Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study described how the English language arts (ELA) teacher mediates the literacy learning of the 6th grade students at Bright Star Islamic school whose language and cultural background is diverse. Three specific research questions guided this study, including (1) what approach does the teacher use to develop literacy skills of the students? (2) what texts are available for the students? and (3) what is the student response to the teacher-led discussion and teacher-created assignments? Drawing upon the ecological framework to literacy (Barton, 1994), this study shed lights on the Islamic school's literacy that is intertwined with religious values in addition to knowledge construction mediated through multiple use of languages and texts. Narrative case study was carried out to unpack and understand the classroom interaction. The participants included one teacher and 20 students in her ELA class. 30 literacy lessons were observed and audio-recorded which comprised of a total of 40 hours. In addition to that, field notes, semi-structure interviews of the teacher and the student, as well as documentation were used to enrich and confirm the data. The observation and interview data were transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory was employed for data analysis which consisted of analyzing data through coding them into categories for the purpose of comparison. The categories contained labels that resembled conceptualization of key findings of the data and represented the cases being studied. The analysis stopped when a core category emerged in which I can integrate the analysis and develop a `story' encapsulating the main themes of the study. Results from the analysis showed that regarding the research question #1, the teacher situated the classroom literacy events as social practices deriving from her interpretation of the State' learning standards, the school's ELA curriculum (i.e. Wit & Wisdom), conception of reading instruction, and teacher' roles in the classroom (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Adrian Rodgers (Advisor); Christine Warner (Committee Member); Binaya Subedi (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Literacy; Reading Instruction; Religion; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, EDU Teaching and Learning

In this dissertation, I describe the writing practices that occurred in the kindergarten classroom of an Islamic school as they occurred throughout a typical school day. My purpose in conducting this study is to better understand the writing of young children in the kindergarten classroom of an Islamic school in a mid-sized city situated in the Midwest region of the United States. Participants in this study were as follows: Fourteen children, aged 5-6, four of them were focal participants, one classroom teacher, as well as the researcher who functioned as a participant-observer/volunteer in this kindergarten classroom. Using ethnographic methods, namely, participant-observation, fieldnotes, interviews, and analysis of written artifacts produced by the children, data were collected over a period of seven months. Findings reveal that emergent bilingual students at the kindergarten level used their writing practices as ways of navigating their identities and social relationships. Further, the emergent bilinguals manifested their religious identity through a unique representation in their oral narratives and written texts. The findings also point to how writing created a space for children to share aspects of their families' lives in the classroom. Additionally, through writing, the children navigated their relationship with their friendship circles, their classroom community, and the broader Muslim communities they inhabit. The children also revealed mostly positive emotions in response to their relationship with people, places, and communities. This research offers insights into the value of children's writing and the importance of providing safe spaces for social interaction as part of their literacy learning.

Committee: Laurie Katz (Advisor); Sarah Gallo (Committee Member); Leslie Moore (Committee Member); Rhoades Melinda (Committee Member) Subjects: Bilingual Education; Early Childhood Education; Islamic Studies; Literacy