Adolescents use a wide variety of literacy practices in their daily lives.  Preservice teachers in this study looked for ways to motivate their students to write by asking them about their in-school and out-of-school writing practices.  This survey shows a gap between what motivates students to write for school and why they write out of school.  The results suggest that English teachers can forge a “third space” in which out-of-school literacy practices are integrated into the curriculum.  This survey provides insights for improving writing pedagogy in regards to students’ expressed desire to communicate, express themselves, and to be involved.

Read and discuss the article on the JMLE blog.