learning language arts through literature reviews

learning language arts through literature reviews

Exploring the Effectiveness of Learning Language Arts Through Literature Reviews

1. Introduction to Language Arts and Literature Reviews

One glaring example is the way we teach Language Arts (LA) and much of English Language acquisition. There can be little debate that by the traditional way they are usually thought currently, this process does not prepare students to confront the serious, long-term, and capricious demands that will be placed on them as current K-12 students mature in the 21st-century society. We need graduated students, not only well equipped in a subjective, specific ground, but with pertinent personal attributes. We want them to be capable of adapting to impulses so far unpredictable that every day bring new technologies, new ways of producing, disseminating, and using information. With knows how to evaluate the questions that will arise and searching the answers that will contribute to constructive action, they will have to experience this preparation in their years of formal education, particularly during the last cycles of their basic educations. This way or without the required education socially demanded, both the future of our society will be gloomy representations.

School systems continue to undergo systematic reform, fueled by demands from an informed society whose living standards are constantly being raised by technological advances in an ever-flattening world. The overused refrain, “Children are our future,” underscores society’s need for effective methods of educating children so as to prepare them for this more demanding future. As educators shape the curriculum, great care must be taken to do so from theories, practices, and strategies that have learned scientific validation. What we use to educate children is crucial. It’s a matter of fact that the curriculum we use has not been immune to the reforms that have buffeted the school enterprise over the past years. Nonetheless, a closer examination of the curriculum still puts compulsory in the way of some obsolete practices.

2. Theoretical Frameworks for Integrating Literature Reviews in Language Arts Education

Based on the nature of the integrated teaching practices, the grounding theoretical foundations drawn on several different fields, discussing why and establishing how to utilize such kinds of embedded opportunities cannot simply be based on a single theoretical model. Language arts experts are using theories commonly lying in different domains consistently, ending up creating a sophisticated integrated practice in guidance. In this analysis, we aim to highlight this potentiality that has been misunderstood to be obvious, purely deliberative, and translational nature out of the expertise knowledge that exists within the community. The first part of this paper provides examples from different course syllabi, guidebooks, and curriculum of homeschooling. Then, through discussions on literacy development, cross-curricular competences, multimodality, and multiliteracies, we embed those teaching experiences in language arts education practice into theoretical frameworks from related fields. Finally, several elements about how the understanding of experts can be transferred to more general audiences and channeled into proper action are also given.

Critical review has been a cornerstone of scholarship throughout the history of academia. In subject-based curriculums, the process of conducting literature reviews has been primarily viewed as a separate course, either research methods or an individual research seminar course. The common understanding is that literature review teaching should be embedded in a certain disciplinary-specific course. What is generally overlooked is that in the world of K-12, through curriculum, teacher manuals, and research, students can actually experience a similar critical-reviewing process without explicitly titled “literature review course.” As an established practice carefully documented based on integrated theoretical foundations and collections of teaching experiences in the interdisciplinary field of language arts education, enabling more people around the world to understand and pursue this seemingly “collateral learning opportunities” might have the potential to contribute to refining the mechanism about how a discipline grows and is learned.

3. Empirical Studies on the Impact of Literature Reviews on Language Arts Learning

These empirical studies were mostly conducted in the United States, except for one each in Brazil, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. The participants were mainly primary and secondary school students. The ages of the subjects ranged from 3 to 17 years. The study sample size varied from 7 to 84 students, with most studies containing fewer than 50 participants. The data collection method was primarily qualitative (such as interviews or reflective writings), although a few studies used quantitative measurements (most commonly the pre- and post-tests matrix). The duration of the implementation of the literature programs was usually very short, with varying time spans, for instance, from 1 day (when the participants were aged 3) to 17 days (mostly for participants in primary school).

We reviewed 12 empirical studies in this section, covering both the direct and indirect impact of literature reviews on the learning of different language arts aspects, including: overall language arts, vocabulary, grammar, written compositions, phonology, reading fluency, and reading comprehension together with other areas such as critical thinking, empathy, attitudes to language arts, motivation, intention to read the text, or values and ethics. Among the 12 studies, there were 5 that investigated the impact of literature reviews on vocabulary, 4 that focused on reading comprehension, and 2 that examined grammar.

4. Best Practices and Strategies for Incorporating Literature Reviews in Language Arts Curriculum

This chapter presents vocabulary learning strategies for use with English Language Learners, recognizing that good language arts instruction, focused on students thinking, discussing, and responding to text, is critically important. Many strategies are universal and will work with all students. The nine strategies fit under two larger headings from the What Every Teacher Needs to Know About Language series manual, phrase-based and meaning-based instruction. In phrase-based instruction three strategies, skills come alive, vocabulary synesthesia, and speed vocabulary, help retain vocabulary. In meaning-based instruction, the place or space inside instruction, circle of word meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and word associations are recommended as a way to help students form richer understandings of word meanings. Since it is valuable to use multiple strategies, the list also identifies appropriate combinations of strategies. By using these strategies and the accompanying activities, it is possible to facilitate a greater depth of understanding about vocabulary used in text. During word learning, share responsibility with students as the instruction progresses from highly teacher directed to independent sorting. Overall, integrating word instruction facilitates more effective and efficient word-learning, aiding student comprehension and ultimately student synthesis of information.

The literature review strategy is a topic often mentioned in language arts methods textbooks. The strategy is seen as a way to help students develop critical thinking skills, write longer and more thoughtfully, understand the structure of academic writing, and improve school performance. The challenge falls on educators to find ways to increase student motivation, overcome frustration and lack of confidence, and learn valuable writing and reading skills. The solution is not to abandon the literature review, as it is a valuable writing task, but to better prepare students to do this work. These methods textbooks establish the following sequence: select the research topic, read and summarize sources relative to the research topic, organize, and integrate source material into written work. However, these same textbooks typically fail to describe methods for how students can become better readers, writers, and researchers, or to transform recommended best practices into actionable “everyday practices”.

5. Future Directions and Recommendations for Research and Practice

There are a few recommendations for future research to validate, describe, and interpret the ways the program is used and the outcomes it provides. The analyses should be an ongoing process so that the data collected may be utilized by researchers, practitioners, and publishers as timely and efficiently as possible. The continued thorough review of LLATL is a key part of professional responsibility and the need for more research and rigorous understanding of the most effective strategies and practices for teaching. It can also guide continuous improvement of the program and support meaningful discussions around instruction decisions. With these steps to support ongoing improvement, utilization of programs, such as LLATL, that demonstrate effectiveness in promoting the core development in early to intermediate periods may become more practical and effective for teachers and their students.

Four areas for future study and practice recommendations emerge from the discussion of extant research. These include a call for: (1) studies with more diverse student populations, (2) greater attention to longitudinal research, and more in-depth qualitative studies, (3) research on adaptations in teaching the two foci of LLATL, and (4) investigations of the effectiveness of ways the program has been shown to be used and implemented in practice. Considering these findings and recommendations, LLATL has been widely used at varied levels and settings. The continued exploration of its effectiveness is vital, especially areas like adaptations needed for optimal usage in teaching students from varied socioeconomic statuses or children with diverse needs, call strongly for more research.