Purpose of this blog: Reviews of interesting research in English education journals. When possible, I suggest how I might apply the findings to my own classroom.
10-second review: “The study examined the history of research on the teaching and learning of English.”
Title: “Promising Research: An Historical Analysis of Award-Winning Inquiry, 1970-1989.” Research in the Teaching of English (February 1992), 41-70.
Summary: Analyzed the work of recipients of the NCTE’s Promising Researcher Awards, year by year.
Quote: “Results of the analysis of studies revealed a strong but shifting influence of approaches borrowed from other disciplines, including linguistics, sociolinguistics, cognitive psychology, anthropology, and literary criticism. Findings suggest that the development has been characterized not by ‘pendulum shifts’ from one extreme to another but by the gradual discovery of a new area of interest, exploration and broader analysis of the area through a variety of approaches, followed by a move to a new focus of investigation….”
Comment: Somehow, I feel a need to have someone summarize promising ideas in research—ideas that might have practical value to the classroom teacher. In short, I think a new journal should be developed called Research in English from the Teacher’s Point of View. The ideas might not need to be “proved” by research, but be labeled “promising research findings.” In other words, the teacher needs educators to interpret the implications of research findings from the classroom point of view without the specialized language of research and in plain English.
This particular study seems to have the most value to would-be researchers and very little value to the classroom teacher except for general understanding of a trend in research. RayS.
No comments:
Post a Comment