Dual Language Teachers' Changing Views of Spanish Literacy Teaching and Learning as Influenced by Critical Dialogue

This study grew out of a growing awareness of the severe lack of quality and authentic Spanish literacy instructional practices. There were two major purposes. The first was to examine the relationships between Dual Language (DL) teachers’ views on Spanish literacy instructional practices, their students’, and the texts from which they taught to enact their practice. A second purpose was to identify and inform three DL educators of Spanish literacy pedagogical views so that they could consider those views in light of their current practices. The research design was three case studies of the three DL teachers and addressed four research questions: What are the Spanish literacy instructional practices of three dual language teachers?; How do these teachers view their students?; What are their expressed literacy ideologies for Spanish literacy instructional practices?; How does critical dialogue affect their literacy ideologies and practices? The twenty-week study consisted of thirty-two (one hour) classroom observations, six (one hour) critical dialogue sessions, two pre/post interviews, and related classroom documents. Findings suggested the impact of examining DL teachers’ views through critical dialogue was successful in identifying how teachers viii negotiated their Spanish literacy instructional practices. A major contribution of this study is pedagogical clarity. This concept is the increased consciousness that teachers have of their own practice. This consciousness becomes a frame of mind from which they draw as they reflect upon their practice and make decisions about what to enact with their students. The teachers in this study developed pedagogical clarity, a term developed to explain their process in serving their students’ literacy needs, desires, interests, and inquiries.Doctor of PhilosophyDoctoralUniversity of New Mexico. Division of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural StudiesMeyer, RichardCeledon-Pattichis, SylviaFlores-Duenas, LeilaFlores, Barbar