Exploring the Use of Elements of New Literacies Theories in Traditional Developmental Writing Class for First Year College Students

Odette J Reid

This paper presentation will be on the qualitative comparative case study that was designed to explore the differences of students’ engagement and motivation in a traditional developmental writing class, and one in which elements of a new literacies stance (Bailey, 2012) were taken by the instructor. Based on interviews, surveys, and classroom observations, this study examined how students engaged with writing and each other in two types of classrooms: one – traditional and one infused with new literacies. Additionally, the study’s purpose was to determine whether the teaching practices and pedagogies of adjunct instructors could be enhanced and/or informed using theories in new literacies, specifically multimodality, new literacies, and multiliteracies. Various themes emerged in this study which showed that theories in new literacies influence student engagement and the teaching practices of developmental writing instructors. Furthermore, implications can be found with regards to teaching writing with an anti-racist pedagogy. The shift to remote learning during data collection also demonstrated the resilience of instructors and students, and the impact that shifting pedagogies can have on developmental writing instructions and process.

Zoom link: https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/99107096096

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *