This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the oral narrative production of students in the course of their normal school day in a northeastern middle school. Oral narrative is defined as spoken language that takes place in a social interaction in which one intent of the speaker is to interpret or make sense of the present by telling about past events. Reviews of the literature provide the rationale for not only studying student oral narrative but also valuing it. Qualitative analysis and an ethnographic approach to collecting data form the methodology of the dissertation. I was a participant observer on a seventh-grade team of sixty students and four teachers. I recorded their talk and my observations in settings which included homeroom, study periods, core classes, interviews, small group discussions, and field trips. Through a process of rereading, coding, charting, and condensing the data, I was able to describe episode-specific and underlying discourse rules which were most often operative just prior to the emergence of student narrative. I found that student oral narrative was most likely to occur just after the discourse rule context made clear that language could be recorded for further study. Students were more likely to narrate just after they were supported in their using language for a variety of purposes including to answer questions and to express emotions. When students could initiate the topic of talk, speak spontaneously, and talk with small groups of peers, oral narrative was also more likely to occur. Pedagogical implications include the need for educational leaders to design in-service education that familiarizes current practitioners with a research base for decision making in the area of developing students as oral communicators and thereby as narrators. One of many recommendations for further research is that k-12 language arts curricular be examined in terms of how they address students as speakers/narrators.

This dissertation reports findings from a sociolinguistic ethnographic study that examined relationships between a critical language awareness, peer conferencing, and student writing. The purpose of the study was to use critical language study to develop student understanding of the social, cultural and political aspects of language, thereby promoting democratic classrooms. The study involved the revision of the traditional peer conferencing format to include consideration of the social, cultural, and political aspects of language and power. This pedagogical change was embedded in a critical language awareness curriculum and in a Native American unit of study, and involved eighth graders at a suburban middle school who represented a variety of cultures, ethnicities, socio-economic classes, and abilities. They wrote response papers and stories focused on Native American topics and conferred with their partners regarding the social, cultural, and political aspects of language and power in the representation of Native Americans in their stories and response papers. Students recorded their conference responses on the peer conference sheets, and wrote final drafts of their stories and response papers. Analysis of 20 peer conferences involved thematic and critical discourse microanalysis of student talk and critical discourse microanalysis of student final drafts and revisions of their writing. The critical discourse microanalysis, was based on Fairclough's (1992) approach to discourse analysis. The evidence demonstrates that when students became critical language analysts by providing an alternative frame in which to understand seemingly naturalistic ideologies within a text, students were aware of the relationships between language and power. This position was facilitated through discourses and ideologies presented in the revised curriculum, which assisted them in identifying and analyzing the social, cultural, and political aspects of language. This curriculum included the revised peer conference sheet, history curriculum, and personal experiences. In taking up the critical language analyst subject position, students worked toward a critical and complex understanding of language and power not provided by traditional peer conferencing theory and practice. In doing so, students created a more democratic classroom in which students realized their power and authority to promote social change through language.

This dissertation documents the implementation of new writing curriculum and the development of a Writers' Workshop in a multicultural/urban fourth and fifth grade classroom. It is my personal account of how I as teacher-researcher worked to raise the expectations of my children by creating a positive climate in which to learn and a classroom that haled writing as part of the original curriculum. The study began with a writing party for three hundred, fifty third, fourth and fifth grade students, their parents and family members after which they received writing bags to take home. The Writers' Workshop described in this dissertation is a one-classroom initiative and progression of change. There are seven conclusions that I have drawn through the implementation of the Writers' Workshop in the classroom. First, it is essential that teachers have high expectations for the success of their students. Second, children's writing displayed for everyone to see builds a positive classroom climate for both teacher and students. Classroom climate and management influence students' sense of belonging to the classroom. Third, children need the right tools and materials to help them to be creative. Fourth, children need opportunities to explore many genres, forms and purposes for writing within a writing process model. Fifth, the writers' workshop model defines every child as a writer right now. Children need to know that all writers go through the same steps for creating a good writing piece as they do. They experience the same frustrations when trying to find the right words to phrase a line in a poetry piece or to make a message clear in a writing piece. Sixth, opportunities for cross-curriculum writing are essential to help children expand their writing ideas and topics for writing. Math comic strips helped my students to create word problems pertaining to everyday situations. Seventh, technology is essential in support of writing and publishing. Five computers were available in the classroom for use by the children. Use of the computers and access to the Internet increased the volume of published work by the children as well as their knowledge of how to operate the software.

This study examines the writing requirements and structures for administering writing at 54 small, selective liberal arts college. After a brief introduction to the theory and practice of writing across the curriculum, I place writing in the context of these small colleges. I base my research on these colleges' primary documents as well as data from an extensive qualitative survey in which all 54 schools participated. I define three of the most common types of writing requirements at these institutions: (1) Composition Courses in their different forms; (2) First-Year Seminars; and, (3) Writing Intensive Courses. I discuss the self-reported advantages and challenges of each approach. I focus on the role of writing in a liberal arts education and the distributed nature of teaching writing at such schools. I then offer an overall view of writing requirements and administrative structures at these schools, noting the advantages and challenges of teaching and administering writing in these distinctive institutional settings. Finally, I move towards developing a theory and practice of writing at the small liberal arts college and propose a framework for thinking about writing that helps cultivate an overall culture of writing. I suggest some "best practices" for writing at such colleges, and include recommendations for the structure of student writing experiences, support for faculty in the teaching of writing, and the administration and oversight of writing. I end with a vision of writing across the curriculum at the small liberal arts college that integrates teaching, writing, and learning.

Many people believe folk and fairy tales convey a set of universal truths and beliefs; however, scholars, researchers, and folklorists have questioned or challenged this supposition. There are many versions of traditional tales and reworked tales that provide different points of view. Tale Type 500: The Name of the Helper, classified by Aarne-Thompson, is one tale that has a number of counter perspectives. While there are many variations of this tale, the Grimms' Rumpelstiltskin is the most well known. There is a lack of scholarly investigation of both the original tale and its manifestations and reconstructions. Reconstructed versions of Tale Type 500 provide more information about characters' motives with the intent of providing a different ideology. The methodology of this dissertation applies a critical multicultural analysis (Rudman & Botelho, forthcoming) to examine power in adaptations of Tale Type 500 written for children and young adults. Critical multicultural analysis is an approach that helps readers identify and analyze power relations in literature. Specifically, this study examines the fluidity of the power that characters exercise on a continuum: domination, collusion, resistance, and agency. First, this study examines characters' actions regarding how power is exercised by identifying the power on a continuum of domination through agency. Second, this study examines which characters benefit from the power exercised, and how they benefit. Third, this study identifies which characters are disadvantaged from power and how. Following each analysis is a discussion about the implications for children in America's society today. The findings of this study, indicate that power relationships are a prominent theme in the reconstructed versions of Tale Type 500. Three general themes emerged in this study: (1) readers can look at power relations in children's literature and see how the texts reflect critical theory about power relations, (2) some authors of children's literature consciously apply critical literacy practices, and (3) few texts portray characters exercising the power of agency. By identifying social implications of text ideologies and questioning the issues of power in children's literature, critical readers can consider how texts counteract, maintain, or promote alternative systemic power structures.

This project shows how web tools can be effectively integrated into the community college composition curriculum through staff development. It shows the need for adaptation of materials designed for K-12 education to the community college level and the development of grade-appropriate materials using web resources. The need for authentic assessment is explored and the means to prove it were supplied. Examples of web tools, sites for developing web tools and resources for accessing and applying authentic assessment tools were given.

This project creates an interactive website on the literature surrounding reading and concept acquisition skills in adult learners. This website used in conjunction with the Basic Skills English 10A course given in community colleges will enhance reading and concept acquisitions skills enabling student the self cofidence, encouragement and motivation to complete the course.

Research supporting the viability of music to promote language and literacy development as well as the theory of multiple intelligences suggests that any sound educational program employ a multifaceted approach to teaching and learning. This project created a thematically based multiple intelligence curriculum for first grade English language learners that emphasized the use of song.