Poster #9 - Experiences of Disciplinary Reading and Reader Identities of Middle School Students of Color

• In Event: 45.096 - MTCC Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: 45.096-2 - What Do We Know, What Do We Need to Know About Disciplinary Literacy?

Abstract

This study asks: How do students attending under-resourced urban schools make meaning of disciplinary reading and reading broadly? How do participants construct reader identities in relation to situated experiences in content area classrooms? Utilizing Gee’s situated literacy framework, we qualitatively analyzed interviews and observations with 19 middle school students. We found: 1) Students often constructed reading as a transactional process focused on decoding or simple comprehension grounded in everyday disciplinary class activities; 2) Few students adopted projective identities as disciplinary readers; reader identities were most likely to emerge in relation to experiential and relevant classroom practice. Findings suggest schools could more concretely identify and instruct on disciplinary reading practices and promote projective disciplinary reader identities through engaging practice.

Authors

• Elizabeth E. Blair, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

• Sabina Rak Neugebauer, Temple University