Methods of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts: The Methodology Chapters From the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts, ... & National Council of Teachers of English

348 Pages·2004·23.19 MB·English

by  James Flood

METHODS OF RESEARCH
ON TEACHING
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
This page intentionally left blank
METHODS OF RESEARCH

ON TEACHING

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

THE METHODOLOGY CHAPTERS FROM
THE HANDBOOK OF RESEARCH ON
TEACHING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ARTS, SECOND EDITION
Edited by
James Flood
San Diego State University
Diane Lapp
San Diego State University
James R. Squire
Silver Burden & Ginn
Julie M. Jensen
University of Texas at Austin
Sponsored by International Reading Association
& National Council of Teachers of English
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
2005 Mahwah, New Jersey London
Senior Acquisitions Editor: Naomi Silverman
Assistant Editor: Erica Kica
Cover Designer: Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey
Textbook Production Manager: Paul Smolenski
Full Service Compositor: TechBooks
Text and Cover Printer: United Graphics Incorporated
This book was typeset in 10/12 pt. Palatino Roman, Bold, and Italic.
The heads were typeset in Americana, Americana Bold, and Americana Bold Italic
Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form, by photostat, microform, retrieval system, or any
other means, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
10 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
www.erlbaum.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Methods of research on teaching the English language arts : the methodology
chapters from the Handbook of research on teaching the English language
arts, second edition/edited by James Flood... [et al.].
p. cm.
"Sponsored by International Reading Association & National Council
of Teachers of English."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8058-5258-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)
1. Language arts. 2. English language—Study and teaching. I. Hood, James.
II. International Reading Association. III. National Council of Teachers of English.
IV. Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts.
LB1576.M46 2005
2004022854

Books published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates are printed on
acid-free paper, and their bindings are chosen for strength and
durability.
Printed in the United States of America
1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents

Preface vii
1 Understanding Research on Teaching the English Language
Arts: An Introduction for Teachers 1
Sandra Stotsky and Cindy Mall
2 Teacher Professionalism and the Rise of "Multiple
Literacies": How to Describe Our Specialized Knowledge? 23
Anne DiPardo
3 The Design of Empirical Research 43
Robert C. Calfee and Marilyn Chambliss
4 What Longitudinal Studies Say About Literacy
Development/What Literacy Development Says About
Longitudinal Studies 79
Robert J. Tierney and Margaret Sheehy
5 Case Studies: Placing Literacy Phenomena Within Their
Actual Context 125
June Birnbaum, Janet Emig, and Douglas Fisher
6 Ethnography as a Logic of Inquiry 145
Judith L. Green, Carol N. Dixon, and Amy Zaharlick
7 Teacher Researcher Projects: From the Elementary School
Teacher's Perspective 195
Fredrick R. Burton and Barbara L. Seidl
8 Teacher Inquiry Into Literacy, Social Justice, and Power 211
Bob Fecho and JoBeth Allen
9 Synthesis Research in Language Arts Instruction 245
Carl B. Smith and Susan S. Klein
10 Fictive Representation: An Alternative Method for
Reporting Research 273
Donna E. Alvermannand George G. Hruby
v
vi CONTENTS
11 Contemporary Methodological Issues and Future
Directions in Research on the Teaching of English 301
M. C. Wittrock
Author Index 321
Subject Index 331
Preface

The methods that are used for conducting effective research in the English
Language Arts continue to grow in number and continue to be refined
to ensure their overall trustworthiness. In this brief volume we have in­
cluded the eleven chapters that comprise Part II, "Methods of Research on
English Language Arts Teaching," from the Handbook of Research on Teaching
the English Language Arts, Second Edition (Flood et al. 2003). These chapters
describe eleven different, highly regarded methodological approaches to
research within the Language Arts. Each of these chapters represents its
own paradigm, and each comes with its own standards of rigor. As each
method is presented, it is embedded within the traditions of Language Arts
research and teaching. The authors judiciously selected and cited semi­
nal research studies within the field to illuminate the ways in which the
methodology and the content of the studies work together to enhance one
another. Throughout, the authors carefully explain why they have selected
a particular methodology.
Sandra Stotsky and Cindy Mall introduce the book with an overview
chapter that delineates the traditions and types of methodologies that have
been used throughout the history of research in Language Arts. Anne
DiPardo follows with Chapter 2 on contemporary design issues; she takes
on the dual challenges of defining "Multiple Literacies" and explaining
"how" we know what we know about language processing and commu­
nication in today's society.
In the chapters 3, 4, and 5, Robert C. Calfee and Marilyn Chamliss;
Robert J. Tierney and Margaret Sheeby; and June Birnbaum, Janet Emig and
Douglas Fisher systematically explain the intricacies of empirical research
design, longitudinal studies and case studies, respectively. Each chapter
includes the principles underlying the specific research designs and illus­
trates these principles from well-known Language Arts studies.
Chapter 6, on Ethnography, by Judith L. Green, Carol N. Dixon and
Amy Zaharlick, carefully describes the requirements for conducting ethno­
graphic research. Their approach to this chapter explains ethnography
from the perspective of the logic of inquiry.
Vii
viii PREFACE
Chapters 7 and 8 deal with the issues of teacher research. In Chapter 7,
Fredrick R. Burton and Barbara L. Seidl discuss teacher research projects
from the elementary perspective, and Bob Fecho and Jo Beth Allen, in
Chapter 8, write about teacher inquiry into literacy, social justice and
power. Chapter 9, by Carl B. Smith and Susan S. Klein, clearly explains
ways to conduct synthesis research and provides examples from classic
Language Arts studies to demonstrate the issues of collection, selection,
analysis and rigor.
Chapter 10 provides insights into new ways of conceptualizing inquiry
and research. Donna E. Alvermann and George G. Hruby give us context
and directions for writing Fictive Representation, an alternative method
for reporting research.
In Chapter 11, M.C. Wittrock concludes the volume with a synthesis of
the current issues in methodology, and he provides insights into future
directions for conceptualizing new designs for methodology.
The eleven chapters in this volume provide insights and knowledge
about ways to conduct effective research using existing methodological
paradigms, and it introduces "new" ways of thinking about appropriate
ways to conduct and represent findings from research.
We hope you'll enjoy exploring ways to conduct research in the Lan­
guage Arts as you read this book.
METHODS OF RESEARCH
ON TEACHING
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS