Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


osu1235164656.pdf (936.34 KB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Reading and writing in the middle school foreign language classroom: A case study of teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices of literacy-based instruction

Sukapdjo, Amye R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1235164656

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus).
The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of middle school foreign language teachers’ literacy-based instruction. It sought to additionally consider its findings with relation to the theory of emergent biliteracy (Malloy, 1998) for the middle school foreign language classroom. This theory positions middle school foreign language learners as developing second language readers and writers, whose formal foreign language literacy development is facilitated by certain instructional experiences. Prior to discussing foreign language classroom instruction, however, one must first consider the instructors and how their beliefs and knowledge will shape their praxis. A qualitative case study approach was used. Four experienced middle school foreign language teachers (one Spanish, three French) shared their histories and classrooms over the course of six months (October 2007-March 2008). Data included a questionnaire, interviews, monthly teacher activity logs, classroom observations, and a materials analysis. Triangulation and inductive data analysis led to a better understanding of the “what, how and why” (Shulman, 1986) of the literacy instruction choices of the participants. According to the data, middle school foreign language teachers see great value in the development of foreign language literacy (biliteracy) skills. Yet even experienced teachers may lack specific training in teaching foreign language reading and writing and may tend to justify their literacy instruction with stakeholders not research or pedagogical recommendations in mind. This may lead to a heavy reliance on the textbook, or on the individual’s past teaching or learning experiences instead. There are times when an individual’s beliefs, knowledge, and practices cannot be reconciled, so teachers do “what works” (Grossman, 1990) within their settings. As a result, while it seemed that some foreign language classroom reading and writing practices were influenced by the teacher’s beliefs and knowledge of biliteracy development, other practices were the result of other influences, including textbook and curriculum requirements, and academic calendars for grading and testing. The study includes pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research in the middle school foreign language context, and discusses the possibilities for the conceptualization and practice of emergent biliteracy instruction in this setting.
Keiko Samimy, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Anna Soter, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Alan Hirvela, PhD (Committee Member)
315 p.
Education
middle school; foreign language; biliteracy; literacy-based instruction; teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices; qualitative case study

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sukapdjo, A. R. (2009). Reading and writing in the middle school foreign language classroom: A case study of teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices of literacy-based instruction [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1235164656

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sukapdjo, Amye. Reading and writing in the middle school foreign language classroom: A case study of teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices of literacy-based instruction. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1235164656.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sukapdjo, Amye. "Reading and writing in the middle school foreign language classroom: A case study of teacher beliefs, knowledge, and practices of literacy-based instruction." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1235164656

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1235164656
1,654
© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.