"My Least Favorite Subject": The Social Construction of Reader Engagement

• In Event: Linguistic Mediation, Language Attitudes, and Learning in Bilingual Classrooms

Abstract

This study aims to provide insight into how Latinx bilinguals’ engagement is constructed across various literacy activities focused on “close reading” in one sixth grade classroom. Drawing on a sociocultural orientation to literacy (Gutiérrez & Rogoff, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978) and a sociocultural linguistic framework (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005), I present an interactional analysis of peer discussions during “close reading” activities. Findings suggest that students’ reading engagement was locally-constructed and varied across texts and activities.

Author

• Maria Jose Aragon, University of California, San Diego