How do ELA spaces, here defined as classroom practices, curricula, and assignments, invite students to locate “their” voice? To enact one? To what extent do or might pedagogical approaches to and community norms for a class discussion; the possibility and opportunity to lean into uncertainty; the texts students read and are exposed to; and the kinds of writing assignments and different narrative perspectives with which they experiment each play a role in shaping that voice? The chapters that follow will explore occasions and sites where voice may be located in different iterations in the ELA secondary classroom. Based on student claims and written responses on which I report in this dissertation, ELA spaces emerge as a kind of laboratory theater for locating a writerly identity. The results of my research suggest that Harkness pedagogy; reading and writing in response to literature; dialectical journaling; essaying that embraces uncertainty; experiment and play with different narrative perspectives; and being in conversation with literature are all promising pedagogical approaches to ELA instruction whose aim is to help writers locate and develop their own writerly voice.

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The research question I wondered about was whether becoming a reflective practitioner/teacher could contribute to a sense of empowerment and greater effectiveness in practice. I am telling my own story in this study and have chosen to do this through the use of a variant of Life History Research called Narrative Inquiry. This is a qualitative approach to research and makes use of narratives. Field texts (journal entries, family stories, teacher stories) were produced through conversations, observation and journal writing. These field texts were then presented in narrative form. Analysis of the field texts, as well as the story was done throughout the research process. I used conceptual tools developed within Narrative Inquiry to analyse the narrated data in order to foreground the two main areas namely personal and professional growth. Based on this study of my personal experience of the use of reflection, it would seem that becoming a reflective practitioner could indeed contribute to a sense of empowerment and more effective classroom practice by supporting personal and professional growth and development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die navorsingsprobleem waaroor ek wonder is of die gebruik van refleksie as reflektiewe praktisyn kan bydra tot 'n gevoel van bemagtiging en groter effektiwiteit binne die klaskamer. Aangesien ek my eie storie in hierdie studie wou vertel het ek besluit om gebruik te maak van 'n variant van lewensgeskiedenisnavorsing naamlik 'Narrative Inquiry'. 'Narrative Inquiry' is 'n kwalitatiewe benadering tot navorsing en maak gebruik van stories. Narratiewe data (dagboekinskrywings, familieen onderwyserstories) is geproduseer uit gesprekke, waarneming en die skryf van 'n dagboek en is in die vorm van 'n storie vertel. Analise van narratiewe data vind plaas regdeur die navorsingsproses. In die analise van die narratiewe data is gebruik gemaak van konseptueie terme wat binne 'Narrative Inquriry' ontwikkel is om die professionele en persoonlike ontwikkeling uit te lig. Uit hierdie studie van persoonlike ervaring van die gebruik van refleksie as 'n reflektiewe praktisyn wil dit blyk dat die gebruik van refleksie wel kan bydra tot gevoelens van bemagtiging en groter effektiwiteit binne die praktyk, aangesien dit professionele en persoonlike groei en ontwikkeling ondersteun.