ERIC Number: EJ949087
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Dec
Pages: 39
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1086-296X
EISSN: N/A
Learning about Language through Inquiry-Based Discussion: Three Bidialectal High School Students' Talk about Dialect Variation, Identity, and Power
Chisholm, James S.; Godley, Amanda J.
Journal of Literacy Research, v43 n4 p430-468 Dec 2011
The field of literacy studies has seen decades of calls for scholarship and instruction that address issues of dialect diversity, identity, and power but few empirical studies that document students' engagement in classroom activities designed to address these issues. The goal of this article is to describe how three bidialectal African American high school students learned about language variation, identity, and power through their participation in a small-group, inquiry-based discussion. The authors' description analyzes both the learning opportunities and limitations provided by the design of the inquiry-based discussion and also the content learning about the English language that was evidenced by the students' talk. The findings suggest that inquiry-based discussions, when driven by carefully worded questions, can lead to robust student learning about language variation and can engage students in authentic disciplinary problem posing. (Contains 4 tables and 5 figures.)
Descriptors: High School Students, Grade 11, African American Students, Sociolinguistics, Black Dialects, Class Activities, Learning Activities, Literacy, Inquiry, Course Content, Knowledge Level, Language Variation
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A