Using a negotiated, holistic, inquiry-based curriculum with Hispanic adults developing English literacy

This was a one-semester qualitative research study implemented in an Intermediate ESL-Literacy class at an adult literacy program in Central Texas. The students, all of Hispanic origin, were invited to negotiate the ESL-Literacy curriculum with the teacher-researcher. The negotiation of the curriculum allowed the students and the teacher-researcher to switch roles as learners and teachers. Based on their language learning needs, the students helped the teacher-researcher design and implement the curriculum. They made decisions in terms of content and learning experiences and selected topics of inquiry. As a result, the students became independent learners capable of directing their own learning. A vii community of learners was built and the innovative curriculum facilitated the development of a student-centered learning environment. Data was generated from a series of formal, semi-structured interviews, interview transcriptions, student-teacher dialogue journals, midterm and final evaluations of the class, the teacher-researcher’s log, and anecdotal records of the lessons. The three research questions guiding the study were: First, what is the journey of the teacher-researcher conducting the study? Second, what happens in a class where a negotiated, holistic, inquiry-based curriculum is implemented? And third, how do Hispanic adults developing English literacy respond to the use of this innovative curriculum? Each question was addressed in the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters respectively. In addition to the introduction and methodology chapters, the third chapter provides a descriptive account of the class and its happenings in order to give the reader insight into how the suggested curriculum was implemented. The fourth chapter addresses how the teacher-researcher examined her journey as a qualitative researcher. The fifth chapter explores critical events, lessons learned, and challenges and tensions of the implemented curriculum. The sixth chapter presents the students’ educational and linguistic gains over the course of the study. The seventh and final chapter discusses conclusions and implications for teachers and teacher-researchers