Harnessing the power of students' out-of-school interests and knowledge : integrating popular culture in a 6th grade English language arts curriculum

Ph.D. University of Hawaii at Manoa 2011.Includes bibliographical references.The purpose of this qualitative action research, case study was to understand literacy practices connected to popular culture of sixth grade students and to explore what happened when a teacher and students integrated students' popular culture interests into an English Language Arts curriculum. Sociocultural theories, constructivism, popular culture theories, and 21st Century literacy theories framed this study. This research represented a single-case action research study of two sixth grade classes. There were a total of 40 students participating in the study, ranging from ages 10 to 11. Data were collected from a variety of sources over an extended period of time in order to help create a complete picture of the impacts of popular culture integrated into language arts curriculum. These sources included: a researcher's journal, student questionnaires and interest surveys, focus group interviews, individual interviews, student work samples, and Hawaiʻi State Assessment data. Upon analysis, nine big ideas emerged from the data. The results showed there to be positive social-emotional classroom environment, one in which students felt empowered and demonstrated critical thinking in all aspects of the formal curriculum. In exploring students' popular culture interests and connections to schooling, there were some differences noted between gender and it was also observed that students faced influences from both parents and peers in their interests and pleasures in popular culture. Finally, the impact on me, the teacher researcher was a transformation of practice and subsequent empowerment