부산대학교 도서관

This study has explored interactive picture book read-alouds in a Korean elementary school, carried out on the basis of the Four Resources Model of Reading (Freebody & Luke, 1990). The goal of the study was to understand how students engage in critical practices when reading aloud texts which touch upon social issues, and how students who have different backgrounds and attributes react to various read-aloud texts in the course of specific reading practices aimed at achieving critical literacy. Finally, this study aims to identify the benefits of a critical literacy curriculum in an elementary classroom setting, and the challenges involved in building it. The study was conducted over the course of one semester in a public elementary school in Gyeonggi province, Korea. Twenty sixth-graders, who had received four years of English education at school, participated. In addition, three students' responses were investigated in greater detail. In light of several considerations, including their level of English proficiency and the purpose of critical literacy instruction, four picture books were selected. They were Seven Blind Mice (Young, 2012), The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (Scienszka, 1996), Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type (Cronin, 2000), and Voices in the Park (Browne, 1998). The course lesson structure was based on the Four Resources Model of Reading, which delineates four types of reading practice, namely code-breaking, meaning-making, text-using, and text-analyzing. Data sources included audio recordings of classes, students’ written reflections, course evaluation questionnaires, and in-depth individual interviews with the three focal students. The data were analyzed in terms of the Four Resources Model of Reading in order to investigate how students’ interaction with the reading practices and the texts enhanced their critical awareness.The findings show that the students would be able to engage not only in conventional reading such as code-breaking and meaning-making practices, but also in critical reading practices by challenging texts and questioning the status quo in society. However, the degree of four reading practices of elementary students was dependent upon picture books. It is noticeable that the students were more engaged with the cultural issues than socioeconomic issues, and they were actively involved with certain cultural issues which they seemed to have a close personal connection to. In addition, the qualitative case studies of three focal students revealed that they differed in their capacities according to their learning backgrounds and attributes such as English learning and reading experience, their reading belief and habits, and their reactions to the course, the reading practices they performed, and the texts they engaged with.These findings are important in that they suggest that it is unnecessary for children to reach a certain age in order for them to gain a high level of English proficiency or to develop critical awareness through complex engagement with texts. And this study demonstrates even twenty students can read critically and challenge meanings in their own voices in an EFL elementary school setting. While taking into account the backgrounds and attributes of students, as well as the effects of certain reading practices and the type of text that is appropriate for students, a critical literacy-oriented class can be performed in any grade, at any level, and in any classroom situation. Therefore, this study suggests instructional methods for use in EFL contexts in the development of students’ critical literacy capacities, and guidelines for EFL teachers, researchers, and readers in the Korean setting.