Negotiation, Expression, and Microlanguage: The Processes of Student Welfare and Identity in High School English Language Arts Classrooms

In this study, I will explore negotiation and expression as processes that educators can utilize (or continue to intentionally engage with) to empower the student body of the current high school English classrooms to counteract current pressures and negative trends in ELA. Negotiation and expression are not topics that should be explored in only a single ELA unit, either. The small moments that students experience with language, culture, and power all culminate to the processes explored in this research study; they guide English educators in their lesson instruction, curriculum design, and student engagement. By managing negotiation and expression as undercurrents in the ELA classroom instruction/environment, educators can empower students through these processes. Through former inquiry and qualitative research, negotiation and expression will be evaluated as forces that can reinvigorate high school ELA instruction.