"Well, Now I'm Confused": English Language Arts Educators' Ambiguity With Informational Text Use, Equity, and Power

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Five
  In Roundtable Session: Division K Section 8 Roundtable (Table 14)

Abstract

This paper presents qualitative analysis of survey data collected from 57 U.S. secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers regarding their use of informational texts. This study was to extend our understanding of teachers’ considerations of equity and power in their use of informational texts. Thematic analysis noted points of silence and hedging regarding how to define informational text and the role of power and equity. Conversational coherence allowed us to zoom in by tracking continuity or changes across conversational turns to better understand respondents’ meaning. Findings signal the need for instructional supports that clarify the role of informational texts in ELA classrooms and strategies to develop students’ critical, disciplinary literacy skills with informational texts.

Authors

• Chandra L. Alston, Learning Policy Institute
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Byrne Bausell, North Carolina State University
  Presenting Author

• Devan MacKenzie, North Carolina State University
  Presenting Author