AP English Research Articles

An ouroboros of oppression: The self-perpetuating, inequitable high school outcomes of middle school tracking

This study investigated the impact middle school tracking has on outcomes in high school and the factors associated with those outcomes. Utilizing data from a large, diverse school district, this quantitative study investigated the relationships between middle school and high school English course enrollment among 4,503 middle school students. The conceptual framework of the Ouroboros, combining the theories of Lucas’s effectively maintained inequality (EMI) and Merton’s self-fulfilling prophecy (SFP), was used to examine and challenge the status quo of educational tracking systems. We identified three major findings from the study. First, chi-square analysis indicated a statistically significant difference between enrollment rates in accelerated or AP English courses between students who came from tracked and detracked middle school English programs. Second, logistic regression models indicated socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, GATE-identification, gender, and eighth-grade English course enrollment were significant predictors of student enrollment in an accelerated or AP English class in high school. Third, chi-square analysis indicated that there was a significant association between a student’s eighth-grade English course label and their high school English course enrollment choices. Findings of this study suggest that detracking English classes at the middle school level represents an important stride forward in closing gaps in education.

Exploring AP English Students’ Experience with the Open World Simulation of Henry David Thoreau’s Experiment

Technological advancements continue to present a variety of learning opportunities for students. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study is to seek an understanding about students’ experiences with a virtual reality (VR) activity in an Advanced Placement English course. Analyzing the observations and interactions the participants undergo with VR informs the story of their journey with the technology. Additionally, their immersion in the VR environment emphasizes active learning and experiential learning theoretical concepts. The benefits of this study may help educators understand students’ interpretations of VR and ways in which they engage with interactive digital activities.

Teaching with Comics for the First Time

This research project examines the literacy practices that developed and were implemented around the comics medium when two secondary teachers (one AP Science and one AP English) used graphic novels for the first time in their classroom instruction. Drawing from the view of literacy as a social practice, the researchers used ethnographic methods to examine the two case study classrooms. Using constant comparative analysis and interpretive analysis, the researchers identified six literacy practices the teachers used to teach with and about the graphic novels including Q&A, lecture, answering multiple choice questions, reading out loud, writing about comics, and drawing comics.

The Ever After Life of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales by Martha Ann Brueggeman

Reviewed by: The Ever After Life of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales by Martha Ann Brueggeman John E. Priegnitz II (bio) The Ever After Life of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. By Martha Ann Brueggeman, Book Baby, 2020, 264 pp. Martha Ann Brueggeman's The Ever After Life of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales is a labor of love, and it shows. The book is written in such a way that it is accessible to a casual reader while also doubling as a textbook for a variety of courses. The Ever After Life is difficult to fit into a singular category. Is the book a study on literature? Art history? Children's literature? Cultural studies? The answer is yes, and more. However, this by no means diminishes the quality or importance of the work. Unlike a Cheesecake Factory menu where the diner is left confused and lost, Brueggeman's book is firmly grounded on a singular subject. The Brothers Grimm have after all infiltrated nearly every aspect of artistic expression known to Western society and beyond. Therefore, it stands to reason that Brueggeman felt it was important to succinctly make the case that the Brothers Grimm fairy tales remain relevant and pervasive in the twenty-first century in 264 pages. Interestingly, Brueggeman's background is in education, not folklore or literary studies. This furthers the case that the Brothers Grimm fairy tales do not neatly fit within a singular category. This book is no different, and while it is not a "scholarly study" of the Grimms, it will make an excellent classroom companion. Divided into ten chapters, The Ever After Life spans a variety of topics from literature studies, art, and history to postmodernism. The book becomes a versatile textbook that may be used within a variety of classrooms. It will be of interest to high school teachers for use in their junior and senior creative writing, humanities, and/or AP English classes. It could also be used in a college setting. As a folklorist, I can see myself using this book in either an introduction to folklore studies and/or a folk narrative course for undergraduates, as it has a useful catalog of translations and variations of Grimms tales and makes a compelling case that these stories remain relevant today. My favorite chapter was 2, "Anthologies New and Old." Brueggeman has provided the reader and researcher a useful list of anthologies and translations of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. This list may be used to supplement not only the content of the book by providing clearer context, but it will also make the curriculum more robust if it is being taught inside the classroom. [End Page 343] While the book is conveniently divided into ten chapters for easier consumption of the material, Brueggeman concludes each chapter with a summary as well as a short paragraph detailing her personal favorites on what the chapter had covered. It is a quirky personal touch that I have not seen in other books. However, the "Favorites" section caused me as the reader to pause and think about what my favorite takeaway was from the chapter that I read. Brueggeman including her favorites at the end of each chapter acts as a meditative device causing the reader to think about what they liked best, and why. This also can be used as a classroom tool for educators looking for a creative and meaningful writing prompt to assign their students. I would not be doing The Ever After Life justice if I do not discuss the beautiful artwork found within it. The book has full color illustrations throughout, which is excellent for the reader to better conceptualize the subject being read. Each chapter also begins with a unique contemporary illustration by Nathan Ruff that is Brothers Grimm themed and tied to the overall theme of the chapter. Brueggeman encourages the reader to take the time to read the explanation of each design on the following page. Much like how the "Favorites" section can be used as a meditative device and/or a launchpad for a writing prompt, the same can and should be done with the Nathan Ruff illustrations. They are enchanting. At the heart...

The Crucible

Book Review| April 10 2020 The Crucible The Crucible. Bedlam Theatre Company with Nora Theatre Company, Central Square Theatre, Boston, MA. 12September–12October2019. Directed by Tucker, Eric. The Arthur Miller Journal (2020) 15 (1): 60–71. https://doi.org/10.5325/arthmillj.15.1.0060 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation The Crucible. The Arthur Miller Journal 10 April 2020; 15 (1): 60–71. doi: https://doi.org/10.5325/arthmillj.15.1.0060 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectivePenn State University PressThe Arthur Miller Journal Search Advanced Search The following symposium was conducted by Lenke Wood's AP English class at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, after attending a performance on 2 October 2019.[Editor's Note: Given the frequency with which Miller's The Crucible is taught in high school classrooms, it was a delightful experience to receive this selection of responses to a live production of the play (as opposed to the students just reading the text) by this evidently insightful group of teens. While the accessibility and immediacy of Eric Tucker's engaging production clearly made an impression on all, it is interesting how far their thoughts spin out from what they witnessed. Many felt almost a part of the production, drawn in and able to make clear connections to the present day; several even reevaluate their own responsibility to get engaged in a way that would have made Miller proud. Collectively they consider... Issue Section: Symposium on The Crucible You do not currently have access to this content.

�My ACT Score Did Not Let Me Take AP English as Dual Credit�: A Survey on High School Experiences of Basic Writers

�My ACT Score Did Not Let Me Take AP English as Dual Credit�: A Survey on High School Experiences of Basic Writers

Performative Youth: The Literacy Possibilities of De-essentializing Adolescence

What might happen if teachers instruct youth directly about historically situated views of adolescence? This 10-week qualitative study examines what happened when a Black Jamaican English teacher instructed Black and Latino seniors in AP English about adolescence as a construct and guided them to apply this sociocultural lens of youth to texts in English class and to their lives. Using scholarship based in critical youth studies and Butler’s theory of performativity, this study shows the effects of giving students access to alternative discourses about adolescence. This study contributes to scholarship focused on centralizing youths’ interests in literature curriculum, for the purposes of increased literacy engagement.

Classics in Their Own “Words”: Analytical Remixes in a Land of Essays

AbstractThe author shares his experience in effecting change in an AP English Literature and Composition course by employing book trailers as an assessment. Using multimodal responses fostered a shared classroom space that combined the students’ preferred, everyday communicative modes with the canonical literature study required by the curriculum. This inclusive space proved valuable in helping a diverse group of students produce competent literary analyses and in scaffolding their comfort and efficacy with the language of literature study.

Openings

Openings

Home Was New Orleans. But They Said Home Was Gone

My cousin had just been enrolled at Sci Academy Charter School and I agreed to go on the tour with him. Students have to walk on the line. Students can’t make noise in the hallway. Students can’t do this, students can’t do that. I wanted a good education, but not at the price of having to be a prisoner. There was a long list of what would end up with suspensions. Chewing gum, having a phone, being late to class, simple things. A friend from Moton had enrolled in Sci. The teachers were white and not interested in Black problems in New Orleans. They couldn’t relate or understand some of the issues she had in her family. Actually, it was apparent they didn’t want to. I decided to stay at McMain. My new best friend, Wesley, had told me about this AP English class, which had a program attached to it, Students at the Center. “She want to take the class.” As simple as that, I was in the class. I was learning about everything. My education felt valuable again. I was doing college courses and always had work to do. I also got my confidence back. I also was given a platform that made me feel my feelings were legitimate. I found out I wasn’t the only one complaining about the education system. I started learning about what was really going down in New Orleans. I started learning the truth behind charter schools.

Increasing Access to and Success in Advanced Placement English in Pittsburgh Public Schools

This piece describes how an urban school district detracked its AP English program and diversified student enrollment, and how one AP English teacher expanded his instructional strategies to meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse learners.

The Relationship of High School Student Motivation and Comments in Online Discussion Forums

Online discussion forums are common features in many educational settings. Whether in face-to-face classrooms, in hybrid settings, or in fully online courses, students typically are required to post discussions about course content and are sometimes instructed to comment or reply to one another's discussion posts. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationships between students' commenting activities and motivation to learn. Specifically, this study examined the relationship between the quantity and perceived quality of students' online comments and the following motivational factors: sense of relatedness, perceived competence, interest–enjoyment, and value–usefulness. Participants for this study were seventy 12th-grade students enrolled in three intact sections of an AP English and Composition class taught at a private high school in the Western United States. The discussion posts and comments were composed on http://youthvoices.net . This study found that while the quantity of comments received was related to two motivational factors, the quality of the comments received was related to all four motivational factors measured. Furthermore, the findings presented here identify the traits of comments that students found most valuable. Results from this study may help inform efforts to guide instructors interested in better structuring discussions in online learning communities that enhance students' motivation to learn.

AP Gatekeeping: Exploring the Myths of Using YAL in an AP English Classroom - The Research Connection

Scholarly Communication is a dynamic landscape, and we are continually evolving. Many scholarly communications activities have spun-off into their own departments, such as VT Publishing and Digital Imaging and Preservation Services, and Digital Library Development. Our focus is on supporting the creation and dissemination of scholarship.

Coming To Craft and Coming Of Age: Teaching Advanced Placement English In The Classroom-Workshop

This article explores the lived experiences of Advanced Placement English teachers in public high school, as the author addresses the question: "What is it like to teach Advanced Placement English while caught in the tension between teaching and testing?" The phenomenological text constructed from conversations and written reflections with six Advanced Placement teachers brings forth aspects of the experience of dwelling aright in the Zone of Between in AP English teaching: between teaching and testing, high school and college, and childhood and adulthood. The teachers use the exam as a foundation for courage and encouragement, confidence and passion building, and creative ways-of-being with students. The study suggests a need for Advanced Placement teachers to participate in the development of curriculum, to retain the autonomy to teach from the self, and to be trusted to provide students with meaningful experiences in the art and craft of literature study. The article also reveals the importance of widening the narrow definition of student achievement to include more than test scores.

Bringing the World to School: Integrating News and Media Literacy in Elementary Classrooms

This qualitative study explores how adolescent high school students in an AP English class used multiple forms of media (the Internet, digital video, slide show software, video editing tools, literary texts, and writing) to respond to and analyze a contemporary novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Using a multimodal analysis framework, the author explores the following question: How are students’ multimodal retellings with literary devices mediated by the text, the choice of compositional tool, and the use of different modes? The findings of this study can be used to shape our understanding of adolescents’ multimodal composition practices in academic settings.

“Similar Literary Quality”: Demystifying the AP English Literature and Composition Open Question

“Similar Literary Quality”: Demystifying the AP English Literature and Composition Open Question

Uniting the Spheres: Modern Feminist Theory and Classic Texts in AP English

High school teachers Simao J. A. Drew and Brenda G. Bosnic help familiarize students with gender role analysis and feminist theory. Students examine classic literature and contemporary texts, considering characters’ historical, literary, and social contexts while expanding their understanding of how patterns of identity and gender norms exist and are perpetuated in current contexts.

The Unrecognized Exceptionality: Teaching Gifted Adolescents with Depression

always write such great things once you get started. I smiled, encouraging, no, willing him to get busy. He scowled, still looking down. He didn't want to openly defy me, but he didn't move either. I sighed and walked on. Maybe it was another day of writer's block for Brian. Maybe he needed more prewriting time, even though it was just a journal entry. Whatever was going on inside him, he was a terrific writer, and I knew that, eventually, he would produce. It was just a question of when. Brian was a junior in my AP English class. He was definitely gifted, especially as a writer. What would take other bright classmates hours to produce, he created at a rapid rate. It wasn't mechanically flawless, but the depth of thought, the mature analysis, and the expression itself were way beyond his peers' work. I enjoyed having him in class. What teacher wouldn't? He always seemed to be engaged in whatever we were doing-projects, presentations, discussions, drama, reading, and writing. A voracious reader, he always participated in literary discussions with energy. He laughed, he teased, he was appreciated by his classmates and me. And he wasn't just a brain-he was on the basketball team and loved sports as much as his studies. Lately, however, I'd noticed some changes. They puzzled me. He didn't seem as lighthearted as usual, often now sitting in class with a blank or dark look on his face. He seemed distanced from

MINORITY STUDENT SUCCESS: THE ROLE OF TEACHERS IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM® (AP®) COURSES

ABSTRACTThis project described the characteristics and teaching behaviors of those successfully teaching AP® Calculus AB and AP English Literature and Composition to underrepresented minority students. Its purpose was to assist educators in improving the participation and performance of underrepresented minority students in AP classes. Study results showed successful teachers of minority students are good teachers for all groups. They express a high opinion of students, both majority and minority, and hold them to high standards. They make sure that students understand and can apply the fundamental concepts in the discipline. They also help students and parents understand and feel comfortable about college.

"The Villainy You Teach Me...": Shakespeare and AP English Literature

"The Villainy You Teach Me...": Shakespeare and AP English Literature