Dismantling the Other in Canonical Curriculums: Postcolonial Pedagogy & its Effect on Students’ Identity and Academic Performance
A Mixed Methods Proposal
By Tym Hanson
December 13, 2010 Dr. Jill Pastrana ES 608
Hanson 1 Tym Hanson Dr. Jill Pastrana ES 788 12/12/2010 Research Proposal Statement of the Problem: The United States curriculum for English Language Arts is a static corpus deficient in multicultural texts. The list of the ten most commonly taught texts in the Public school systems English Language Arts curriculum (Applebee, 1989) have experienced little to no change in the last thirty years and are, in descending order: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Huckleberry Fin, Julius Caesar, To Kill a Mockingbird, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Hamlet, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As a corpus that almost exclusively consists of texts from the Western perspective, the English language Art curriculum, albeit unknowingly, supports the westernized and often Eurocentric construction of the pedagogical canon that culturally subordinates entire bodies of world literature and inadvertently disadvantages students in the English Language Arts classroom. At the heart of this problem are the dominant political interests that affirm prevailing relations of power that promote what Royer (1994) refers to as "strong text" literacy characteristics in the construction of the Western canon. “Strong text” literatures conceive literacy as a structurally singular and exclusively written language practice that interprets cultural and linguistic diversity as a threat to conceptual coherence. In the realm of mainstream literacy politics and policy, cultural diversity is seen as marginal, and detrimental, to “effective literacy conception and practice” (Meacham 2000).
Hanson 2 This becomes problematic because students, while in middle and high school, are changing and maturing physically, cognitively and socially (Boston & Baxley, 561), and as they develop their identities (Allen, 2004), they build, maintain, and end friendships and social networks, develop interpersonal skills, acquire self-esteem, and decisively examine themselves and their physical features, which may lead to crises of identity in the school systems (Marcia, 1980). In this pivotal time where students are struggling with identity and are seeking affirmation of their struggles, the one-dimensional representations in the traditional canon fail to provide critical exposure to diverse, multicultural perspectives. Adding to the problem this research intents to investigate is the effect this lack identify affirmation in the school system has on determining the academic performance and success of that students in their educational journey, which, as Manning and Butch suggest, may or may not lead to further matriculation (2005). As an attributing factor, Akos and Galassi (2004) found that race and the cultural representation of race in texts leads to feelings of un-connectedness, which "plays a role in school transition outcomes" (102). While students who are actively engaged in school may be somewhat protected from transitional motivation problems (Eccles et al., 1992), many students are not, and experience feelings of detachment from the education system that fails to represent them. As Henry Giroux sees the problem of racism in education from his perspective as a curriculum theorist, he asserts that it is necessary for teachers to "demonstrate that the views we hold about race have different historical and ideological weight, forged in asymmetrical relations of power, and that they always embody interests that shape social practices in particular ways" (138).
Hanson 3 Background: This research will be based on the western tendency to pedastailzie the western classics, placing noncanonical postcolonial novels in the “ethnic section� of English pedagogy and the implications this has on students performance. The research will be reformulated around past and current research findings surrounding the topic, the studies that have been conducted, as well as, the findings of my extensive, two-year-long research project. Although my research, in the most general of terms, is congruent with Singh and Greenlaw (1998), Aegerter (1997), Johnson (1999), and Hickling-Hudson (2006), it is also contrastive as well. For example, while the general framework for our respective research may resemble one another, our methodological approaches, hypotheses, aims, and theories driving our research, are, dissimilar. My research, for example, would be the first to propose a mixed methods approach to the investigation, and the previous scholars studying similar topics fail to include an investigation of cross-curricular reading motivations and a more in-depth, ethnographic look into the social implications for the students, and more specifically, the role and impacts that the traditional western canon has on both white and non-white individuals’ construction of self will be investigated. Research Strategies Used and the Appropriate Terms This pilot research project will be based on a mixed method-based approach that emphasizes qualitative ethnographic research methods based upon an advocacy and participatory worldview that will supplement its research with quantitative data in the way of large sample survey methods to support its claim in the sequential mixed methods approach.
Sequential Mixed Method: a procedure where the researcher seeks to elaborate on, or expand upon, the findings of one method with another. For this research, I will begin with a qualitatively
Hanson 4 based educational ethnography where the participating students and teachers are studied intensively, followed by a more quantitatively-based survey method that utilizes a large sample so that I am able to generalize the results of a population in order to present the more trendsdriven data to schools, administrators, curriculum committees, et cetera.
Mixed Methods Research: Mixed methods research is an approach to inquiry that combines or associates both qualitative and quantitative forms. The method is not simply collecting and analyzing both kinds of data; it also involves the use of both approaches in tandem so that the overall strength of a study is greater than either qualitative or quantitative research (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007 as cited in Creswell 4, 2009). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this sequential, explanatory, qualitatively driven, mixed-methods study is to investigate the changes in social aptitude and academic performance, including changes in reading motivation levels of students who are studying and being exposed to multicultural postcolonial literature. It will seek to explore student interaction and engagement with the new postcolonial literature: their thoughts, acceptance of the material, and their motivation levels, in order to shed light on the benefits of imploring postcolonial and reading response theories in the creation of a pluralistic, non-racially subordinated curriculum that is diverse, motivating, and engaging English Language Arts curriculum that encourages readers to think critically and problematize issues of race, culture, and gender, in and outside of the classroom. As Aronowitz and Giroux (2001) theoretically argue that postcolonial deconstructive reading strategies can help both majority and minority students to learn to deconstruct the
Hanson 5 discourse of race through their reading of multicultural postcolonial texts (181), a key purpose of this research project would be to empirically investigate these claims, reconnoitering the affects associated with the introduction of postcolonial reading strategies in the English Language Arts classroom. As a means of opposing racist discourse, the students would be required to question the ethical beliefs and ethnocentric biases in their texts through class discussions, and the research would seek to answer whether or not student interactions and engagement with these strategies help students’ construction of self through heightened feelings of social connectedness, and the impacts this had on improving their academic performance and motivation levels.
Significance of the Study Western society’s creation of the proverbial Other in the canonically Eurocentric study of literature, has, until recently, remained an unasked question, silenced by a discourse in which the canonical and the noncanonical stand as the ultimate opposition. As racism is a fundamental theme of multicultural literature, it is of principal significance to the postcolonial conception of the high school multicultural literature curriculum. Therefore, it is necessary that students be given the opportunity early in a program to problematize the notion of race, if they are to learn how to deconstruct racist discourse as they encounter it, not only in the texts, but within the classroom, and outside of the classroom as well. When discussing the particular themes of a multicultural postcolonial text, students can relate the various conflicts, which arise between the discourses within a text to the parallel conflicts in other relevant issues in today’s society. The text, in this instance, is no longer viewed as simply a closed work of art to be appreciated only in aesthetic terms, but as a gathering of contrasting discourses, which are attached to conflicts that extend well beyond the borders of the page. This study may prove significant in contributing to
Hanson 6 the underdeveloped area of case study research related to the construction of the westernized literary canon in educational curriculum and its effect on student motivation and their creation of self and the success of postcolonial pedagogy at both the middle and high school levels. Therefore, the significance of the study is to investigate the positive impact that is made by providing students of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds an outlet to a more pluralistic English curriculum that has a broader worldview that understands the complexities of the world and its inhabitants and avoids essentialist curriculum. The main significance of this study lies in the fact no existing studies have explored both the short and moderately long terms affects of implementing not just a multicultural curriculum, but a curriculum including both postcolonial texts and postcolonial theory that fosters deconstructive reading strategies that offer teachers and students a means of opposing racist discourse by helping them to question the ethical beliefs and ethnocentric biases in their texts (such as the canonical texts this research is set up in opposition to in High School curriculum) in their class discussions, academic endeavors, and in their interactions with the world outside the classroom. The significance of the stud that fuels this research is the idea that teachers and administrators can, through the use of positive multicultural literature in schools, "help to break down [barriers] ‌ [and] can make a difference in dispelling prejudice and building community ‌ with good stories that make us imagine the lives of others" (Rochman 19). When authors of multicultural postcolonial texts incorporate themes such as heritage, family and friendships, relationships, survival and diasporic migrations, justice, reconciliation, and conflict resolution into their books, students can begin to make cross-cultural connections (Gonzalez, et al. 1998). Simmilarly, this research could help shed light on how a diverse, noncanoncially driven English curriculum can serve as a "vehicle for socialization and change" (Harris, 1997), for multicultural postcolonial literature allows young adolescents to
Hanson 7 replace stereotypes with an understanding of the similarities and differences among diverse cultures (Bucher & Manning, 2006). In addition to providing opportunities for young adolescents to dispell stereotypes, a significant aspect of this research focuses on how educators, before they can help young adolescents, must overcome their own prejudices, misconceptions, and knowledge gaps (Timm, 1994; Blakely, 1983; Trueba et al., 1990). A number of researchers have found that culturallybased misunderstandings arising from the incongruities between the life experiences and cultural backgrounds of teachers and students can be devastating to the learning process (Duckworth, Levy, & Levy, 2005). To combat this, teachers must become globally aware with flexibility, respect, and tolerance toward all cultures and literatures (Duckworth et al., 2005). As teachers begin to understand the backgrounds of students, they become more compassionate both in their classroom and in their curriculum (Hones, 2002). Regardless of race and ethnicity, far too many students go through twelve years of education without ever reading a text that reflects their life, their struggle, or their cultural heritage. Arab Americans for example, like so many other ethnic groups, often graduate from high school never having read a single story that validates or reaffirms their culture to them or to their classmates (Al-Hazza & Bucher, 2008). In fact, most Arab Americans and their fellow classmates only receive a negative view of Arabs through hearing and reading sensational news headlines that highlight terrorist activities occurring in the Middle East or in orientalized depictions in the required texts. Not entirely dissimilar, most Caucasian students, struggling to identify with Shakespearian White narrators, go through high school without having read stories that validate, represent, or reaffirm their cultural heritage. Although the significance of this study is to not do away with classic literature—it does have its place in English curriculum—it does
Hanson 8 suggest the opening up of critical dialogue on the topic of how we represent, present, and categorize the literary offerings in our school systems. Previous Research Some of the studies directly deal with several the issues that inform my research, but fail to put those theories into actual investigated research projects with empirical data, ethnographies, case studies, et cetera. The few actual research studies that exist on the issues pertaining to the themes in my research focus primarily on primary schools and there is general absence of similar studies conducted at the secondary and post-secondary levels. As a deficiency in the past research, the lack of both qualitatively deep analyses with quantitatively driven data to support the smaller scaled, albeit more thorough, investigation, fuels my mixed methods research approach for this project.
Research Audience The audience to whom this body of research will benefit will be English teachers, administrators, and those generally concerned with the problematic tendency for curriculum, especially those concerned with the English language arts curriculum, and those who favor western canons, are homogenous in nature, and from a western Eurocentric perspective, generally insensitive to global perspectives and the diverse identities and narratives therein. Research Questions: Acting as a basis of the investigative research are the research primary questions fueling the research: 1) what effects does the canonization of literature in English Literature instruction have on students’ academic performance and/or understanding of Western society, 2) what does
Hanson 9 the typical English language arts curriculum currently look like in the United States and what are the student reactions to it, 3) does the current curriculum embody racist ideologies, 4) how does one successfully teach multicultural postcolonial literature without adhering to their already biased perspective and the Western norms and typical canonization process present in education, 5) what impacts does the implementation of postcolonial pedagogy have on the academic success of students 6) does implementing multicultural and postcolonial texts in the classroom encourage student reading motivation 7) what impact does the westernized pedagogical canon have on diverse student populations and their the construction of ‘self’ 8) are their rejections to the implementation or reformation of English curriculum 9) are than any other additional obstacles in presenting such a curriculum 10) and does the educational pedagogy surrounding a large body of English language curriculum embody the exociticzation of the ‘Other’?. Methods In the first part of the mixed-methods study, the quantitative phase of the study with two parts, the research questions will be collected in two separate parts, in 1st and 2nd semester grouping and by obtaining statistical, quantitative results from surveying a sample of the distributed quasi-experimental surveys of 3 secondary English Language Arts classroom integrating a multicultural literature program into their curriculum for one year. It will include its in its survey questions, the effect on student academic and reading motivation, self identity, and overall class morale. It will address how selected internal and external variables to the postcolonial literature course served as predictors to students’ persistence and/or non-persistence in continued reading and/or development in school. Interview and survey questions, posed to both student and the teachers, will include questions concerning the literature they read in the
Hanson 10 classroom, their reaction to it, whether or not they identified with it, problems it presented, parent reaction (if any), et cetera. In the second, more developed, qualitative section, an educational ethnography will be conducted where I will, in order to gain a holistic understanding of the happenings and interactions between the those involved in the educational ethnography when presented with a multicultural postcolonial curriculum in their English language classrooms, submerse myself with culture of the school, as well as to obtain interviews, and educational data of the students. Additionally, material from the first quantitative part of the research will be selected to investigate further in stage of the research. It will be selected on typical response and maximal variation principle; one from each of the four groups of participants (withdrawn and inactive, active in the first half of the program, four active in the second half of the program) will be explored in-depth the qualitative portion of the research. The results from the statistical tests to best and most appropriately identify the success and reaction to integrating multicultural literature in the English language arts classroom. The timeline for this proposed research project is approximately two years and can be modified and/or extended as needed. Given the breadth of the investigation, a two-year timeline was chosen out of necessity to successfully capture student and teacher interactions in a holistic and ethnographic manner. The ethnographic research will be based on data from two academic years, and will include interviews with individuals outside the classroom, such as, administrators, students’ family members, other classroom teachers, reading specialists, bilingual paraprofessionals, et cetera.
Hanson 11 Philosophical foundations for using mixed methods research The philosophical foundation at the base of my decision to incorporate a mixed method approach is simple: my philosophy is that a research method should consist of multiple perspectives and multiple means of collecting data. One method, for example, should allow for testing objectives by examining the relationships among variables so that the results can, despite their flaws, be cross-compared and used as somewhat of a standard. The other should seek to, not just identify trends, but to ask the more important ‘why’ questions, investigate the outliers, the idiosyncrasies within the different “variables” so the researcher can make meaningful interpretations of the data, and not just blindly compute numbers. So often, different themes and research goals need different methods for different reasons. It would seem nonsensical to incorporate only one method when, in fact, you could use both methods, to gain a more holistic picture and understanding of the objectives that can play off of one another and be used as a more powerful research tool that will not discourage the use of the collected data from any concerned pupil or researcher. Literature Review Understanding the great importance of postcolonial literature, especially as it pertains to high school curriculum, the basis of a literary review is a synthesis of the current research literature on multicultural postcolonial pedagogy in the English language and literature classroom, where the westernized construction of the pedagogical canon, the cultural subordination present in that construction, and its impact on the learners in the classroom are reviewed.
Hanson 12 A recent case study by Moller (2004) of a struggling European American fourth grade female reader provided a backdrop for Moller’s purpose: to create an extensive qualitative investigation of the effects of replacing the traditional western canon with multicultural and postcolonial literature in the English language classroom. Based in social-constructivist theory, the study focused on the student’s participation in a heterogeneous literature discussion group that read and discussed diverse multicultural postcolonial texts. The study’s data was collected from 27 audio tapings of literature discussions, interviews, observational field notes, student presentations, and written reports (Moller 2004). Moller noted that there was a shift in the participation of the student from an outsider to an insider in the discussions. Challenging the understandings of the group, the counter to the western canon—the postcolonial novel— presented anti-racist and non-stereotypical ways of thinking to the students, which, as Moller concluded, seemed to bring students closer. Bauman, Hooten, and White (1999) conducted a year-long, teacher-research case study with a group of African American (61%) and European American (35%) fifth grade students to test a program they had developed to teach reading strategies and reading motivation. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether or not the predominately ethnic-populated classroom would yield formidable improvements in reading skills and motivation to read if presented with a multicultural text in lieu of the traditional westernized canon. In addition to the new multicultural literature introduced to the students, three types of comprehension strategy lessons were presented to students: elaborate, brief, and impromptu lessons. Students read selfselected multicultural literature and participated in discussion and reading study groups. The results from pre- and post-project informal surveys of the students’ reading habits and interests and their oral and written comments indicated increased reading at home and school, increased
Hanson 13 valuing of reading, and a greater appreciation of literature and books (Citation). While methodologically sound, the research could be improved by providing more qualitatively-driven “thick, rich, descriptions” and by utilizing larger sample sizes and experimental control groups in an additional quantitative portion. Surveying changes in students’ attitudes toward multicultural literature and its effect on their motivation, for example, would improve the generalizability of the results. Smith (1999) argues a potent element of the English school curriculum is through multicultural literature, wherein students conceptualize constructions of 'self', 'world' and 'other'. Using qualitative data from two schools and theoretical insights from postcolonialism development studies and social theory, Smith argues that communication is the key factor for the success of implementing multicultural curriculum in the way of student debates around difference. Three perspectives are identified through which the 'Third World' is communicated in the curriculum via development, charity and multiculturalism. These are analyzed in relation to their constructions of difference and suggest that contradictions between and within them reflect a process of change in which a more critical knowledge of the 'Third World' in the curriculum is emerging. He concludes with some observations on the factors constraining this process and some recommendations for policy and further research. As a whole, Smith’s research lacked clear data from his ethnographic research and focused more on his analysis of his results without citing what exactly he found. Drawing upon a similar framework to Smith, Burroughs (1999) conceptualized "curriculum as conversation” in his quantitative research, where he examined the results of his case study involving the integration of multicultural literature into the secondary English curriculum in a wealthy, but ethnically diverse school in a New Jersey suburb where half of the
Hanson 14 student population was African American. Burroughs’ research included three case studies that were part of a larger study of teacher decision-making regarding curriculum involving eight English teachers in 19 classrooms at two high schools. This specific case study consisted of three high school English teachers in the same department, attempting to integrate multicultural literature. The study traced the curricular decision-making of each teacher across the span of an entire course, and the data was obtained from interviews with, and tape-recorded observation of, three high school English teachers, a quasi-experimental sample of their students, and student work. The study highlights each teacher’s concerns regarding multicultural literature, estimating the effect of the teacher's decisions on that enacted and received curriculum. Burroughs’ analysis argues that, to more fully integrate multicultural literature into the secondary English curriculum, teachers must not only select multicultural texts, but need also to (1) change their notions of what counts as a text and (2) change how they structure classroom talk about the texts (154-155). Tikly (1999) considers the relevance of recent developments in postcolonial theory for comparative education research. His article starts with an account of these developments and it is used as a basis for a critical discussion of previous theoretical frameworks that have been used by comparative researchers to explain the colonial legacy in school curricula. The implications of adopting a postcolonial approach in comparative education are discussed in relation to issues of race, culture, language and the curriculum. The article concludes by arguing that a consideration of the postcolonial condition is necessary for developing a more holistic and less Eurocentric understanding of the relationship between globalization and education. Johnson’s study (1999) is based on data from a qualitative ethnographic research, students’ responses to reading international literature in a multiethnic urban Canadian high school in four English classes, ranging from grades 10-12, and conversations with South African
Hanson 15 high school students on their reading preferences, which ground her discussion of how students and teachers can cross boarders constructed within discussions of race, gender, and ethnicity. The study took place over a period of three school terms, working with two 12th grade classes, one 11th grade advanced placement class, and two 10th grade classes. In her analysis, Johnson draws upon postcolonial literary theory, critical theory, and reader response theories. Working closely with an English teacher from the school, they made text selections and opted to teach strategies that might enable students to critically to examine literary representation and ideologies. Moving from local texts, which encouraged students to consider ambivalences in their own cultural heritage, they moved in the second half, to more “international texts,” which they hoped would help students to see intersections between their own lives and those of others (13). In an additional qualitative investigation conducted the same year, Johnson (1999) based her educational ethnography research on students’ responses to reading international literature in a multiethnic urban Canadian high school. The study took place over a period of three school terms and consisted of four English classes ranging from grades 10th-12th grade. Johnsons based her research on recorded conversations with South African high school students on their reading preferences. Drawing upon postcolonial literary theory, critical theory, and reader response theories, Johnson worked closely with an English teacher at the school, and together, they made text selections and chose to teach critical theory that might enable students to critically to examine literary representation and the embedded ideologies therein. Moving from local texts, which “encouraged students to consider ambivalences in their own cultural heritage,” they moved in the second half, to “international texts,” which they hope would help students to see intersections between their own lives and those of others (13). Johnson’s data analysis came
Hanson 16 from reports on conducted interviews with student volunteers from all five classes and the collected data from student responses to her posed question regarding what they considered to be the links between the literature and their own lives. Almost overwhelmingly, Johnson’s data indicated that the students preferred and responded well to, books, poems, and plays that “have something to do with [them]” and that offer a social commentary on the contemporary world, “that show how racist societies are—“I experience it every day of my life”, one of the student respondents explained (17). While these represented the majority of student responses, they were not universal; there were commentaries from male, Caucasian students, which ran counter to this and regarded the reading in racial discrimination as “stuff [that] doesn’t interest [them]”. Although not unanimous, Johnson’s data reflects an overwhelmingly positive regard for multicultural texts by both the “western” and “non-western” students. Although the study is a well researched investigation, the literature curriculum seemed essentialist at times, often ‘othering’ the narrators in the multicultural text, inadvertently inciting an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ binary it their in-class discussions. Additionally, triangulating the data more could have also improved the validity of the qualitative analysis. Validity Approaches In an effort to enhance the validity of the research, qualitative member checking will be implored to determine the accuracy of the qualitative findings. This will be achieved by taking the finalized report or the descriptions therein, back to the participating teachers and students to determine whether these participants feel they have been depicted accurately or true to their nature (Creswell 2009). Additionally, in order to enhance the validity, the data sources will be triangulated, in that the themes will be established based on a convergence of several sources of data from a varied
Hanson 17 and diverse set of participant pools (Creswell 2009). Participants in the study, for example, will not be taken from one single socioeconomic group, geographic location, proficiency level, or grade level, and instead, will be based on a diverse and varied collection consisting of all of the aforementioned categories. The use of “thick, rich descriptions� (Creswell 2009) will also be implemented as a validity approach in the qualitative aspect of the research project. Additionally, a presentation of the negative or discrepant information that runs counter to themes in the research, which suggest the positive and/or beneficial aspects of adhering to the traditional western canon in teaching multicultural postcolonial literature in the English language arts classroom, will be included. In order to enhance the credibility of the research, I would include all aspects of the data and not just the data that was congruent with my thesis, in order to widen the lens of the research, which would make the results more true to nature and hence, valid (Creswell 192). Potential Ethical Issues As an ethnographic researcher and participating observer, I would be socially and physically immersed in the case to accumulate local knowledge, and in doing so, a potential ethical issue could arise if I was unable to remain constantly self-critical and reflexive to ensure an analytical description and interpretation of the case was documented. Making sure, for example, that the observable and non-observable are clearly demarcated and I am constantly aware of role in the study as the objective researcher. Although a researchers can never fully parse their bias from their practice, one can, and I would, make sure that in working and engaging with the teachers, students, and their family, that I do not loose site of my role as the researcher, making sure my relationships with them does not interfere with my ability to effectively chronicle the research accurately.
Hanson 18 Another potential ethical issues that might present themselves while conducting this research would be, in the pursuit of equalizing the representation of cultures in the literary texts, to over compensate and create new, marginalized groups of representation in the literary selections in the research. Additionally, if in suggesting the use of postcolonial literature and the theories therein to be used in the English Language Arts middle and high school curriculum, it would be misconstrued as suggesting that only those trained in methods of postcolonial and Orientalist theory can make Asia intelligible. Thus implying the pupils actually living in a postcolonial state or those under a postcolonial condition would be seen as either not knowing themselves or incapable of talking about their Anglo-Pacific counterparts. Then, the potential ethical concern would be for the research to be misunderstood as marginalizing the voices of the postcolonial individual. As I am aware of this counter ethical argument, I do not feel as though this will pose any real ethical concerns that would cloud the research. Limitations: My proposed research on the role of the canonical and nonconical postcolonial literature in student motivation and construction of self in the English language arts classroom could experience limitations. A few of the potential limitations of the study could be: the marginalization of multicultural education in a highly differentiated curriculum across the surveyed participants, an essentialist treatment of identity could be introduced by incongruence instruction practices within those classrooms that fail to identify the construction of self as a historical and cultural production, the treatment and discrimination of texts by individualized experiences and/or proficiency levels of participating students could be a limitation of the research, or the failure to ground the multicultural postcolonial education present in the surveyed research participants within the context of a critical pedagogy could also present potential, albeit
Hanson 19 minor, limitations of the study. These limitations exist, in part, because the research is no longer under direct control of the researcher, and it is dependent upon the participation of the surveyed schools and its participants. The financial resources required to fund the distribution and collection of the data in this research could also be considered a limitation, however, careful planning, and grant funding would help silence this concern. These potential limitations are expected given the shear breadth of the proposed research project. They could be easily prevented, or at least, curbed, by ensuring that clear, open, and concise communication exists between the researcher and the participating teachers. Reflection Analysis In the creation and investigation into the current research topic that I have particular interest in, I have learned a great deal on what research is, and how it will inform future work. I know what research good research looks like, and I have learned a great deal on how to obtain good research, the philosophical foundations with the various methodologies, the extensive work a full-bodied research project takes, how much time is required in conducting a quality research project, the physical amount of work involved, the toll it has on the researcher, mentally, and the expansive costs associated with wide population data collection. Following this project, I will address the new research I am reviewing and possibly, conducting, in a new, more enlightened manner. Regardless of the outcome of the research, this proposed research project can greatly contribute to the current dialogue on English curriculum and reform thereof. As teachers and curricula committees work to broaden the traditional and western literary canon, the critical conversational frameworks discussed in this research proposal may prove fruitful in restructuring current literature curriculums, rather than merely adding new texts to the secondary English
Hanson 20 curriculum. The results will not only better inform my practice, but will answerer the critically important questions of the successfulness of implementing and reconstructing the English curriculum, the resistance and challenges in attempting to implement those changes, and the impacts on student academic performance and motivation levels when those changes are made. More importantly, it will aid in the development of an open and constantly evolving conversation on curriculum development that will seek to create a pluralistic, English literature curriculum that is neither racially nor culturally subordinated, which will serve to enhance the educational experience of all students.
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