A microethnography of indigenous student participation during reading instruction
Date
1985
Authors
Chambers, Cynthia Maude
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Abstract
This research is a microethnographic study of how four Indigenous students participated in a series of reading lessons. The study was conducted in a grade six/seven classroom i n an urban elementary school. Data were collected using audio recordings, video recordings, observations and interviews . The data were stored, retrieved and analysed with the assistance of a microcomputer.
The results of the study indicate that the level of participation varied for individual Indigenous students in different classroom contexts. However, it was also found that Indigenous students generally participated more often in teacher directed whole class sessions than in small group sessions. Indigenous children appear to both know and abide by the implicit rules governing verbal interaction during reading instruction. However, the ability to describe the organization of reading lessons, to articulate the rules and to accurately describe personal level of participation was found to be related to overall level of participation. Students who participated frequently in most situations also tended to provide a more articulate description than students who participated less often. It was concluded that lack of knowledge of the tacit rules governing turntaking could not fully account for the observed individual differences in participation.
Data analysis revealed that a matrix of elements including a student's relationship with the teacher; real or perceived knowledge of and/or interest in the subject content; willingness to risk; social status with his/her peers; and personal- cultural history was able to account for individual differences in participation patterns. In order to increase Indigenous student participation in urban classrooms. it was recommended that the technique of using "rapid-fire" questioning to introduce a new or abstract concept be abandoned; the technique of "spotlighting" individual Indigenous students where it is apparent that it makes the student uncomfortable be abandoned; students be given special tasks in peer groups in order to increase their social status within the group; teaching discussion skills be included in the curriculum; the number of Indigenous teachers in urban classrooms be increased; and special educational facilities be made available for urban Indigenous students experiencing difficulty in public school classrooms.