Description
TitleFlipping the script: (re)writing identity in the figured world of school
Date Created2021
Other Date2021-10 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (xi, 271 pages)
DescriptionOver the last twenty years, students have faced increased standardized testing requirements, yet there has been little progress in closing achievement gaps (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Research has instead suggested that the use of standardized testing both positions students as struggling, while denying them legitimate opportunities for improvement (Au, 2009). To construct enduring identities as writers, students need more than discrete, quantifiable literacy skills; they also need to feel competent, discover purpose, develop expertise, and exert agency (Beach & Ward, 2013; Frankel, 2016; Hall, 2016; Holland et al., 1998; Vetter, 2011). The present study sought to understand how underperforming students develop these characteristics throughout school. Following an embedded case study approach, this study examined the beliefs and experiences of high school seniors who failed the state graduation assessment four or more times. Student and teacher data were collected through a survey, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed in three phases, using Holland, Lachiotte, Skinner & Cain’s (1998) theory of identity development in figured worlds.
Findings suggested that while all students eventually passed required proficiency assessments, they did not necessarily develop more advanced characteristics of writers, such as expertise and agency. Additionally, this study found that assessment requirements negatively impacted the opportunities students had to develop their writing identities in the context of school. In spite of limitations, there was evidence that specific teacher practices fostered students’ engagement, self-awareness, and self-reliance. Findings from this study may be useful to educators seeking to balance assessment demands with instruction that promotes students’ identities as writers.
NoteEd.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School of Education Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.