"What's expected of us as we integrate reading and writing?": constructing developmental education at a Hispanic-serving community college

The purpose of this case study is to shed light on the experiences and perceptions of developmental faculty about teaching integrated developmental reading and writing (INRW) at an urban community college in Texas. This study drew primarily from semi-structured interviews with 7 INRW faculty and 2 administrators at Adelante College as well as archival research. This study used Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) which accounted for how both tangible and intangible items such as the course syllabus and institutional rules interacted in the faculty experience of responding to INRW. The framework lent itself to generating new knowledge about the experiences of college faculty who teach these INRW courses, the teaching of literacy at the college level, how faculty make sense of the state-wide policy changes and remediation in general. INRW directly impacted faculty in multiple ways, including the courses they teach, how they teach them, and if they are even qualified to teach. This study has aimed to situate experiences of faculty who are implementing a state-level policy within the historical, national, and social contexts that have shaped reforms related to that policy. While more standardized reform efforts at the state, national, and global levels can guide action on individual campuses and help researchers and practitioners identify promising interventions, institutions and individuals have to find ways to adapt these actions to the own contexts—that are historically and culturally situated. This study helps identify promising strategies or to mitigate challenges for others who are undergoing similar changes on other campuses.