摘要:
This theoretical dissertation asks: "How might an empathic-Thou lens inform ELA teachers' values, decisions, and practices surrounding writing assessment?" Using a framework informed by Martin Buber's I-Thou philosophy-and an approach informed by hermeneutics, autoethnography, and writing as inquiry-this study engages textual research and personal experiences to explore the powerful forces of three major concepts-writing, assessment, and empathy. This study documents the resulting disruption and re-minding. Asserting an understanding of the history, theoretical underpinnings, and coinciding values as necessary starting points, the study first individually examines each concept that roots the inquiry question. I first explore empathy and develop an empathic-Thou lens for inquiry that encourages readers to engage 3 R's: relationality, rupture, and re-minding. Then, an empathic- Thou exploration of writing and assessment suggests that both can be connected to Cartesian separation-reinforcing objectivity and binary thinking, influencing how English Language Arts teachers approach, respond to, and evaluate student writing-enculturement that establishes separations between student and teacher, mind and body, head and heart, and work from context. The study suggests that engaging an empathic-Thou lens could shift these educational tendencies, bringing an awareness to our separatist inclinations that, by default, distance us from students and their work. Furthermore, an empathic-Thou lens has the potential to motivate educators to make substantial change to our educational-doing through a greater awareness of our way of being in action. This dissertation suggests that exploring these concerns through a framework informed by Martin Buber's I-Thou dialogical philosophy-while building a deeper understanding of empathy-might differently inform ELA teachers' values, decisions, and practices surrounding writing assessment.