Date on Senior Honors Thesis
5-2017
Document Type
Senior Honors Thesis
Degree Name
B.A.
Department
English
Degree Program
College of Arts and Sciences
Author's Keywords
critical literacy pedagogy; grammar instruction; high-stakes testing
Abstract
As the United States of America becomes increasingly diverse, there is a need for teachers to embrace multiculturalism within the classroom. Shifting away from the traditional “banking model” of teaching, educational researchers call for a more critical approach—one in which teachers and students challenge dominant beliefs and practices of education. Foregrounded in those aims of cultural competence and critical consciousness, “critical literacy pedagogy” addresses the politicization of literacy education and employs conscious curriculum and teaching strategies to empower marginalized voices. Although a number of case studies on critical literacy pedagogy show considerable promise in disrupting dominant discourse and developing cultural understanding, there has been little research on how high-stakes testing affects the teacher’s practice of critical literacy. This qualitative case study explored how a teacher implemented critical literacy pedagogy in an 11th grade English Language Arts classroom. Findings revealed that the teacher was restricted in consistently teaching from a critical literacy perspective as the pressures of high-stakes testing required more emphasis on grammar instruction. This study not only illustrates critical literacy as multifaceted, presenting several strategies for English teachers to exercise the pedagogy, but also points to the challenges in negotiating high-stakes testing and the representations of social power through language and literature.
Recommended Citation
Lalata, Diana, ""Y'all and all these assessments is a little bit too much" : the effects of high-stakes testing on critical literacy pedagogy." (2017). College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses. Paper 137.
http://doi.org/10.18297/honors/137
Lay Summary
As the United States of America becomes increasingly diverse, there is a need for teachers to embrace multiculturalism within the classroom. Shifting away from the traditional “banking model” of teaching, educational researchers call for a more critical approach—one in which teachers and students challenge dominant beliefs and practices of education. Foregrounded in those aims of cultural competence and critical consciousness, “critical literacy pedagogy” addresses the politicization of literacy education and employs conscious curriculum and teaching strategies to empower marginalized voices. Although a number of case studies on critical literacy pedagogy show considerable promise in disrupting dominant discourse and developing cultural understanding, there has been little research on how high-stakes, standardized testing affects the teacher’s practice of critical literacy. This qualitative case study explored how a teacher implemented critical literacy pedagogy in an 11th grade English Language Arts classroom and the pressures of high-stakes testing in practice.
Included in
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Linguistics Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
