Popular culture in the literacy curriculum: A Bourdieuan analysis
Abstract
This article discusses data arising from a longitudinal study of the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of preservice teachers regarding the use of popular culture in the primary literacy curriculum in England. Eighteen students took part in a series of interviews throughout their three-year initial teacher education course. Data were inductively coded. The responses of three students are analyzed using a number of the theoretical concepts developed by Bourdieu in order to explore how students' agency was limited in relation to their use of popular cultural texts. Findings indicate that consideration needs to be given to the way in which habitus, capital, and field interrelate if preservice teachers' decision-making processes with regard to the curriculum are to be understood, rather than examining any or all of these concepts in isolation. In addition, challenges to dominant practices can occur when there is tension between habitus and field. It is suggested that preservice teachers need opportunities to explore the relationship between structure and agency if they are to understand the limitations on their practice and challenge traditional models of the literacy curriculum. Implications for teacher education and future research are addressed.
Reference
Marsh, J. (2006). Popular culture in the literacy curriculum: A Bourdieuan analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 41(2), 160–174.
Journal
Reading and Writing Quarterly
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
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
18
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
"What are the beliefs and practices
of preservice teachers with regard to the use of
popular-culture and media texts in the primary literacy
curriculum?" (p.6).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"How do structural and agentic elements shape the dynamic between these beliefs and practices?" (p.6).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes