Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Student Motivation In Writing, Technology Integration, And Middle Grade Pedagogy, Carol M. Edge

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how seventh-grade students experienced three-dimensional (3D) holographic technology during writing instruction. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Multimodality Theory, the study examined how students’ intrinsic motivation processes were influenced by immersive learning environments that incorporated multiple modes of communication. A qualitative case study design was employed with 15 seventh-grade students. Data were triangulated through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and artifact analysis.

Findings indicated that the 3D holographic environment supported students’ experiences of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Students engaged with diverse modes of expression, including textual, visual, spatial, and gestural forms, which enhanced their …

Bridging The Gap: A Qualitative Case Study Of Pre-K Teachers' Literacy Professional Development Needs In The Context Of Georgia's Early Literacy Act (Hb 538), Deborah Lissimore

Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how school-based pre-K teachers in Georgia perceived their literacy professional development needs within the context of the Georgia Early Literacy Act, House Bill 538, and to examine the role of teacher leadership in supporting their professional learning. Although the Act established evidence-based literacy requirements and professional learning expectations for kindergarten through third grade educators, comparable supports for school-based pre-K teachers were not clearly defined. Participants included five certified pre-K teachers employed in a Georgia public school district. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and researcher field notes, with member …

Neurodivergent Peer Tutoring And Anti-Ableism: Two High Schoolers’ Lived Experiences While Working In A Neurodiversity-Based Writing Center, Daniel S. Harrison

The Writing Center Journal

Neurodivergence is naturally present in the writing center and most often recognized by labels like ADHD, autism, OCD, dyslexia, and so on. However, neurodivergent voices in writing center scholarship have been few and far between in postsecondary institutions (Babcock, 2017; Batt, 2018; Kleinfeld, 2023), and in the secondary writing center even less so. Therefore, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the personal, relational, and formative aspects of the lived experiences of two neurodivergent students through a critical disability theory lens as they provided writing consultations to their neurodivergent peers in a Mid-Atlantic, independent special education school. …

The Self-Identified Strategies Of Asynchronous Writing Tutors, Eric C. Camarillo

The Writing Center Journal

This study explores the self-identified strategies of asynchronous writing tutors, focusing on how they provide feedback in an online environment. The research addresses the underexplored area of asynchronous writing tutoring, which is often marginalized due to its perceived lack of interpersonal interaction. Through semi-structured interviews and screen recordings of seven writing tutors from three different institutions, the study identifies key strategies employed by tutors. These strategies include managing workloads, relying on intuition, building rapport with students, and seeking support from other tutors. The findings highlight the complexity and labor-intensive nature of asynchronous tutoring, emphasizing the need for thoughtful evaluation and …

Editors' Note, Sherry Wynn Perdue, Isaac K. Wang, Georganne Nordstrom

The Writing Center Journal

Editors' note for Writing Center Journal 44.1 (2026).

Front Matter

The Writing Center Journal

Front matter for The Writing Center Journal 44:1 (2026).

“Like Learning To Play Chess”: Relationality And The Development Of Interpersonal Communication Skills In Writing Center Consultants, Kara Poe Alexander

The Writing Center Journal

This study explores how writing center consultants develop interpersonal communication (IPC) skills through relational interactions during peer tutoring sessions. Grounded in the theoretical framework of relationality, which views learning as emerging through relationships, I analyze interviews with undergraduate and graduate consultants at a private R1 university. The findings demonstrate that one-on- one conferences foster a broad spectrum of IPC skills, including adaptability, listening, intercultural communication, asking questions, building rapport, giving constructive criticism, setting boundaries, empathizing, and patience. The development of these knowledge and skills is cultivated through collaborative, meaning-making interactions with writers. As such, writing centers emerge as dynamic, relationship-driven …

Back Matter

The Writing Center Journal

Back Matter for Writing Center Journal 44.1.(2026)

Convenience And Communication: Students’ Experiences In Synchronous Online, In-Person, And Asynchronous Consultations, Carolyn Wisniewski

The Writing Center Journal

Writing center tutorial modalities have proliferated in recent years, yet research has not kept pace. Students’ experiences in online writing tutorials remain understudied (Denton, 2017; Hewett & DePew, 2015). Better understanding students’ experiences across session modalities is critical to achieving an inclusive and accessible writing center (Martinez & Olsen, 2015). This study used a mixed-methods, comparative design to determine how students selected, experienced, and perceived the accessibility of synchronous online, in-person, and asynchronous modalities. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 138 surveys and 22 interviews indicated students perceived each modality to provide effective writing support. They report selecting tutorial modality based …

Everyone Is A Writer: Building Writer Identities And Writing Communities In Preservice And English Language Arts Classrooms, Amber Warrington, Hanna Burns, Allie Zimmerly

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

In this article, a teacher educator and two early-career teachers reflect on a Teaching Writers methods course the teachers took as part of their teacher education program. In the course, the two teachers developed their own writer identities and took part in a writing community. The teachers discuss ways they have brought those experiences into their classrooms and adapted the experiences for their students and contexts.

Writing From Our Lives: From Reading Like Writers To Personal Narrative Writing, Julianna Kershen, Sarah Relja, David Mackowski, Grace Rhodes

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article describes the design and use of writing opportunities for preservice teacher candidates enrolled in English Language Arts education coursework. Based in the practice-based teacher education principle that preparatory coursework include implementation activities, we describe how preservice candidates engaged in the study of writer’s craft through immersion in mentor texts through close reading, annotation, and free response writing. This article highlights the benefits of such opportunities for preservice teacher-writers, as they (re)see themselves as active writers and reflect on their personal writing histories. Three preservice candidates share their writing as a means of celebrating their own beliefs and experiences …

From Prompts To Invitations: Rethinking The Genre Of The Writing Assignment Sheet, Amber Jensen, Annika Peacock

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

In this article, a university-based teacher educator and a first-year middle school ELA teacher examine how their experiences in the writing methods course (as teacher and student) unsettled and expanded their thinking about assignment sheets and about themselves as teacher-writers. The course prompted questions about how ELA teachers might craft assignments that modeled rhetorically-relevant writing while also eliciting rhetorically-relevant writing from student-writers. The authors describe the genre inquiry they conducted that led to developing a heuristic for writing prompts as invitations that they have used to guide their own assignment sheet creation. Finally, they reflect briefly on how reframing this …

A Literature Study On Collaborative Art Learning In Tasikmalaya Based On Paulo Freire's Pedagogy Of The Oppressed, Wan Ridwan Husen, M. Fahmi Nugraha

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study examines collaborative dialogical learning in art education based on Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy. It aims to explore how the concept of collaboration can be integrated into school-based art learning by utilizing the cultural assets of Tasikmalaya as a contextual framework. This research employs a literature study method by analyzing primary sources, particularly Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, along with secondary literature from academic journals related to critical pedagogy and art education. The analysis focuses on identifying key principles of dialogical learning and their relevance to collaborative practices in art education. The findings indicate that Freire's concept of …

Batik Motifs For The Distinctive Jarik Of The Samin Community In Reinterpreting The Essence Of Samin Surosentiko Pitutur Luhur, Sugeng Wardoyo, Aryo Anggorojati, Tri Wulandari

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

The Samin community (Sedulur Sikep) in Margomulyo, Bojonegoro, has the value of Pitutur Luhur inherited by Samin Surosentiko, but it has not been represented in the batik jarik motif as a communal identity. This creation-based research aims to explore this value, realize it in the design of written batik, and examine its philosophical meaning as an effort to preserve intangible cultural heritage. The method used is practice-based research with a qualitative approach through literature study (ethical data), participatory observation, and in-depth interviews with elders (emic data). The creation process refers to the stages of experimentation, manekung, and the formation of …

Empowerment Or Oppression? College Students’ Interpretations Of Sex And Relationships In The Popular Media, Nicola Mcclung, Riana Pella

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Scholars have long emphasized the harmful effects of overtly sexist and oppressive media images on young people’s understandings of sex and relationships. Yet, this emphasis on explicit harm leaves a gap in understanding how college students interpret subtle, hidden, and ambiguous media messages. To address this gap, we asked 196 California college students at a large public university to critique a range of mainstream media content— from overtly oppressive, to affirming of nondominant gender identities, to containing mixed messages about empowerment and oppression. Responses were coded using our media literacy scoring guide for assessing students’ ability to critically analyze media …

``Is That What It Means?'' Performative Storytelling In Early Childhood Education: Meaning-Making Through Interaction, Fathia Anggriani Pradina, Untung Yuwono, Bernadette Kushartanti

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Early childhood education is inextricably linked to the role of adults in every aspect of its process. In addition to formal classroom learning, storytelling with a storyteller is another activity that involves adults. The dialogic interaction between storyteller and children fosters the creation of meaning. This study examines how storytelling, as an interactional practice, can dynamically construct meaning together between storyteller and children. Sixty-one kindergarten children participated in this study during a one and half hour storytelling activity. The qualitative and interactional approach used in this study focused on moment-to-moment exchanges during the naturally occurring storytelling event. The findings indicate …

“I Want My Students To Be Knowledgeable About Civics”: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers Through A Civics-Focused Plc, Helena M. Sands, Daniela Kruel Digiacomo, Laura Darolia, Carly Muetterties, Stephanie Mobley

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This study describes a semester-long, civics-focused Professional Learning Community (PLC) with five elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs). Using inductive qualitative analysis of meeting transcripts, reflections, and field notes, three themes emerged: the PLC increased PSTs' confidence in integrating civics across the curriculum, built community through shared practicum experiences, and provided resources that broadened their understanding of civic learning. Findings suggest PLCs offer a promising structure for preparing elementary PSTs to prioritize civic education in their future classrooms.

Evaluating The Impact Of The Kentucky Read To Achieve (Rta) Initiative On School Reading Performance, Nicholas Gage, Erin Hogan, Todd Whitney, Terrance M. Scott, Amy S. Lingo

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Kentucky reading achievement has remained below statewide goals, which prompted a revision to the Read to Achieve (RTA) initiative, a state-level grant-funded program aimed at improving student literacy outcomes. The revision prioritized the professional learning of administrators and K-3 reading instructional staff in the science of reading and the adoption of high-quality structured literacy-based resources and aligned intervention resources. This study uses nine years of panel data (2014–2015 through 2023–2024) from all public schools in Kentucky to evaluate whether the revised RTA initiative had a differential effect on school-level reading outcomes. We employ propensity score matching and a heterogeneous difference-in-differences …

Preparing Teachers Where Teaching Happens: Designing Embedded Assignments In A School-University Partnership, Michael Dicicco, Shawn A. Faulkner

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

School-University partnerships (SUP) allow more opportunities for teacher candidates to bridge theory and practice. Working together teacher candidates gain valuable experience applying concepts in their classes with classroom teacher mentors. However, these partnerships can be complex and highly context dependent. Developing university course assignments for a SUP can be difficult. This article highlights a set of intentionally designed assignments the authors have developed over the last 8 years within an SUP. The goal is provide practical examples for those who are creating their own SUP.

Negotiating Poetic And Musical Structure: The Adaptation Of Pupuh Sinom In Tembang Sunda Cianjuran, Mustika Iman Zakaria Sudrajat, Yosep Nurdjaman Alamsyah

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

In the context of Sundanese culture, pupuh is a literary form that has static rules. As a literary form, pupuh is often used as a guide for composing song lyrics in Sundanese traditional vocal art, thereby leading to interactions with musical elements. In this case, this interaction happens to the pupuh Sinom, as mentioned in the lyrics of the tembang Sunda cianjuran song entitled Sinom Degung and Gawil Tarik. In this context, a negotiation occurs between the conventions of the pupuh Sinom and the song's melody, ultimately leading to the pupuh Sinom's adaptation. Using a descriptive analysis approach, …