined reader were integral components of participants’ decision making when sharing their work as a means of critical action. In addition, participants leveraged the aesthetic and the critical as they composed activist texts by using craft techniques to build counter stories, to witness intersectional experiences of oppression, and to de-pathologizing societal stereotypes and prejudices regarding gender, mental health, rurality, sexuality, and race. The implications include the need for more research regarding how women use literacy in their everyday lives to engage in praxis, the process and theories related to praxis, and community support of praxis. Implications also include providing curricular access to creative writing, considerations for critical literacy, and future feminist research.
Understanding the English Literacy Development of Linguistically Diverse Middle School Readers Using Collaborative Retrospective Miscue Analysis
(2023-09) Patricia E. Rainer; Koomi Kim; Heather Porter; Amber Meyer; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This qualitative, single case study of linguistically diverse sixth-grade students to understand how these students explored and experienced their English literacy development (ELD) by using Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) and Collaborative Retrospective Miscue Analysis (CRMA). In addition, the study explored the roles that families and teachers played in readers’ ELD. Eight student participants were chosen using purposive sampling to participate in the study. Four teacher participants and five adult family members of the student participants also volunteered to participate in the study. Multiple data were collected using student, family member, and teacher interviews; oral readings, aided and unaided retellings; RMA and CRMA sessions; and classroom observations. Additionally, two student participants participated in an eye movement miscue analysis session and follow-up discussion. The findings revealed how linguistically diverse sixth-grade readers understand their experiences and perceive themselves as diverse readers, their co-construction of knowledge, and their ELD. Findings also illustrated the multiple roles the students’ families and teachers play in the development of their ELD. Implications of the study include the benefits of using RMA and CRMA with secondary linguistically diverse readers, the complexities that teachers face in supporting linguistically diverse readers, and the inclusion of families and their home literacy practices in learning spaces.
Utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) and Introducing OER-Enabled Pedagogies (OEP) in a First-Year Composition Classroom at a Historically Black College or University
(2023-08) Mari-jo Ulbricht; Judith Franzak; Heather Porter; Laurie Henry; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
In the context of a first-year composition course at an HBCU, I explored the potential of Open Educational Resources (OER) and OER-Enabled Pedagogy (OEP) to better understand how the resources and the pedagogical practices surrounding their use might innovate teaching and learning. In this study conducted with 14 participants from online, hybrid, and face-to-face sections of the course, I obtained their perspectives on innovations made possible by OER/OEP. Using a qualitative action research approach, I collected data through syllabi analysis, interviews, digital artifacts, discussion posts, coding memos, and journals. Analysis of the data found that OER/OEP: • highlights the social nature of writing, signifying the value of students’ active engagement within a diverse and supportive community of peers; • promotes culturally responsive pedagogy by actively motivating and challenging students through a culturally relevant curriculum that addresses social justice issues; • supports the writing process by scaffolding with customizable materials and hands-on practice, including interactive multimodal activities, to build confidence; • opens possibilities for a student-centered experience by providing accessible materials, differentiating learning, and empowering students with agency as they engage in co-creating and producing knowledge through alternative assessments. The findings revealed that incorporating OER/OEP is a compelling approach that innovates teaching and learning in the first-year composition course at an HBCU. The study demonstrates the transformative potential of OER/OEP and suggests further research to fully leverage this innovative pedagogical approach.
Social Media in Middle School Literacy Instruction
(2023-05) Wivell, Rebecca; Finch, Maida; Sessoms, Diallo; Williamson, Thea; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This qualitative case study took place in an 8th-grade classroom and was considered practitioner research which explored an innovative approach to writing instruction utilizing a social media platform. Participants included six, 8th-grade students who were all students in a writing class and helped to seek the answers to the following questions: (a) how do middle school students use Twiducate for academic writing in the classroom?; (b) what is my role as the teacher related to writing instruction using Twiducate?; (c) how do middle school students collaborate and give peer feedback for writing purposes? Formative data analysis was used throughout this study and I used coding to find patterns in my data and develop themes. This study shows how students used social media to write and collaborate and what the teacher’s roles are during those events. Findings include the teacher transitions between four roles: discussion facilitator, feedback coach, writing teacher, and supporter to improve student writing. Students used Twiducate to engage in the writing process and created a class developed artifact to refer to for learning, while collaborating and giving peer feedback throughout the process. Twiducate empowered students to be independent writers and built a community of learners invested in each other’s writing. Findings extend knowledge about middle school writing and ways to integrate social media into classroom settings, while engaging students.
Building Bridges: Making Space to Connect Identities in a Newcomer Multilingual Classroom with Writing
(2023-05) Espíndola Peixoto, Sinélia; Henry, Laurie; Bugdal, Melissa; Franzak, Judith; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
The purpose of this dissertation was to explore ways for multilingual students to draw on their background knowledge and culture during writing instruction. In addition, I wanted to investigate how newcomer multilingual students (Canagarajah, 2013) understood and assessed their writing, the relationship between students’ self-assessments, their writing identities, as well as their understanding of who a writer was. Multiple linguistic repertoires (Garcia, 2009) and writing (Casanave, 2002; 2003) are effective and beneficial resources to empower multilingual students. This practitioner research (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009) using case study methods (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2018) in a literacy support class helped me, the teacher and researcher, evaluate my own teaching, and explore the writing identities of the whole class (16 participants total), with four focal participants who were sixth grade newcomer multilingual students. The research questions helped me investigate ways to accommodate students’ needs as writers, explore varied assessments, and discover the relationship between self-assessments (Andrade, 2019), writing identities and students’ understanding of writers. The qualitative study data included interviews, writing samples and conferences about those samples, portfolio review conferences, teacher generated artifacts and reflections, as well as students’ self-assessments and classroom audio recordings. Findings from the study showed that by accommodating students’ needs as writers in a space that allowed the fluidity of languages and use of multimodalities (McCarthey & Garcia, 2005; Pacheco & Smith, 2015) most students felt motivated to write, and believed they were learning writing in English. Conferences and self-assessments helped multilinguals learn about themselves as writers in diversified ways, expressing their understanding of their writing, and of their writing identities as complex and seeing growth as writers (Skerrett, 2013). Students became more aware of their needs as writers, tried different ways of helping themselves when facing challenges, and understood writing could be improved with revisions.
Getting Those Stories Told; Utilizing Social, Community and Artifactual Literacies to Share Local Black Historical Stories
(2022-12) Reid, Melissa; Franzak, Judith; Kim, Koomi; Porter, Heather; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This participatory action research documented ways that historical stories of the Black community were shared in the larger Berlin, MD. community. This act of community literacy was grounded in the belief that literary encompasses many more practices than just reading and writing. These literacy practices are social practices, intertwined with people’s cultural identity, sense of themselves and their world view and knowledge. The group tasked with sharing these stories was made up of Black community elders, along with museum staff and volunteers of the Taylor House Museum, myself included. With the knowledge that dialogue is key to expanding literacy practices, we worked collaboratively to create exhibits in the museum as well as sharing stories in other locations that the participants deemed appropriate. Data collected included meeting minutes, individual interviews transcripts with committee members as well as museum and event visitors. Multimodal data included artifacts, images, and video from the exhibits and events, as well as photographs taken by participants documenting their favorite parts of exhibits and events where the stories were told. Analysis of the data found that participants made meaning with artifacts and narratives by collectively discussing ownership of artifacts and information. They had gifts that they were willing to share with the group in the collaborative actions of sharing local Black historical stories. Participants had connecting networks they utilized to design museum exhibits, and they sought a variety of opportunities to ensure on-going access to local Black historical stories.
Exploring the Experiences and Japanese Foreign Language and Literacy Development of University Students in the U.S.
(2022-11) Cooper, Sean; Kim, Koomi; Porter, Heather; Williamson, Thea; Doctoral Studies in Literacy; Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy
This qualitative study of a U.S. postsecondary institution’s Japanese language program sought to comprehend in detail the ways by which university students develop and experience Japanese language and literacy. Utilizing the lens of Sociocultural Theory, three contexts within the single case study were examined in the form of three differently-leveled Japanese classes in the Japanese program. The participation of twelve focus students allowed for exploration of the research question and sub-question: how do university students studying Japanese as a foreign language in the United States learn and experience Japanese language and literacy, and how do these students’ perceptions and interpretations of their Japanese language learning experience contribute to the shaping of their identities? The findings of this study revealed that students underwent a variety of processes while taking a Japanese course: Students relied on experiences with in-class learning through interactions with the instructor and their peers. They used sociocultural resources available to them both inside and outside of class to create opportunities to engage in Japanese learning through multimodal means. Students also brought their own experiences and perceptions in to their learning, with language backgrounds, relationships, and emotion playing a role in their Japanese language and literacy development. This study also illuminated that some students made attempts to integrate aspects of Japanese into their own identity as Japanese language learners. Findings inform instructors of Japanese and other Less Commonly Taught Languages of ways to improve sociocultural language and literacy development.

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