Mellinee Lesley
Biographic Data
| ID | 4129066 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mellinee Lesley |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mellinee |
| FAMILY NAME | Lesley |
| SIGNATURE | LESLEY M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Texas Tech University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8301-8748 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
“We Have to Find What We're Doing Right to Move Forward”
Despite calls for writing reform over the past two decades, few of the recommendations from this work have made their way into high school classrooms in the United States where concerns about the paucity and quality of writing instruction remain. To gain deeper insights into the reasons for this phenomenon, this study examined a dialogic and iterative approach to embedded professional development focused on writing instruction that included a uni…
I Am the Color of—A Collaborative Poem
In this collaborative poem, faculty and staff from a West Texas university responded to an in-house call for a line or two in response to the phrase “I am the color of.” According to the call, contributors were not meant to write about an actual “color”: brown, off-white, pink, etc. Nor should they address race and/or ethnicity. Instead, they were asked to consider detailed lived experiences that colored or shaped their professional identities to…
I Am Both, I Am Neither
Faculty and staff contribute to a poem about wresting power from prejudice aimed at contributors in personal and professional settings, committing the hatefulness to paper that can be crumpled and thrown away. Meant as post-COVID self-care, the process culminated in disturbingly touching accounts of prejudice and our counter-narratives. Through this collaboration, contributors have refused to let bigotry dictate their lives; instead, utilizing th…
Exploring the connections between disciplinary and digital literacies in history
Given the prevalence of digital tools and platforms as the primary pedagogical means through which to organize and deliver content in schools, this study examined how history teachers instructed students in digital literacies to develop their disciplinary knowledge through project‐based learning. Although several studies addressing new literacies tout digital mediums as a way to ignite adolescents' imagination and bring together conceptual and so…
Investigating meaningful impact in adolescent writing achievement within a high‐stakes testing context
Background This case study examined the consequences of a literacy initiative designed to improve writing instruction for a high school under pressure to increase standardised test scores or face government oversight. Realities of underperforming schools, such as interruptions to instructional time, a focus on formulaic essay writing and decontextualised grammar skills, high teacher turnover, and a disproportionately large percentage of students …
Reflecting on Responsible Conduct of Research
Research-oriented universities are known for prolific research activity that is often supported by students in faculty-guided research. To maintain ethical standards, universities require on-going training of both faculty and students to ensure Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). However, previous research has indicated RCR-based training is insufficient to address the ethical dilemmas that are prevalent within academic settings: navigating is…
Nomadic Knowledge”
Adult men create zines (self‐publications written as alternative to commercial magazines) that advance content learning and knowledge. We describe three of these zine writers who created five zines on topics related to the disciplines of science, social studies, and English/language arts. We collected their zines, interviewed the authors, and analyzed their zines’ supporting social media. These men wrote to author their lives, share their passion…
Spacecraft Reveals Recent Geological Activity on the Moon”
Understanding Resistance
Increased attention is being given to the attitudes exhibited by preservice teachers enrolled in secondary‐level content area literacy courses, who frequently resist the idea of teaching reading to their future students. To develop a greater understanding of such perspectives, the author analyzed literacy narratives written by undergraduate students enrolled in five sections of secondary‐level content area literacy courses. The findings suggest t…
Place‐Based Essay Writing and Content Area Literacy Instruction for Preservice Secondary Teachers
As teacher educators, we discuss the ways place‐based inquiry can be incorporated into content area literacy instruction with preservice secondary teachers to strengthen an understanding of discipline‐specific applications for content area literacy. We begin with a discussion of content area literacy as a situated experience and examine the ways place‐based writing/inquiry can create authentic content area learning. The remainder of the manuscrip…
School” Reading and Multiple Texts
This practitioner‐research study investigated the reading behaviors of preservice teachers from diverse content disciplines as they engaged in reading multiple texts pertaining to a historical topic. Through participant‐observer field notes, reader response journals, reflective essays, and participant debriefing, the authors examined the metacognitive awareness of students enrolled in a content area literacy course for preservice, secondary‐level…
Looking for Critical Literacy With Postbaccalaureate Content Area Literacy Students
Finding practical applications for critical literacy in preservice teacher education coursework is a challenging pursuit for educators. In this study, the author investigates the possibilities of drawing on critical literacy theories within the context of a content area literacy class designed for secondary level postbaccalaureate students. Through an examination of intersections of critical literacy and content area literacy instruction, this st…
The way we were
Reflecting on Responsible Conduct of Research
Research-oriented universities are known for prolific research activity that is often supported by students in faculty-guided research. To maintain ethical standards, universities require on-going training of both faculty and students to ensure Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). However, previous research has indicated RCR-based training is insufficient to address the ethical dilemmas that are prevalent within academic settings: navigating is…
The way we were
Looking for Critical Literacy With Postbaccalaureate Content Area Literacy Students
Finding practical applications for critical literacy in preservice teacher education coursework is a challenging pursuit for educators. In this study, the author investigates the possibilities of drawing on critical literacy theories within the context of a content area literacy class designed for secondary level postbaccalaureate students. Through an examination of intersections of critical literacy and content area literacy instruction, this st…
School” Reading and Multiple Texts
This practitioner‐research study investigated the reading behaviors of preservice teachers from diverse content disciplines as they engaged in reading multiple texts pertaining to a historical topic. Through participant‐observer field notes, reader response journals, reflective essays, and participant debriefing, the authors examined the metacognitive awareness of students enrolled in a content area literacy course for preservice, secondary‐level…
Place‐Based Essay Writing and Content Area Literacy Instruction for Preservice Secondary Teachers
As teacher educators, we discuss the ways place‐based inquiry can be incorporated into content area literacy instruction with preservice secondary teachers to strengthen an understanding of discipline‐specific applications for content area literacy. We begin with a discussion of content area literacy as a situated experience and examine the ways place‐based writing/inquiry can create authentic content area learning. The remainder of the manuscrip…
Understanding Resistance
Increased attention is being given to the attitudes exhibited by preservice teachers enrolled in secondary‐level content area literacy courses, who frequently resist the idea of teaching reading to their future students. To develop a greater understanding of such perspectives, the author analyzed literacy narratives written by undergraduate students enrolled in five sections of secondary‐level content area literacy courses. The findings suggest t…
Spacecraft Reveals Recent Geological Activity on the Moon”
Nomadic Knowledge”
Adult men create zines (self‐publications written as alternative to commercial magazines) that advance content learning and knowledge. We describe three of these zine writers who created five zines on topics related to the disciplines of science, social studies, and English/language arts. We collected their zines, interviewed the authors, and analyzed their zines’ supporting social media. These men wrote to author their lives, share their passion…
Reflecting on Responsible Conduct of Research
Research-oriented universities are known for prolific research activity that is often supported by students in faculty-guided research. To maintain ethical standards, universities require on-going training of both faculty and students to ensure Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). However, previous research has indicated RCR-based training is insufficient to address the ethical dilemmas that are prevalent within academic settings: navigating is…
Investigating meaningful impact in adolescent writing achievement within a high‐stakes testing context
Background This case study examined the consequences of a literacy initiative designed to improve writing instruction for a high school under pressure to increase standardised test scores or face government oversight. Realities of underperforming schools, such as interruptions to instructional time, a focus on formulaic essay writing and decontextualised grammar skills, high teacher turnover, and a disproportionately large percentage of students …
Exploring the connections between disciplinary and digital literacies in history
Given the prevalence of digital tools and platforms as the primary pedagogical means through which to organize and deliver content in schools, this study examined how history teachers instructed students in digital literacies to develop their disciplinary knowledge through project‐based learning. Although several studies addressing new literacies tout digital mediums as a way to ignite adolescents' imagination and bring together conceptual and so…
I Am the Color of—A Collaborative Poem
In this collaborative poem, faculty and staff from a West Texas university responded to an in-house call for a line or two in response to the phrase “I am the color of.” According to the call, contributors were not meant to write about an actual “color”: brown, off-white, pink, etc. Nor should they address race and/or ethnicity. Instead, they were asked to consider detailed lived experiences that colored or shaped their professional identities to…
I Am Both, I Am Neither
Faculty and staff contribute to a poem about wresting power from prejudice aimed at contributors in personal and professional settings, committing the hatefulness to paper that can be crumpled and thrown away. Meant as post-COVID self-care, the process culminated in disturbingly touching accounts of prejudice and our counter-narratives. Through this collaboration, contributors have refused to let bigotry dictate their lives; instead, utilizing th…
“We Have to Find What We're Doing Right to Move Forward”
Despite calls for writing reform over the past two decades, few of the recommendations from this work have made their way into high school classrooms in the United States where concerns about the paucity and quality of writing instruction remain. To gain deeper insights into the reasons for this phenomenon, this study examined a dialogic and iterative approach to embedded professional development focused on writing instruction that included a uni…
Psychology (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Literacy (7 works) · Literacy, Media, and Education (7 works) · Pedagogy (7 works) · Mathematics education (6 works) · Social science (5 works) · Linguistics (4 works) · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy (3 works) · Indigenous and Place-Based Education (3 works)