Preservice Teachers Using Literature Circles to Promote Social Justice Agency

• In Event: Reading Positionality, Writing Practice: Literacy in Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

The study was rooted in the evaluation of a reading methods course and sought to determine the implications for preservice teachers (PSTs) who participated in literature circles that intentionally utilized multicultural literature to discuss social justice issues. Using an interpretative mixed-methods approach, the researcher collected surveys and conducted interviews to determine the effects that the implementation method (literature circles) and the curriculum content (multicultural texts) had on PSTs personal knowledge and professional efficacy. The findings of this study suggest that the course, with an embedded literature circle component, is an essential aspect of the broader teacher development program. Encouraging social activism, promoting recreational reading, and improving PSTs’ confidence in facilitating literary discussions has a positive effect on their future classrooms.

Authors

• Cheron Davis, Florida A&M University

• Krystal N Bush, Florida A&M University