An AnnOTATEd STudEnT PROPOSAL 327Hartigan 3multiple means of expression inherent in digital storytelling, (b) how
and if these opportunities create an alternative space for the growth of
empowered literate identities and a sense of agency, (c) the extent to
which writing supports a student’s development of an authorial voice,
and (d) why schools should be concerned with the affordances given
to the development of a student’s written voice and individual identity
by including multimodal digital storytelling in the curriculum. The
study focuses on analyzing the students’ sense of authorship in both
their academic and creative assignments. To what extent can standard
academic and creative multimodal expression help students develop
an authorial identity and the skills they need to flourish in and out of
school? Considering the current atmosphere of accountability and federal
testing (Hull & Katz, 2006), it is important to ask what role multimodal
composing can play in the standard and narrow curriculum.
Method
To address the aims of my study, I will conduct interviews and
focus groups to examine students’ attitudes about writing in and out
of school at the Crusoe Community Learning Center (CCLC) in a small
midwestern city. Interviews and focus groups will enable me to discover
student attitudes and feelings about writing across the in-school and
out-of-school contexts in order to develop some insight into how
writing can enable or disengage students. I will also take field notes
taken by a participant-observer in the afterschool creative writing
workshop to develop a picture of the after-school classroom dynamics.Context
The CCLC is an off-campus educational initiative of a nearby
private university in partnership with the surrounding neighborhood
residents. Serving around 600 participants in the regular programming,
the CCLC also partners with the community schools in the surrounding
area with program outreach connecting to nearly 8,000 additional youths
throughout the year. Located in a high-traffic, low-income neighborhood,
the CCLC’s mission centers around promoting hospitality, education,
partnership, civic engagement, and sustainability in the surrounding
area and all the participants. Organized around operating as a learning
center and gathering space, the CCLC fosters relationships with the
students, the surrounding residents, and the city’s universities in a safe,5To help orient^6
readers, she
explains where
her study will
take place.She reformulates
the four aims
of her study as
questions to
guide her inquiry.She describes
the approach
she will take
to answer her
questions.11_GRE_5344_Ch11_313_342.indd 327 11/19/14 11:02 AM