Purpose

The most recent definition of literacy put forth by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) includes New Literacies generated from popular culture (2009). The NCTE argued that new media demand a greater degree of cognitive skill in their interpretation. However, existing research problematizes the use of popular culture by suggesting it not only serves as a source of pleasure, it may also position students in hegemonic ways (Finders, 1996; Gainer, et al., 2009; Hagood, 2002; Kellner & Share, 2005).

Subsequently, when teachers include pop culture in the classroom, past findings suggest using critical media literacy (CML) strategies to help students balance pleasure with critical perspectives, which makes visible potentially hegemonic aspects of both academic and New Literacies. As they interact with pop culture texts students may come to situate themselves within specific contexts that become vantage points from which to view the world. In other words, they may also take up or resist these situated positions (Alvermann & Hagood, 2000b; Black, 2006; Davies & Harré, 1990; Finders, 1996; Hagood, 2002; Paris, 2010).  

Previous Studies

Previous research justifies CML approaches by addressing the concept of positioning (Davies & Harré, 1990). This justification falls under three main foci of study: 1) Understanding meanings students/teachers make of pop culture usage (Alvermann & Hagood, 2000b; Black, 2006; Finders, 1996; Paris, 2010); 2) Calling for instructional interventions to balance pleasure with a critique of pop culture texts (Alvermann & Hagood, 2000a; Duncan-Andrade & Morrell, 2005; Gee, 2000; Hagood, 2002; Kellner & Share, 2005; Morrell, 2005); and 3) Focusing on CML instructional interventions that seek to address that call (Chung & Kirby, 2009; Clark & Labbo, 2005; Davies & Harré, 1990; Gainer, et al., 2009; Skinner, 2007).

Although some argue for CML approaches (Alvermann & Hagood, 2000b; Bosacki, Elliott, Bajovic, & Akseer, 2009; Bosacki, Francis-Murray, Pollon, Elliott, 2006; Finders, 1996; Gainer, et al., 2009; Gee, 2000; Kellner & Share, 2005), further research is needed in terms of context (Bosacki, et al., 2009; Bosacki, et al., 2006; Clark & Labbo, 2005; Finders, 2000; Gainer, et al., Hagood, 2002; Skinner, 2007), participant (Kehler & Greig, 2005; Taylor, 2004; Watson, Keller, & Martino, 2010), and certain subgenres of pop culture (Alvermann & Hagood, 2000b; Black, 2006; Bosacki, et al., 2006; Bosacki, et al., 2009; Finders, 2000; Paris, 2010; Skinner, 2007).

Because there is little research focusing on high school English classrooms, adolescent male literacy practices, and popular music, this study explored their intersection by incorporating an interventionist strategy. Specifically, the purpose was to explore the ways adolescent males make meaning out of pop culture usage and its role in reflexive and/or interactive positioning both in- and outside the classroom. This is important because, as Alvermann and Hagood (2000b) noted, such things as fandom, music, and CML may position classrooms as sites for “active meaning making by both teachers and students using a variety of popular culture texts” (p. 445). In addition, popular culture texts may serve to (re)engage male academic literacies (Bruce, 2008; Heron-Hruby, Hagood, & Alvermann, 2008; Martinez, 2010) and, thus, function as a bridge between these popular music and academic literacies (Lee, 2007; Morrell, 2005).