ERIC Number: EJ987773
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1935-7125
EISSN: N/A
Cultural Storytelling as a Motivational Writing Prompt for English Language Learners: A Collaborative Research Endeavor
Cook, Carolyn L.; Taylor, Megan E.
School-University Partnerships, v5 n2 p75-88 Fall 2012
This qualitative study addresses the question "Does the use of storytelling motivate English language learners to engage in literacy practices more, or in a better way, and if so, how?". Storytelling of cultural tales related to fifth grade students' home cultures was introduced to provide a prompt for resultant student discussion and writing. All data collected--a writing attitude survey, writing samples, recordings of group discussions, and a final interview--display the literacy growth of Raeda, a newly emigrated girl from Bangladesh. A primary theme that emerged from this study was that the storytelling of cultural tales as discussion and writing prompts is a motivational factor in the process of learning a second language. This article also recounts the challenges and rewards of a year of collaborative instruction between a university faculty member and an English language learner teacher in a Professional Development School. The PDS partnership laid the foundation for this collaborative research to occur. The research endeavor positively affected all stakeholders--students, pre-service teachers, the in-service teacher, and the university professor. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Professional Development Schools, Foreign Countries, Second Language Learning, Writing Attitudes, Grade 5, Story Telling, English Language Learners, Literacy, Tales, Partnerships in Education, College Faculty, Preservice Teachers, Reading Aloud to Others, Motivation, Reading, English (Second Language), Elementary School Students
National Association for Professional Development Schools. 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW #190-611, Washington, DC 20004. Tel: 855-936-2737; e-mail: Info@napds.org; Web site: https://napds.org/publications-resources-from-napds/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Bangladesh; Maryland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A