Teachers' Enactment of Content Literacy Strategies in Secondary Science and Mathematics Classes

• Published in: Journal of adolescent & adult literacy Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 151 - 161
• Main Authors: Adams, Anne E, Pegg, Jerine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley-Blackwell 01.10.2012
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Content Area Reading; Literacy; Literacy Education; Professional Development; Secondary School Mathematics; Secondary School Science; Secondary School Teachers
• ISSN: 1081-3004
• DOI: 10.1002/JAAL.00116

The incorporation of literacy strategies into content area instruction has been proposed as an effective way of improving student learning in the content areas. However, few studies have examined how teachers incorporate content literacy strategies into their instruction and the specific nature of implementation. As part of an ongoing professional development project on content literacy in secondary science and mathematics classes, we conducted a qualitative inquiry which examined the nature of teachers' enactment of specific content literacy strategies through the analysis of classroom observations, teacher lesson plans, and teachers' online discussions. Results show that teachers were using content literacy strategies; however, the nature of their enactment of these strategies varied in ways that influenced the learning outcomes. In this paper we describe a framework for characterizing these differences in enactment, provide examples of these variations, and discuss implications for enacting literacy strategies in these different ways. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)