Fifth-grade students' use of genre in a collaborative writing workshop
Abstract
This dissertation focuses on three case studies of students who participated in a collaborative writing workshop throughout one academic year. The study addresses the social aspects of the literacy process, creating opportunities for collaborative discourse among peers, and the use of genre in a fifth grade classroom. The researcher was the children's classroom teacher. In the classroom, literacy was characterized by active peer relations as students collaborated on independent texts and co-authored texts. The study includes a detailed account of the collaborative processes that the students used to gain access to a variety of genres including narratives, non-narratives, combined narrative and non-narratives, and poetry. Analysis of the students' individual texts, co-authored texts, transcripts of interviews, and transcripts of collaboration examine children's ability to negotiate meaning through regular interaction with their peers. The case studies provide an in-depth view of three students' experiences, use of genre, presentation styles, and roles of involvement over time. Findings also indicate the broad variation of genres for all 26 participants through the analysis of over 300 child-created texts.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Britsch, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching|Language arts|Elementary education
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