Individual Paths to Literacy Engagement: Three Narratives Revisited

• Main Author: Tara-Lynn Scheffel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University 2016-12-01
• Series: Brock Education: a Journal of Educational Research and Practice
• Online Access: https://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/brocked/home/article/view/500

What does it mean to be engaged, especially when it comes to literacy learning? It is this question that drove my doctoral research in 2007 when I became a participant observer in a grade two classroom with the goal of making the everyday visible while sharing a greater understanding of classroom life in relation to engagement. Six years later, I returned to the original school where the grade two students were in grade eight to revisit and expand student understandings of successful engagement in learning. In this paper, I revisit the narratives of Spike, Jasper and Avery (Scheffel, 2012) to consider themes of change and continuity, including ways in which initial success and struggle appeared to influence their journey over time. I also propose a revised Framework for Engagement that draws upon grade eight students' insights.