Discourses and enactments of English Language Arts in a secondary English Department

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dc.contributor.advisorSkerrett, Allison
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBomer, Randy
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBrown, Keffrelyn
dc.contributor.committeeMemberCvetkovich, Ann
dc.contributor.committeeMemberWetzel, Melissa
dc.creatorWilliamson, Thea Church
dc.creator.orcid0000-0003-1205-7250
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-01T15:30:49Z
dc.date.available2018-10-01T15:30:49Z
dc.date.created2018-08
dc.date.issued2018-09-24
dc.date.submittedAugust 2018
dc.date.updated2018-10-01T15:30:49Z
dc.description.abstractThis year-long qualitative embedded case study explores the nature of the discipline of English Language Arts in a secondary context, Midgard High School, using the case of the English Department (n = 27) and subsequent embedded cases of focal classes (n = 4) and focal students (n = 12). Relying on Bakhtinian theories of discourse, new materialist concepts of work (Tsing, 2015), and rhetorical genre theory (Bawarshi, 2003), the study shows how teachers’ talk and practices both perpetuated traditional expectations in English instruction and also broke with tradition to better serve a linguistically and racially diverse student body. Overall, teachers’ most common discourses about the discipline of ELA replicated 19th century traditions of defining it as the “tripod” (Applebee, 1974) of reading, writing, and language study. Students also articulated similar understandings of their work in ELA, however English IV students’ discourse was dominated by linguistic aspects of the discipline, in particular conceptions of “proper” English. The case of an English II classroom shows how writing instruction was an important space where teachers’ discourse and instruction departed from historicized patterns in three ways: reorienting the discipline around composition (rather than the traditional literature-focused course), specifically the writing of “real-life” text genres, and enacting classroom practices characterized by intimacy and closeness (Tsing, 2015). This study has important implications for practice as it suggests teachers and students have different experiences of the discipline of ELA, teachers practices might vary significantly within similar discursive patterns, and that novel (Bakhtin, 1981b) discourses and practices can exist in restrictive policy contexts. The study also shows possibilities for new ways to “do” ELA in high schools, particularly bringing students’ experiences and voices into the curriculum through writing instruction. Findings suggest the need for consensus building and a reexamination of the ideological underpinnings of classroom practices in ELA, particularly those related to language teaching that perpetuates ELA as monolingual and tied to notions of standardized language, as well as ideologies embedded in classroom work structures.
dc.description.departmentCurriculum and Instruction
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T29C6SK5G
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/68619
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectEnglish language arts
dc.subjectHigh school
dc.subjectUrban education
dc.subjectCase study
dc.titleDiscourses and enactments of English Language Arts in a secondary English Department
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
thesis.degree.departmentCurriculum and Instruction
thesis.degree.disciplineCurriculum and Instruction
thesis.degree.grantorThe University of Texas at Austin
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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