This integration of aesthetic inquiry with single-case study design utilized a nexus of select curriculum study projects of critical theory (Apple, 2001; Ellsworth, 1994; Giroux, 1985; Freire, 1970/2000) and Bakhtin’s (1968/1984) literary theory of carnival as theoretical lenses to explore the problem of decontextualized learning through a specific study of intertextual engagement in a particular homeschool setting. This study reviewed literature in critical theory, carnival, text, intertextuality, multimodality, and dialectics to examine intertextual connections in the literacy development of one child over 10 years.
Drawing upon the tradition of parent/researcher literacy studies, this study explored intertextual connections as they naturally emerged over time. By positioning this study within the growing body of research of out-of-school literacies, this 10-year exploration allowed contextualizing intertextual interactions to be examined in the student’s natural environment, evolving as an exploratory work in the “context of discovery” (Reichenbach, 1938).
Using the constant comparative method of analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), seven themes emerged: Intertextuality, Multimodality, Imitation, Questioning, Voice, Community, and Action. Further analysis of these emergent themes, using Eisner’s (1976, 1998, 2002, 2004) “educational connoisseurship and criticism,” identified specific gateways (Play, Dialogue, Time, and Spiritual/Democratic Work) through which these emergent findings passed, ultimately leading to dynamic outcomes (Robust Chain Reactions). This study was significant in that intertextual connections appeared to strengthen connections between child and society; as the student’s intertextual connections were valued in her educational environment, her efforts to value the life stories of those around her increased in tangible ways.