Grounded in critical literacy theory, this teacher research in a Middle Eastern EFL classroom addresses the traditional female positioning in literature, media, and pop culture. Adolescent students are encouraged to challenge the traditional Cinderella fairy tale through various critical literacy engagements. A content analysis of sample written and oral responses against the four dimensions framework of critical literacy reveals emerging critical awareness of gender bias and eagerness to take action for change, basically on the part of female students who wrote challenging letters of critique to the author of a Disney‐fied version of the story. Scrutiny into the teacher's moves attempts to explore her role in the process.
Conflicts between different religious groups occasionally arise in my Christian and Muslim Israeli-Arab EFL students' school and area. In an attempt to increase students' knowledge of and respect for other faiths in the region, I conducted practitioner inquiry research in my religiously diverse Middle-Eastern classroom. Grounded in critical literacy, I used a book set of religion-based literature alongside critical literacy engagements to effect some change in students' tolerance towards other faiths. This article describes my journey of exploring students' reader responses to religion-based texts and issues.
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