The effects of a reading partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice on English teacher candidates

Purpose The purpose of this action research study was to determine the effects of partnership experiences with a Department of Juvenile Justice on teacher candidates' understanding of reading, their role in supporting the reading process and their growing knowledge of at-risk youth. Design/methodology/approach To explore the effects of this summer reading partnership, I engaged in the action research process. Defined by Sagor (2005), action research is a cyclical process involving four stages: clarifying vision, articulating theory; implementing action and collecting data; and finally, reflecting on data and planning informed action. Initial data (i.e. literacy autobiographies, Burke inventories, reading surveys) was divided and compared with data collected during and following the project (i.e. written surveys, final narratives). Using a content analysis approach, data were analyzed for pre and post-understandings of reading, the teacher's role in supporting readers and for understanding of at-risk youth. Findings Following this community-engaged, justice-focused literacy partnership, definitions of reading offered by teacher candidates expanded from the efferent to the aesthetic and included references to the personal and cultural. Post-partnership, candidates increased specificity in understanding, supporting and monitoring students' reading processes and demonstrated an increased understanding of the importance of reading strategies to deepen student comprehension before, during and after reading. Following this reading partnership, English teacher candidates revealed a heightened perception of at-risk youth, seeing beyond deficits and recognizing strengths. Practical implications This literacy partnership made literacy learning and teaching more subjective, critical and cultural. So what does this mean for future planning? As an educator, I have recognized the need for more continuous on-site learning and application. If we are indeed committed to community-engaged social action projects that heighten teacher candidates' awareness of issues affecting youth, then more sustained experiences reading in partnership are needed. Social implications There can be no denying the relationship between literacy, graduation and incarceration, and the need for expanded literacy instruction in juvenile detention centers has been widely documented and supported. Inspired by a need for action, the reading partnership described in this article attempts to serve the interests of justice-involved youth and the larger community. Originality/value We need examples of social justice practice in higher education which concurrently raise critical consciousness and improve pedagogical knowledge. Providing teacher candidates with an opportunity for collaborative social action through literacy teaching allows them to practice the knowledge they have gained through learning experiences and gives them a platform to share their ability to transform knowledge into productive action for the betterment of society (Naiditch, 2010).