Using Computational Thinking With Critical Lenses to Enhance Literary Interpretation and Analysis

• In Event: Preparing Computationally Literate Teacher Educators: A Professional Development Approach

Abstract

Objectives
Literary analysis not only provides adolescents with the opportunity to learn about the world and their place in it (Fields & Frankel, 2021), but also helps them to coherently represent the perspectives of others (Rabinowitz & Smith, 1998). However, adolescents are often unable to go beyond plot summary to engage in the substantive thematic concerns of literature (Persky et al., 2003; Lewis & Ferretti, 2011). English language arts (ELA) pre-service teachers (PSTs) need to be prepared to teach interpretive skills to improve students’ comprehension and engagement with literature (Fields & Frankel, 2021). This study examined how combining instruction in computational thinking (CT) with critical literary theory impacted the ability of ELA PSTs to plan instruction that has the potential to enhance adolescent students’ interpretations of literature.

Perspectives and/or Theoretical Framework
This study is grounded in two complementary theoretical frameworks. The first is the construction-integration model of reading comprehension (Kintsch, 1988; 2013) which suggests that readers need discipline-specific background knowledge to move from a basic understanding of text to a rich, comprehensive representation of texts in their working memories. The discourse analysis framework of Fahnestock and Secor (1991) provides specifics about the relevant background knowledge that literary experts use to interpret texts. These include specific rhetorical moves and the use of critical literary lenses.

Methods
In the spring of 2021, 11 secondary ELA PSTs participated in a two-week online instructional module focused on using CT with critical lenses. This module was embedded in a semester-long course in Young Adult Literature.

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Data Sources
Participants completed a pre- and post-survey on their understanding of CT as well as three separate practice activities utilizing CT processes and critical literary lenses. Participants completed a unit plan using a CT activity to engage adolescent students in literary interpretation using a critical lens.

Results
Preliminary results indicate that ELA PSTs entered the course with little to no knowledge of how to use CT processes to interpret literature. After instruction, 10 of 11 participants were able to design a CT activity aligned with unit plan goals, with 5 of 11 students meeting or exceeding the requirements for the assessment. Preliminary data indicate that instruction in CT and literary lenses has the potential to positively impact teacher candidates’ abilities to plan instruction that can encourage thematic engagement with texts.

Scholarly Significance
Previous research into the interpretive processes of literary scholars indicates that experts utilize specific interpretive frameworks when engaging with literature (Fahnestock & Secor, 1991) but that those frameworks are not explicitly taught in literature classrooms (Wilder, 2002). Utilizing CT with instruction in literary lenses has the potential to make these interpretive frameworks more salient to students, leading to deeper engagement with literary texts.

Author

• William Edison Lewis, University of Delaware