Student engagement in the teaching and learning of grammar: A case study of an early-career secondary school English teacher
Abstract
This article reports a study of coauthor Laura Wright as she learned to teach secondary school grammar in four settings: university teacher education program, student teaching, her first job, and second job. Data for her university program came from Laura’s journals and projects from her course work. Data from student teaching and her first job included interviews and field notes from observations and interviews and self-reports by Laura of teaching conducted on other occasions. Information from her second job came from self-reports by Laura. The data were analyzed using a system that identified the pedagogical tools Laura employed and the attributions she made for learning how to use them. The data suggest that Laura sought to teach in ways that students found engaging, meaningful, enjoyable, and relevant. How she was able to make grammar instruction fit this goal varied according to the setting in which her instruction took place.
Reference
Smagorinsky, P., Wright, L., Murphy-Augustine, S., O'Donnell-Allen, C., & Konopak, B. (2007). Student engagement in the teaching and learning of grammar: A case study of an early-career secondary school English teacher. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(1), 76-90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487106295727
Journal
Journal of 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
- Southwestern United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- Secondary school
- student teaching placement schools
- University
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
1
Other Participant Data
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- course materials
- Interviews
- Observations
- Syllabi from University courses
- University coursework assignment (e.g. writing/project done for a grade)
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
" In the four primary settings
of her learning to teach—her university course
work and practica, her student teaching, her
first job, and her second job—how did Laura
endeavor to teach grammar and usage as part of
her broader goal to teach in ways that were
engaging; that is, in ways that her students
found enjoyable, interesting, and relevant?"
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes