Matching Items (584)
Filtering by
Description
The purpose of this study is to explore the literacy practices members of an online fan community engage in to participate in the space and to question what learning happens through that participation. This dissertation is the product of a two-year virtual ethnographic study of The Sims Writers' Hangout (SWH), a discussion forum website established by fans of The Sims to support members' interests in creating and sharing Sims fan fiction. Affinity space theory informs an understanding of SWH's organization, and a definition of literacies as situated, social practices also frames the study. Data were collected following a discourse-centered online ethnographic approach, which guided systematic observation and interactions with eight key informants. The data corpus includes hundreds of pages of discussion forum posts, member profiles, moderator-created norming texts, numerous digital, multimodal Sims fan fiction texts, virtual interview responses from informants, field notes, and additional virtual artifacts, such as informants' websites and Flickr® photostreams. Study results are presented within three separate manuscripts prepared for publication and presentation, each exploring different lines of inquiry related to SWH. Chapter 3 focuses on tensions visible in the forum discussions to argue for an expansion of affinity space theory that accounts for the “hanging out” members do in the space. Chapter 4 analyzes one informant's literacy practices using a Design perspective. This analysis reveals the collaborative nature of Sims fan fiction literacies. The final manuscript (Chapter 5) offers an analysis of SWH pedagogy using Bernstein's pedagogic device concept. Data illustrate how pedagogic discourse in this online, informal learning space aligns with and challenges Bernstein's theory. Finally, Chapter 6 offers conclusions about how these three analyses expand our understanding of adolescent literacies and 21st century learning. This chapter also contains implications for theory and practice, recommendations for future research, and reflections on lessons learned.
ContributorsLammers, Jayne Catherine (Author) / Marsh, Josephine P (Thesis advisor) / Hayes, Elisabeth R. (Committee member) / Gee, James P (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The pace of technological development and the integral role technologies play in the lives of today's youth continue to transform perceptions and definitions of literacy. Just as the growth in completely online texts and the use of audio books and e-readers expands the definition of reading, digital platforms like blogs expand the notion of literary response and analysis. Responding to the complexities of literacy, this study examines the ways in which the literacy practice of blogging about young adult literature might elicit the active, intellectual orientation, or habits of mind, often sought in adolescent literacy development. Employing Gardner's Five Minds theory as an analysis tool and what Erickson calls "key linkages" as a framework, blog transcripts were read and coded. Those coded literacy acts were then linked to reveal any evidence of the creating, respectful, ethical, disciplined, and synthesizing habits of mind. From these overlays, empirical data tables emerged, accompanied by integrated case study narratives. Empirical data illustrate the aspects of the cases, and exposition provides a feature analysis of the habits of mind observed during blogging as a form of literary response to young adult literature. Results of this study suggest that bloggers writing about young adult books in a weblog environment reveal 1) some proficiency at synthesizing material, 2) a tendency to evaluate, 3) only moderate demonstration of the disciplined and respectful/ethical habits, 4) minimal evidence of the creating mind, and 5) moderate proficiency in basic transactional writing. Aligning with previous research, Talking with Our Fingertips illuminates possibilities for adopting pedagogical principles that provide student agency and potentially increase motivation and productivity.
ContributorsMiller, Donna L. (Donna Lynn) (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis advisor) / Chin, Beverly A (Committee member) / Marsh, Josephine P (Committee member) / Nilsen, Alleen P (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of a context-based teaching approach (STS) versus a more traditional textbook approach on the attitudes and achievement of community college chemistry students. In studying attitudes toward chemistry within this study, I used a 30-item Likert scale in order to study the importance of chemistry in students' lives, the importance of chemistry, the difficulty of chemistry, interest in chemistry, and the usefulness of chemistry for their future career. Though the STS approach students had higher attitude post scores, there was no significant difference between the STS and textbook students' attitude post scores. It was noted that females had higher postattitude scores in the STS group, while males had higher postattitude scores in the textbook group. With regard to postachievement, I noted that males had higher scores in both groups. A correlation existed between postattitude and postachievement in the STS classroom. In summary, while an association between attitude and achievement was found in the STS classroom, teaching approach or sex was not found to influence attitudes, while sex was also not found to influence achievement. These results, overall, suggest that attitudes are not expected to change on the basis of either teaching approach or gender, and that techniques other than changing the teaching approach would need to be used in order to improve the attitudes of students. Qualitative analysis of an online discussion activity on Energy revealed that STS students were able to apply aspects of chemistry in decision making related to socioscientific issues. Additional analysis of interview and written responses provided insight regarding attitudes toward chemistry, with respect to topics of applicability of chemistry to life, difficulties with chemistry, teaching approach for chemistry, and the intent for enrolling in additional chemistry courses. In addition, the surveys of female students brought out subcategories with regard to emotional and professional characteristics of a good teacher, under the category of characteristics of teaching approach. With respect to the category of course experience, subcategories of useful knowledge to solve real-life problems and knowledge for future career were revealed. The differences between the control group females and STS group females with respect to these characteristics was striking and threw insight into how teacher behavior and teaching approach shape student attitudes to chemistry in case of female students.
ContributorsPerkins, Gita (Author) / Baker, Dale R. (Thesis advisor) / Sloane, Finbarr (Committee member) / Marsh, Josephine P (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Publisher) / Arizona Board of Regents (Publisher)
Created1939
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Creator) / Marine Biological Laboratory (Publisher)
Created2006
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Creator) / Marine Biological Laboratory (Publisher)
Created2007
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Publisher) / Arizona Board of Regents (Publisher)
Created1944
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Publisher) / Arizona Board of Regents (Publisher)
Created1945
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Publisher) / Arizona Board of Regents (Publisher, Publisher)
Created1948
ContributorsMarine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, Mass.) (Creator) / Marine Biological Laboratory (Publisher)
Created1996