Abstract
Using Ivanic's (2004) framework, the study of 20 elementary teachers examines the relationships among teachers' beliefs about writing, their instructional practices, and contextual factors. While the district-adopted curriculum reflected specific discourses, teachers' beliefs and practices reflected a combination of discourses. The nature of the professional development tended to reinforce particular discourses, but occasionally offered an alternative. The three cases revealed how teachers negotiated the tensions among various discourses. Beth exemplified a skills discourse, but demonstrated beliefs about writing as communication; however, she did not articulate tensions between the discourses and followed the district, skillsinfused curriculum. Amber borrowed from skills, traits, process, and genrediscourses without resolving potential contradictions, resulting in instructional practices that had little coherence. Jackson, who brought in his own writing as a hip-hop artist, illustrated the social practices discourse as well as creativity and genre discourses to create an enhanced version of a district-adopted curriculum. Implications for practice include raising teacher's awareness of the contradictory discourses that surround them.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-90 |
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Journal | Written Communication |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
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Keywords
- approaches
- beliefs
- curriculum
- practices
- professional development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Literature and Literary Theory
Cite this
Elementary Teachers Negotiating Discourses in Writing Instruction. / McCarthey, Sarah Jane; Woodard, Rebecca; Kang, Grace.
In: Written Communication, Vol. 31, No. 1, 01.01.2014, p. 58-90.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Elementary Teachers Negotiating Discourses in Writing Instruction
AU - McCarthey, Sarah Jane
AU - Woodard, Rebecca
AU - Kang, Grace
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Using Ivanic's (2004) framework, the study of 20 elementary teachers examines the relationships among teachers' beliefs about writing, their instructional practices, and contextual factors. While the district-adopted curriculum reflected specific discourses, teachers' beliefs and practices reflected a combination of discourses. The nature of the professional development tended to reinforce particular discourses, but occasionally offered an alternative. The three cases revealed how teachers negotiated the tensions among various discourses. Beth exemplified a skills discourse, but demonstrated beliefs about writing as communication; however, she did not articulate tensions between the discourses and followed the district, skillsinfused curriculum. Amber borrowed from skills, traits, process, and genrediscourses without resolving potential contradictions, resulting in instructional practices that had little coherence. Jackson, who brought in his own writing as a hip-hop artist, illustrated the social practices discourse as well as creativity and genre discourses to create an enhanced version of a district-adopted curriculum. Implications for practice include raising teacher's awareness of the contradictory discourses that surround them.
AB - Using Ivanic's (2004) framework, the study of 20 elementary teachers examines the relationships among teachers' beliefs about writing, their instructional practices, and contextual factors. While the district-adopted curriculum reflected specific discourses, teachers' beliefs and practices reflected a combination of discourses. The nature of the professional development tended to reinforce particular discourses, but occasionally offered an alternative. The three cases revealed how teachers negotiated the tensions among various discourses. Beth exemplified a skills discourse, but demonstrated beliefs about writing as communication; however, she did not articulate tensions between the discourses and followed the district, skillsinfused curriculum. Amber borrowed from skills, traits, process, and genrediscourses without resolving potential contradictions, resulting in instructional practices that had little coherence. Jackson, who brought in his own writing as a hip-hop artist, illustrated the social practices discourse as well as creativity and genre discourses to create an enhanced version of a district-adopted curriculum. Implications for practice include raising teacher's awareness of the contradictory discourses that surround them.
KW - approaches
KW - beliefs
KW - curriculum
KW - practices
KW - professional development
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U2 - 10.1177/0741088313510888
DO - 10.1177/0741088313510888
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AN - SCOPUS:84893432149
VL - 31
SP - 58
EP - 90
JO - Written Communication
JF - Written Communication
SN - 0741-0883
IS - 1
ER -