Publication Date
3-14-2017
Abstract
This critical participatory action research study sought to understand what happens when students’ interest and experiences with popular culture are integrated into a standards-based sixth grade English language arts curriculum. Multiple data sources were analyzed using the theoretical concept of third space. Findings showed that (a) a democratic, collaborative learning zone was established for all members of the classroom community, (b) students were successful in a curriculum that was situated in academic literacies and their popular culture interests and literacies, and (c) this experience resulted in a transformation of teacher practice. Given the current educational climate, these findings suggest the importance of fostering spaces where academic literacies and popular culture are not positioned as binary opposites; rather they are viewed as two interrelated and relevant components of a child’s education. Furthermore, the findings call for an emphasis on pedagogy to produce powerful learning experiences, drawing upon popular culture funds of knowledge as assets for learning.
Recommended Citation
Buelow, S. (2017). Popular Culture and Academic Literacies Situated in a Pedagogical Third Space. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 56 (1). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol56/iss1/1
