English Class or Speaking about Everything Class? Dialogue Journal Writing as a Critical EFL Literacy Practice in an Iranian High School

Abstract

This qualitative study, employing an ethnographic research method, investigates how dialogue journal writing, which allows teachers and learners to engage in ‘written conversation’, may provide an opportunity to bring critical pedagogy and foreign language education together in a productive way in the context of a critical literacy practice. The data consisted of informal written interviews and more than 600 journal entries written by 30 16-year-old high school students in Tehran. The results were qualitatively analysed in search of themes relevant to empowerment as a critical educational value and critical writing as a critical literacy practice. The study revealed that writing dialogue journals as a language education activity in EFL pedagogy may empower learners and provide them with opportunities to express their ‘voice’. It further revealed that dialogue journal writing led to gains in critical self-reflective EFL writing ability.