Examining preservice teachers’ beliefs about disciplinary literacy in history through a blog project
Abstract
This qualitative case study explored preservice teachers’ (PSTs) beliefs about disciplinary literacy as they engaged in a blog project with middle-school students to discuss historical texts. Twenty-eight PSTs, enrolled in a semester-long social studies methods course and participating in the blog project as a course assignment, constituted the case study. Data were collected through semistructured and informal interviews, classroom observations, questionnaires, audio/video recordings, and blog postings and analyzed using a constant comparative analysis. Emergent successive themes focused on positive PST perspectives about disciplinary literacy, the impact of practice on beliefs about disciplinary literacy, and the influence of continued blog writing on beliefs. Findings indicated how extended experiences working with middle-school students in a low-risk blog setting may promote positive beliefs about using disciplinary literacy in instruction, but those beliefs may be malleable as PSTs’ experience the literacy needs of struggling readers.
Reference
Colwell, J. (2016). Examining preservice teachers’ beliefs about disciplinary literacy in history through a blog project. Action in Teacher Education, 38(1), 34-48.
Journal
Action in Teacher 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
- Content area literacy course
Preservice Participants
- 5-year program offering BA , followed by MA and initial certification
Preservice Sample Size
30
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Course project
- fieldnotes
- Post-study reflection
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
- Triangulation
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
"How do pre-service teachers envision disciplinary literacy using an online social bookmarking network?" (p. 70)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"What do pre-service teachers’ reflections on using online social bookmarks reveal about their envisionments?" (p. 70)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes