In this literacy narrative, the author reflects on how an assignment in graduate school changed from a confusing task to an exciting window through which he began to look into the intellectual and epistemological bases of education in the United States. While doing so, the author also briefly discusses the pedagogical implications of using…

In this article, we examine three literacy autobiographies written by pre-service teachers. Narratives are seen as not just stories relating a set of facts, but rather a means by which individuals interpret their experience. Literacy autobiographies are a reflective and interpretive account of one's development as a literate being. Using the tools…

This article deals with an action research project in which a group of academics from different disciplines reflect on and gradually extend their knowledge on how to support students' academic literacy development. The aim of this research is to understand how the collaborative work becomes a resource in challenging participants' initial…

Identity and literacy development are two critical processes shaping the life trajectories of adolescents. Identity development in particular can present unique issues for Black adolescent girls, who are positioned in ways to negotiate their identity(ies) when presented with hegemonic language and representations of what is beauty and what is…

This narrative chronicles my journey as a doctoral student in English Education as I navigated the decision as to which research methodologies I should align myself with during my doctoral studies. Gee's theory of discourses (2012) provides a framework in which to situate the identity work at play in deciding the kind of research methods one…

Critical analysis of the literacy narrative assignment within the context of the other genres in a basic writing course complicates understandings of the political import of the assignment. While several advocates of the literacy narrative have argued that it has the power of what Jean-François Lyotard has called petits récits, the authors argue…

Nikki Aharonian, an experienced primary school teacher and leader of professional learning in Israel, discovered the powerful influence of writing in learning when she embarked on postgraduate studies. Writing and written conversations were central to her learning experience and teacher-writing in professional learning and identity development…

This paper explores narrative inquiry practices in pre-service teacher education program. Written dialogue by teacher candidates provided deep and long term reflection during a 5-year initial teacher education program. This 4-year longitudinal study with 30 teacher candidate participants considers participants' knowledge formation in becoming…