Centering the Margins: White preservice teachers’ responses to Roll of Thunder
Abstract
Over the course of several years, the award-winning adolescent novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry , was used as the centerpiece for a study of white, female preservice teachers' perceptions of race as an issue in classroom discourse. Invented dialogues created by these preservice teachers were examined to learn more about the issues that troubled them as they considered teaching this novel in the future. They identified language, "reverse racism" and creating distress among children as particularly salient concerns. Examples from these teacher candidates are explicated and theorized.
Reference
Saul, W., & Wallace, K. (2002). Centering the margins: White preservice teachers' responses to Roll of Thunder. Teaching Education, 13(1), 41-53.
Journal
Teaching Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- University
- young adult literature course
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
71
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own practices)
Research Questions
Why did they feel the need to justify the book’s use or exclusion?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
Were they uncomfortable with the text themselves and, if so, how might such discomfort manifest itself in their teaching?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
And if they were not themselves uncomfortable, why do they feel a need to argue for the book’s inclusion (i.e. what does it mean for them to begin their careers in a school they perceive as hostile to the values the book represents)?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes