Cognitive Representation of Instructional Neglect of Advanced Readers

Abstract

This study centered on the participants’ experiences of instructional neglect in their ESL classes and their cognitive representations of the said phenomenon. Data were elicited by interviewing three Grade 7 students via online conferences brought by quarantine restrictions during the pandemic. Two classroom observations were also conducted prior the pandemic. Data were analyzed following Moustakas’ (1994) tradition. There were 18 codes identified. These codes were then thematized following reflexive thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006). It was revealed that the advanced readers’ cognitive representation of instructional neglect equals the inability to express ideas during classroom discussions shaped by their teachers’ lack of encouragement or peers’ assignment of pet names. It is recommended that curricular extensions such as providing enrichment activities and classroom interactions be made constructive to avoid suppressing the advanced readers’ potentials.