Dialogic narratives of literacy, teaching, and schooling: Preparing literacy teachers for diverse settings

  1. THERESA ROGERS1,†,
  2. ELIZABETH MARSHALL2,‡,
  3. CYNTHIA A. TYSON3,§

Article first published online: 9 NOV 2011

DOI: 10.1598/RRQ.41.2.3

Issue

Reading Research Quarterly

Reading Research Quarterly

Volume 41, Issue 2, pages 202–224, April/May/June 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

ROGERS, T., MARSHALL, E. and TYSON, C. A. (2006), Dialogic narratives of literacy, teaching, and schooling: Preparing literacy teachers for diverse settings. Reading Research Quarterly, 41: 202–224. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.41.2.3

Author Information

  1. 1

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

  2. 2

    University of Maryland, College Park, USA

  3. 3

    Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

  1. †

    Theresa Rogers is an associate professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where she teaches courses in literature teaching, content literacies, and young adult literature. Her work reflects a sociocultural view of literacy practices, and she has written books and articles on literary theory and young adult literature, teaching multiple literacies among youth/adolescents, and critical approaches to teaching literature. Her work has appeared in English Journal, English Education, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Theory Into Practice, The Reading Teacher, and Journal of Literacy Research. She can be reached at University of British Columbia, Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, 2125 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4, or by e-mail at theresa.rogers@ubc.ca. Visit her website at www.theresarogers.ca.

  2. ‡

    Elizabeth Marshall is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland where she teaches courses in children's and adolescent literature. Her research and teaching interests include issues of gender and sexuality in literature for young readers, critical perspectives on literacy education, and feminist and literary theories. Her publications have appeared in Children's Literature Quarterly, College English, and Reading Research Quarterly. She can be reached at the University of Maryland, 2304 Benjamin Building, College Park, MD 20742, USA, or by e-mail at Emarshal@umd.edu

  3. §

    Cynthia A. Tyson is an associate professor in Language, Literacy and Culture at The Ohio State University where she teaches courses in social studies/global education and multicultural children's literature. Her research interests include the development of culturally relevant and urban teacher education, the examination of race and racism in qualitative research, and the integration of children's literature when teaching for social justice. She has presented numerous research papers at national meetings and conferences, including the American Education Research Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Council for the Social Studies. She has published articles in Educational Researcher, International Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, Journal of Literacy Research, and other books and journals. She is currently the diversity features columnist in the Ohio Journal of English Language Arts. She can be reached at The Ohio State University, 1945 N. High Street, 333 Arps Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, USA, or by e-mail at tyson.4@osu.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 NOV 2011
  2. Article first published online: 9 NOV 2011
  3. Received August 21, 2005; Accepted September 6, 2005

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Keywords:

  • topic;
  • family;
  • community;
  • profdev;
  • preservice;
  • reflection;
  • methodology;
  • discourse;
  • theoretical;
  • poststructuralism;
  • sociocultural;
  • learner;
  • college;
  • type;
  • article

ABSTRACTS

In this study, we focus on the “dialogic narratives” (Bakhtin, 1981, 1986) of selected preservice teachers within an innovative teacher education program in the Midwestern U.S. that included community-based internships. In particular, we examine how these students author their identities as literacy teachers within the context of a mediated seminar setting. Drawing on Bakhtin's theory of discourse, we analyzed students' dialogic narratives as a way to understand the construction of their professional identities within particular discursive moments. Our analyses illustrate how the students negotiated authoritative and internally persuasive discourses as they authored their own narratives, revealing the complexity of preparing teachers to become flexible cultural practitioners in diverse settings. We argue that immersing students in community based environments and providing spaces for dialogue offer promising strategies for complicating and deepening preservice teachers' understandings of, and approaches to, language and literacy education in relation to issues of cultural diversity and social justice.

[This article features supplementary online-only material, including commentaries from Marilyn Cochran-Smith and Allan Luke and Tara Goldstein, an annotated bibliography, and extensive data samples. See http:www.reading.orgLibraryRetrieve.cfmD10.1598RRQ.41.2.3&FRRQ-41-2-Rogers-supp_1.html.]

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