Metaphors We Teach By: Examining Teacher Conceptualizations of Literacy in the English Language Arts Classroom

Authors

  • Connie Kendall Theado University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G2B01Z

Keywords:

conceptualizations of literacy, K-12 literacy education, metaphor analysis, U.S. teacher beliefs

Abstract

This case study used metaphor analysis to gain insight on the conceptualizations of literacy informing six English Language Arts educators’ understanding of the meaning and goals of U.S. literacy education today. While findings indicated literacy’s functional aspect as the most prominent metaphoric conceptualization employed, the teachers’ use of alternate metaphors to highlight the value of literacy learning beyond its pragmatic outcomes suggests that U.S. literacy education reform may be out of step with the pedagogical goals teachers have for their students. The article concludes with a discussion of the pedagogical implications suggested by the study findings.

Author Biography

Connie Kendall Theado, University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Connie Kendall Theado is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, where she also serves as Program Coordinator for the Certificate in Postsecondary Literacy Instruction. Her scholarly work appears in several edited book collections, The SAGE Handbook of Rhetorical Studies, Open Words: Access and English Studies, and Peitho.

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Published

2013-07-25

How to Cite

Kendall Theado, C. (2013). Metaphors We Teach By: Examining Teacher Conceptualizations of Literacy in the English Language Arts Classroom. Language and Literacy, 15(2), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.20360/G2B01Z

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2013): Regular Issue

Section

Articles

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