A Place for Writing

Examining a Place-Based Curriculum for High-Performing Rural Writers

Authors

  • Erika L. Bass Department of Languages and Literatures, University of Northern Iowa
  • Amy Price Azano College of Liberal Arts and Human Services, Virginia Tech
  • Carolyn M. Callahan Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education, University of Virginia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2020.v10n2p11-25

Keywords:

writing instruction, rural education, place-based education, gifted education

Abstract

This study explored how a critical and place-based language arts curriculum influenced high-performing rural students as writers. This study uses data from a larger, federally funded grant. The sample included 199 students, who comprised the second cohort of students participating in the Promoting Place in Rural Schools grant and were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Students in the treatment groups were provided instruction using four language arts units designed for high-achieving, rural students, while students in the control group were provided the traditional language arts curriculum for their grade level. This study uses 149/199 pre-tests and 158/199 post-tests due to students being absent for testing or dropping out of or being added to the study. Qualitative analysis of student pre- and post-test writing tasks provided data that supported the conclusion that while students in the control group made place connections, students in the treatment group made deeper and more critical connections to place. These findings suggest that writing instruction that values students’ lived experiences provides opportunities for students to make meaning using what they know, as well as to critically examine their experiences as members of their local communities. This study provides insight into writing classrooms that embrace student experience and view students as valuable members of their communities.

Author Biographies

Erika L. Bass, Department of Languages and Literatures, University of Northern Iowa

Erika L. Bass, PhD, is assistant professor of English education at the University of Northern Iowa, where she specializes in writing instruction and rural education. Her research interests include rural writers, preparing secondary preservice teachers, and writing instruction. She serves as the coadviser for the UNI student branch of the Iowa Council of Teachers of English and works with the Iowa Writing Project. Her current projects include a study of the influence of a place-based curriculum on rural high school students.

Amy Price Azano, College of Liberal Arts and Human Services, Virginia Tech

Amy Price Azano, PhD, is associate professor of education at Virginia Tech, where she specializes in rural education and adolescent literacy. She is the co-principal investigator of Promoting PLACE in Rural Schools, principal investigator of the Appalachian Rural Talent Initiative, and director of the Summer Enrichment Experience at Virginia Tech. She has published more than 40 scholarly articles and book chapters in top educational journals, including American Educational Research Journal, English Education, English Journal, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Journal of Appalachian Studies, and Review of Research in Education. Her forthcoming book, Teaching in Rural Places: Thriving in Classrooms, Schools, and Communities, is the first comprehensive textbook for rural teacher education. She currently serves as chair of American Educational Research Association’s Rural Education Special Interest Group and on the editorial boards for the Journal of Research in Rural Education and Rural Educator.

Carolyn M. Callahan, Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education, University of Virginia

Carolyn M. Callahan, PhD, Commonwealth Professor of Education Emeritus at the University of Virginia, has been principal investigator on projects of the National Center for Research on Gifted Education and on five Javits grants, including Promoting PLACE, focusing on the identification and provision of services to rural gifted students. She has been recognized as Outstanding Professor of the Commonwealth of Virginia and Distinguished Scholar of the National Association for Gifted Children and has served as president of the National Association for Gifted Children and the Association for the Gifted and as editor of Gifted Child Quarterly. She has published over 250 articles and 50 book chapters and is coeditor of Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives (2nd ed., 2018) and Critical Issues in Gifted Education (3rd ed., 2020).

 

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Published

2020-10-30

How to Cite

Bass, E. L., Azano, A. P., & Callahan, C. M. (2020). A Place for Writing: Examining a Place-Based Curriculum for High-Performing Rural Writers . Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 10(2), 11–25. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2020.v10n2p11-25

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2020): Gifted Rural Learners: Exploring Power, Place, and Privilege with a focus on Promising Practices

Section

Research Forum

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Copyright (c) 2020 Erika L. Bass, Amy Price Azano, Carolyn M. Callahan

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