Writing Across the Curriculum for Secondary School English Language Learners
A Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v3i1.79Keywords:
English language learner, Content-area writing, Secondary teaching, Content-area writing instruction, Writing across the curriculumAbstract
This study employs ethnographic case study method to explore secondary English language learners’ experiences with content-area writing in a U.S. public school setting. Documentary evidence, interviews, and students’ written work comprise the data set. Data are interpreted through a sociocognitive theoretical lens to take into account contextual and individual cognitive factors that come into play in English language learners’ development of content-specific writing. Findings suggest that a combination of institutional factors (e.g. school program design, state regulations, and state assessment systems) in concert with teacher beliefs and expectations of English language learners impact the content-area writing instruction which English language learners receive. This study points to the need for continued investigation of state policies, school processes, and teacher beliefs and practices that may enhance the quality and breadth of writing English language learners experience as they move through secondary school.
References
Ackerman, J. M. (1993) The promise of writing to learn. Written Communication 10: 334–370.
Atkinson, D. (2003) Writing and culture in the post-process era. Journal of Second Language Writing 12: 49–63.
Applebee, A. N. (1981) Writing in the Secondary School. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English.
August, D. and Shanahan, T. (eds) (2006) Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1981) The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays (ed. M. M. Holquist; trans. C. Emerson and M. M. Holquist). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1985) The Formal Methods in Literary Scholarship: A Critical Introduction to Sociological Poetics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1986) Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. Austin: University of Texas press.
Ballator, N., Farnum, M. and Kaplan, B. (1999) NAEP 1996 Trends in Writing: Fluency and Writing Conventions (No. 1999456) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Berber-Jimenez, L., Montelongo, J., Hernandez, A. C., Herter, R. and Hosking, D. (2008) Helping students write better conclusions. Science Teacher 75: 56–61.
Cheng, A. (2008) Individualized engagement with genre in academic literacy tasks. English for Specific Purposes 27: 387–411.
Cheng, L. and Milnes, T. (2008) Teachers’ assessment of ESL students in mainstream classes: Challenges, strategies, and decision-making. TESL Canada Journal 25: 49–65.
Diederich, P., French, J. and Carlton, S. (1961). Factors in the Judgment of Writing Quality. Princeton, New Jersey: Educational Testing Service.
Fu, D., Houser, R. and Huang, A. (2007) A collaboration between ESL and regular classroom teachers for ELL students’ literacy development. Changing English: Studies in Culture and Education 14: 325–342.
Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W. and Christian, D. (2006) Educating English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research Evidence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Graham, S. and Perin, D. (2007) Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School. Washington, D.C.: Alliance for Excellence in Education.
Hammond, J. and Macken-Horarik, M. (1999) Critical literacy: Challenges and questions for ESL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly 33: 528–544.
Harklau, L. (2002) The role of writing in classroom second language acquisition. Journal of Second Language Writing 11: 329–350.
Hillocks, G. (2002) The testing trap: How state writing assessments control learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Irving, W. (2005) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. New York: MacMillan and Company.
Kong, S. (2010) Writing in late immersion biology and history classes in Hong Kong. Writing & Pedagogy 2: 13–38
Langer, J. A. (1985) A sociocognitive view of literacy learning. Research in the Teaching of English 19: 235–237.
Leung, C., Harper, C., de Jong, E. and Creese, A. (2008) NOT just good teaching: Articulating ESL education. Paper presented at the TESOL Annual Convention.
Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
NAE P (2007) Measure up: Assessment news for middle school teachers. Retrieved on 11 October 2007 from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/Measure%20Up%20Middle%20School%20Fall%202007.pdf?p=6CC 6799F8C1371F6A52D672E2DF77F3FC51293D91BE7F4B09C163A457EA 528D9andType=D.
Roberts, C. (2009). Professional development and high-stakes testing: Disparate influences on student writing performance. Writing & Pedagogy 1: 65-90
Silva, T. (2008) A synthesis of the results of basic research on second language writing: 1980 to 2005. Paper presented at the Writing Research Across Borders Conference. Santa Barbara, California.
Silva, T. and Cimasko, T. (2009) Selected bibliography of recent scholarship in second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing 18: 61–67.
Tardy, C. (2006) Researching first and second language genre learning: A comparative review and a look ahead. Journal of Second Language Writing 15: 79–101.
TESOL (2007) TESOL research agenda: Key issues and questions in English language learners literacy research. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Retrieved on 21 September 2010 from http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/bin.asp?CID =236&DID =10057&DOC =FILE .PDF
Valdes, G. (2001) Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1986) Thought and Language. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Wertsch, J. V. (1979) The Concept of Activity in Soviet Psychology. New York: Sharpe.
Wertsch, J. V. (1991) Voices of the Mind. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J. V., and Stone, A. (1985) The concept of internalization in Vygotsky’s account of the genesis of higher mental functions. In J. V. Wertsch (ed.) Culture, Communication and Cognition 162–189. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Zwiers, J. (2006) Integrating academic language, thinking, and content: Learning scaffolds for non-native speakers in the middle grades. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5: 317–332.
Atkinson, D. (2003) Writing and culture in the post-process era. Journal of Second Language Writing 12: 49–63.
Applebee, A. N. (1981) Writing in the Secondary School. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English.
August, D. and Shanahan, T. (eds) (2006) Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1981) The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays (ed. M. M. Holquist; trans. C. Emerson and M. M. Holquist). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1985) The Formal Methods in Literary Scholarship: A Critical Introduction to Sociological Poetics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1986) Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. Austin: University of Texas press.
Ballator, N., Farnum, M. and Kaplan, B. (1999) NAEP 1996 Trends in Writing: Fluency and Writing Conventions (No. 1999456) Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Berber-Jimenez, L., Montelongo, J., Hernandez, A. C., Herter, R. and Hosking, D. (2008) Helping students write better conclusions. Science Teacher 75: 56–61.
Cheng, A. (2008) Individualized engagement with genre in academic literacy tasks. English for Specific Purposes 27: 387–411.
Cheng, L. and Milnes, T. (2008) Teachers’ assessment of ESL students in mainstream classes: Challenges, strategies, and decision-making. TESL Canada Journal 25: 49–65.
Diederich, P., French, J. and Carlton, S. (1961). Factors in the Judgment of Writing Quality. Princeton, New Jersey: Educational Testing Service.
Fu, D., Houser, R. and Huang, A. (2007) A collaboration between ESL and regular classroom teachers for ELL students’ literacy development. Changing English: Studies in Culture and Education 14: 325–342.
Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W. and Christian, D. (2006) Educating English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research Evidence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Graham, S. and Perin, D. (2007) Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School. Washington, D.C.: Alliance for Excellence in Education.
Hammond, J. and Macken-Horarik, M. (1999) Critical literacy: Challenges and questions for ESL classrooms. TESOL Quarterly 33: 528–544.
Harklau, L. (2002) The role of writing in classroom second language acquisition. Journal of Second Language Writing 11: 329–350.
Hillocks, G. (2002) The testing trap: How state writing assessments control learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Irving, W. (2005) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. New York: MacMillan and Company.
Kong, S. (2010) Writing in late immersion biology and history classes in Hong Kong. Writing & Pedagogy 2: 13–38
Langer, J. A. (1985) A sociocognitive view of literacy learning. Research in the Teaching of English 19: 235–237.
Leung, C., Harper, C., de Jong, E. and Creese, A. (2008) NOT just good teaching: Articulating ESL education. Paper presented at the TESOL Annual Convention.
Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A. M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
NAE P (2007) Measure up: Assessment news for middle school teachers. Retrieved on 11 October 2007 from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/Measure%20Up%20Middle%20School%20Fall%202007.pdf?p=6CC 6799F8C1371F6A52D672E2DF77F3FC51293D91BE7F4B09C163A457EA 528D9andType=D.
Roberts, C. (2009). Professional development and high-stakes testing: Disparate influences on student writing performance. Writing & Pedagogy 1: 65-90
Silva, T. (2008) A synthesis of the results of basic research on second language writing: 1980 to 2005. Paper presented at the Writing Research Across Borders Conference. Santa Barbara, California.
Silva, T. and Cimasko, T. (2009) Selected bibliography of recent scholarship in second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing 18: 61–67.
Tardy, C. (2006) Researching first and second language genre learning: A comparative review and a look ahead. Journal of Second Language Writing 15: 79–101.
TESOL (2007) TESOL research agenda: Key issues and questions in English language learners literacy research. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Retrieved on 21 September 2010 from http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/bin.asp?CID =236&DID =10057&DOC =FILE .PDF
Valdes, G. (2001) Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1986) Thought and Language. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Wertsch, J. V. (1979) The Concept of Activity in Soviet Psychology. New York: Sharpe.
Wertsch, J. V. (1991) Voices of the Mind. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J. V., and Stone, A. (1985) The concept of internalization in Vygotsky’s account of the genesis of higher mental functions. In J. V. Wertsch (ed.) Culture, Communication and Cognition 162–189. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Zwiers, J. (2006) Integrating academic language, thinking, and content: Learning scaffolds for non-native speakers in the middle grades. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 5: 317–332.
Published
2011-06-29
Issue
Section
Research Matters
How to Cite
Wilcox, K. C. (2011). Writing Across the Curriculum for Secondary School English Language Learners: A Case Study. Writing and Pedagogy, 3(1), 79-111. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v3i1.79
