English Language Arts Research Articles

Developing an empathic analysis: Using critical literacy, dialogue, and inquiry with literature to explore the issues with gender labels

AbstractBook banning and censorship in the U.S. prompts necessary conversations on how critical literacy, dialogue, and inquiry are used in various school and library settings. We share guiding questions alongside three examples of textual analyses centering on gender fluidity with three young adult novels. We believe that English language arts teachers will benefit from seeing examples of how we responded to these texts with critical analysis questions that require students to analyze gender representation and identity within the stories. By developing an empathic analysis, students can engage in this critical work within classrooms and libraries, where reading diverse texts is encouraged.

Literary Discussions in the Modern Classroom: Online and In-person Implementation Strategies

Literary discussions are widely utilized in education, yet their profound impact on students' comprehension requires in-depth exploration. This paper delves into the influence of literary discussions on student comprehension and examines how these discussions can enhance students' understanding and analytical skills. Through literature reviews and case analyses, this study investigates teaching strategies, student engagement levels, classroom ambiance, and other factors involved in literary discussions, revealing the potential mechanisms through which literary discussions influence student comprehension. The paper explores variations in the application of literary discussions across different types of literary works (novels, poetry, drama, etc.) and their relationship with students' creative thinking. Finally, the paper provides recommendations to assist educators in effectively utilizing literary discussions to enhance students' comprehension skills. Students must have the opportunity to discuss literature in ways that provoke deep thought and meaning from each work they encounter. Therefore, English Language Arts teachers and instructors must be creative in finding unique ways in which they encourage their students to experience and respond to literature. This paper discusses a variety of strategies to implement in virtual and in-person classrooms, such as Socratic seminar, Teacher-led as a facilitator, Teacher-led as a promoter of diverse perspectives, Using student-generated discussion questions whole class, Using student-generated discussion questions in small groups, Using Close-ended questions, Using Open-ended questions, Inquiry-based, Making real-world connections to the literature, Literature Circles. These literary discussion strategies can be used for both fiction and nonfiction literature.

Opening, deepening, and widening dialogic space in argument classrooms

ABSTRACT Given the importance of teaching and learning argumentation, across disciplines for participation in academic and civil discourse, this article examines how dialogic space is created and sustained in classrooms where argument is taught and learned and, when it is created, what affordances it brings to learning argumentation. Dialogic space is a shared space of mutual resonance where we see, feel, or think things from at least 2 points of view at once. While any instructional setting has the potential to create dialogic space, this potential is not always realized. Using data from previously published research on classroom discourse around argumentation in secondary English language arts classrooms, I present how dialogic space can be opened, deepened, and widened as well as how teachers can engage students in argumentation within this space. I conclude by briefly discussing the contexts and affordances of creating dialogic space in argument classrooms.

A Research-Based Literacy Instruction MTSS for Juvenile Correctional Facilities

A major challenge for juvenile correctional facilities (JCF) is providing literacy instruction to a transitory student population with a wide range of literacy abilities. The purpose of this study was to identify unique literacy profiles of students in long-term JCF taking into consideration their reading abilities, language abilities, intelligence quotient (IQ), disability classification, age, and grade level. Using latent profile analyses with a sample of 370 in the southeastern United States, we identified three distinct classes. Three ability groups of students (average literacy abilities, below-average literacy abilities, substantially below-average literacy abilities) were identified. Thirty-six percent performed at the average level, 55% performed below grade level; and 8% had substantial literacy deficits with an overrepresentation of students with emotional disturbance (ED) and specific learning disability (SLD). Findings provide the foundation for an evidence-based multi-tiered system of supports literacy framework within JCF. Instructional implications concerning the provision of English Language Arts in JCF are provided.

English Language ARTS: A Case Study on Supporting the Autonomy and Collaboration of Educators of Color

English Language ARTS: A Case Study on Supporting the Autonomy and Collaboration of Educators of Color

Relational Poetic Practice: Affordances and Possibilities of High School Teachers’ Online Poetry Community during COVID-19

Using interpretive phenomenological analysis of oral history interviews, this study explored poetic experiences of nine US secondary English language arts teachers who participated in a month of online poetry writing during COVID-19. The manuscript explores how poetic relationality created space for these secondary English language arts teachers, mostly in rural school districts, to reflect on their realities during COVID-19. These teachers came to understand themselves not just as teachers but also as poets, an understanding that helped sustain them as they taught in digital contexts, during social distancing and school closures.

Decolonizing Middle Level Literacy Instruction: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Methods (Book Review)

English teachers and educators may find it challenging to identify inclusive instructional approaches and materials that address the needs of their diverse student populations (Wright, 2019). Furthermore, teaching ideas, resources, and pedagogical approaches that value English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ diverse linguistic and cultural assets requires classroom-level planning that might be unfamiliar to some ESL teachers. Decolonizing Middle Level Literacy Instruction: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Methods, by Michael Domínguez and Robyn Seglem, will prove useful as it provides writing and reading instruction strategies for preservice and in-service English Language Arts teachers. These strategies can help ESL teachers adapt curricular and instructional materials to the sociocultural contexts of their students, thus providing helpful information for equity and diversity in language education. [First Paragraph]

Training secondary English teachers to engage students in challenging and complex issues with journalistic strategies

ABSTRACT Classroom discussions of social issues, ranging from gun violence and climate change to race and gender identity, have become risky and politicised, dividing parents and educators along ideological lines and leading to censorship. Journalistic teaching and learning in secondary school English classes present one viable solution. However, few professional development opportunities exist to support teachers who lack formal professional or scholastic journalism training to integrate journalistic practices and disciplinary lens into general English language arts classrooms. This study explores teacher experiences and perspectives on student learning building on an innovative professional development and classroom curriculum. Results demonstrate strong evidence for the scalability of this networked learning professional development approach and for the teacher-generated innovations that enhanced student experiences. Teachers perceived substantial improvements in students’ core skills in journalistic learning, such as evaluating bias and credibility of sources, conducting interviews with community members, and writing. Results illustrate a timely and impactful approach to training English language arts teachers in a student-driven, culturally relevant, and practical approach to writing instruction.

Beyond Prescriptive Reforms: An Examination of North Carolina’s Flexible School Restart Program

Although multiple studies have examined the impact of school turnaround, less is known about reforms under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). To advance this literature, we examine North Carolina’s Restart (NCR) model. NCR aligns with ESSA by giving school leaders increased flexibility. Also, NCR differs from previous turnaround models by repackaging a traditionally sanction-based approach to instead motivate school leaders with increased autonomy. Using comparative interrupted time series models, we find positive NCR effects in math, but not in English Language Arts or on nontest-based student outcomes. Also, nearly a quarter of the positive NCR effect can be explained by decreased teacher and principal turnover. These results provide evidence to support current shifts toward reform models featuring local autonomy.

Know Better, Do Better: Enhancing K-3 Students’ Early Literacy Skills Through Professional Training

Educational reform over the past several decades has consistently had the same goal, to close the achievement gap or large academic disparities that exist amongst students. Recently, national trends and revised English-Language Arts (ELA) standards across the United States have shifted to promoting foundational skills and science-aligned approaches which require PK-12 teachers to be prepared to integrate and provide scientifically based strategies to support students in learning how to read. These shifting landscapes have left district leaders evaluating current curriculums and seeking professional development opportunities that are more aligned with scientific findings and evidence-based practices. To better understand the outcomes or effects of the workshop, authors used a convergent parallel mixed methods design. The findings show that the early literacy workshop’s format and content significantly impacted teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of the important role that foundational skills play in developing skilled readers. As others look to develop professional training that mirrors the effectiveness of this one, they must thoughtfully consider the structure, application and the culture of the experience.

A phenomenological insight into the use of pandemic pedagogy in the primary English Language Arts Grammar class

The Covid-19 Pandemic led to online teaching at all levels of education in Trinidad and Tobago. The teaching of all subject areas, including Grammar, had to be adjusted to suit this new educational paradigm. This study seeks to examine the pedagogical approaches to the teaching of Grammar at the primary level in Trinidad and Tobago during the Covid-19 period. The study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological approach wherein the teachers were given an open-ended questionnaire covering aspects of teaching strategies employed during this pandemic. The findings reveal that while online teaching allowed for diverse teaching strategies, students’ over reliance on the grammatical tools made it challenging for teacher to determine whether they really grasped the concept.

Revealing the Known: The Invisibilized Bias of Commercial Literacy Curricula

ABSTRACT A critical content analysis is employed to scrutinize the second-grade materials within EL education’s English language arts curriculum. Applying critical race theory, this study confronts the pervasive anti-Black narrative embedded in standardized curriculum used in the United States. The study unveils the presence of this narrative in the materials while advocating strategies for teachers obligated to use these resources. The aim is to empower educators to foster critical engagement among students, encouraging them to craft their counternarrative while actively advocating for an antiracist curriculum. The elementary literacy curricula widely employed across the United States tend to propagate a White-centric agenda. Despite attempts to veil biases and racism, these curricula subtly reinforce White privilege through practices such as colorblindness, context-neutral settings, and the perpetuation of the myth of meritocracy. To counter this, a community-centered approach to education is proposed. This approach challenges the entrenched power structures of White supremacy by supplementing mandated scripted curriculum with additional resources and diverse perspectives that authentically incorporate the lived experiences of Black students, families, and experts. This study underscores the urgent need to address the inherent biases in educational materials, advocating for a pedagogical shift toward inclusivity and actively challenging the perpetuation of systemic racism in curriculum frameworks.

(Re)Active Praxis: Preparing Preservice Teachers for the Unknown with NCTE Resources

In this article, the author shares a research assignment used with English language arts preservice teachers in a methods course to prepare them to engage with the NCTE professional community. The author shares how preservice teachers self-selected research topics, designed classroom-ready teacher materials based on their research using NCTE journals, and shared this research using panel presentations in class.

Exploring Patterns of Absenteeism from Prekindergarten Through Early Elementary School and Their Associations With Children’s Academic Outcomes

Using statewide administrative data from a sample of children enrolled in public prekindergarten (pre-K) programs in Massachusetts, I examined heterogeneity in children’s absenteeism patterns from pre-K to Grade 3 and linked these patterns to their Grade 3 academic outcomes. After latent class growth analysis, six absenteeism patterns emerged. The vast majority of children (85%) had consistently low absenteeism, and only a small percentage of children (1%) demonstrated consistently high absenteeism. Four patterns showed variation in absenteeism over time, with two characterized by high absenteeism in only the pre-K year, another with a peak during kindergarten, and a final one with rising absenteeism across grades. Children with always low absenteeism had higher average English language arts and math scores than did children in the other patterns, and children in the two high pre-K absenteeism patterns and peak in kindergarten pattern had higher math scores than those with rising and always high absenteeism patterns.

Examining Enactments of Project-based Learning in Secondary English Language Arts

Examining Enactments of Project-based Learning in Secondary English Language Arts

Resisting the Chilling Effect of Censorship and Scripted Curriculum

This article details how English language arts teaching and a schooluniversity collaboration were censored by two different policies simultaneously: the adoption of scripted curriculum and restriction around teaching about racism.

Examining Our Roles of Literacy Sponsorship for Students’ Equitable Book Access

The authors examine various teacher literacy sponsorship roles that influence students’ reading choices, habits, and literacy practices in an English language arts classroom.

Measuring the Efficacy of Zearn Math in Louisiana

This study examines the impact of an online math learning program on third through fifth grade math achievement in Louisiana. Employing Zearn Math usage metrics and administrative data from the Louisiana Department of Education, the results indicate that grade levels that programmatically used Zearn Math scored, on average, about .03 standard deviation units higher on Louisiana’s statewide math assessment. A placebo test using English-language arts scores and several robustness checks suggests that this may be an underestimate of the true effect. These findings come at a crucial time because pandemic-related school closures have led to a 20-fold increase in public school spending on Zearn-related materials between July 2019 and July 2021, and its presence continues to expand across the nation.

The Nature and Process of Meaning-Making in Text-Based Classroom Discussion of an American Islamic School

This study aimed to uncover how elementary school students and their teacher make meaning as they participate in text-based classroom discussion at an American Islamic school. One English language art teacher and 20sixth grade students participated in this study. We employed a case study design with classroom observation, field notes and documentation as tools for data collection. The gathered data were analyzed qualitatively. We found that the classroom talks in discussing textual information followed the traditional I-R-E (Initiate-Respond-Evaluate) pattern in which the teacher held control over turn-taking opportunities and interpretive authority. The students’ participations in this discourse were restricted to remembering facts, rules and procedures found in the text in which their responses were limited and brief. In contrast, the classroom talks about extratextual information as well as about Islamic knowledge and values were more dialogic in which the conversational flow was not directed by the teacher. The students’ responses were longer with elaborated explanation or reasoning to support their position. Their Islamic cultural backgrounds and practices also enabled them to extend the discussion and make better sense of the text. These findings indicate that teachers’ didactic strategy in conducting text-based classroom discussion shapes whether students would have meaningful interaction or not. We subscribe to the view that meaning of text and knowledge construction are not solely derived from the text or defined by one person. Instead, they can be co-constructed in dialogic discussion that challenges various voices, tensions and conflicts between members of the class.

Eluding easy definitions: A review of Literary Knowing and the Making of English Teachers—The Role of Literature in Shaping English Teachers' Professional Knowledge and Identities

Literary Knowing and the Making of English Teachers offers a thorough exploration of the relationship between literature, knowledge, and the professional identities of English teachers. The book engages fundamental questions about knowledge in the English classroom and presents a 3‐year longitudinal study involving 24 early‐career English teachers in Australia. Through interviews and a national survey, the authors provide a multivocal exploration of teachers' perceptions of literary knowledge, curriculum design, and their roles in mediating the relationship between students and texts. This thought‐provoking work highlights literature's formative role in shaping teachers' professional practices and identities while inviting readers to reflect on the broader debates surrounding literature's place in the English Language Arts classroom.