Making Writing Meaningful: A Sociocultural Analysis of Student Perceptions of the Authenticity of Writing Tasks Open Access
Behizadeh, Nadia (2011)
Published
Abstract
The present trend in educational reform towards standardization
and a focus on basic
skills conflicts with the theories of a number of prominent
educational researchers who advocate
for authentic learning as an effective way to increase student
engagement and achievement,
particularly in teaching writing. However well-intentioned, NCLB
does not work (Mintrop &
Sunderman, 2009), and it is time to create (or return to) policies,
curricula, and professional
development that support the development of authentic learning
experiences for all students.
Although scholars support authentic learning and agree that for an
academic task to be perceived
by students as authentic, that task needs to connect to the "real
world" of the students
(Newmann, Marks, Gamoran, 1996; Splitter, 2009), very little
research has explored what makes
particular activities or tasks authentic for students.
The purpose of this study is threefold. The primary purpose of this
study is to determine
what factors affect student perceptions of the authenticity of
academic writing tasks. The second
purpose is to condense students' perceptions into a generalized
student-based definition of
authenticity, and the third and final purpose of the study is to
examine the psychometric
properties of a proposed measure, the Perceived Authenticity of
Writing Scale. In order to
achieve these purposes, I surveyed and interviewed a diverse group
of 8th grade students to
gather data on their perceptions of the authenticity of two major
writing tasks: a narrative essay
and an expository (compare and contrast) essay. The major findings
of this study include a need
for a classroom community of writers who share their work with each
other, but also share their
work with wider audiences in order to have a global impact. Also,
the survey findings and
interview themes align with the theory of Culturally Relevant
Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 2009)
and the practice of Participatory Action Research (Ginwright &
Noguera, 2006; Hosang, 2006;
Morrell, 2008).
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Statement of the Problem 2
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions 2
Significance 3
Theoretical Framework 5
Definition of Terms 6
Review of the Literature 7
Search Criteria and Methods 7
Theoretical Research on Authenticity 9
Authentic (and Inauthentic) Writing in English Classes: Empirical
Examples 20
Conclusion from Literature Review 26
Methodology 27
Research Design 27
Site/Participants 28
Data Collection 29
Data Analysis 31
Researcher Positionality 32
Results 33
Quantitative Analysis 33
Qualitative Analysis 39
Discussion 55
Conclusion 62
References 64
Tables and Figures 73
Table 1: Interviewee Characteristics
Table 2: Item Reports for Task 1 and Task 2
Figure 1: Second Generation Activity System Triangle
Figure 2: Classroom Activity Elements and Selected
Sub-elements
Figure 3: An Authentic Writing Classroom System
Figure 4: Authenticity Variable Map, Personal Narrative
Figure 5: Authenticity Variable Map, Compare and Contrast
Essay
Appendices 80
Appendix A: Demographic Questions for Initial Survey
Appendix B: Perceived Authenticity of Writing Scale
Appendix C: Interview Guides
Appendix D: Methods Matrix
Appendix E: Extracted Factors from Factor Analysis
Appendix F: Parental Consent Form
Appendix G: Student Assent Form
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