The Children's Literature Hour: A Social-Constructivist Approach to Family Literacy

Abstract

Pursued from a social-constructivist perspective, this study reports the results of a series of peer group discussions with adolescent parents enrolled in a family literacy program. The purpose of these discussions was to provide opportunities for learners to critically reflect on their goals and their literacy strengths and needs, as well as their needs for their children. We engaged a total of 18 adolescent mothers in 1-hour discussion sessions of multicultural children's literature books. Analysis of the conversations indicated that literacy was seen as important because it served as a tool to address economic and social concerns. Parents' goals for themselves focused on independence, being a role model to their children, and self-respect. For their children, they wished to convey a sense of cultural pride, independence from peer pressure, and a "gift of childhood" The social aspects of the discussions seemed to strengthen and expand the possibilities for meaningful interaction between parents, creating a space for discourses which included their shared realities. It is suggested that family literacy programs should build on these issues and be context specific, working collaboratively with participants to create new visions that challenge the status quo.

Family Literacy: A Critical Inquiry–Based Approach to English Language Acquisition

“…Reyes and Torres (, p. 75) also contend that most family literacy models are driven by the “efficiency paradigm” with needs assessments and evaluations controlled by experts from the school system or other institutions; community and family values are dismissed as outside the realm of desirable and measurable outcomes. Neuman et al () expand on this argument, writing that these programs continue to perpetuate a “transmission of school practices” model (p. 500), and parents are taught to transmit the culture of the school to the family. Within this structure, literacy is assumed to be a set of neutral and objective skills to be transmitted and learned.…”

“…Several ways to implement strength‐based literacy approaches are described below in the section on family literacy models: Iddings's () dialogic, problem‐posing methods; Reyes and Torres's culture circles (); and the reflective practices of Neuman et al. (). These models of literacy acquisition enlist learners as the chief contributors to the content of instruction and as equal co‐facilitators of instruction, empowering learners to decide how best to improve themselves in ways that are compatible with their cultures, family backgrounds, and daily life experiences.…”

“…Neuman et al. () insist that programs must create a space for active participation in the lives of ELLs' children through an incorporation of the day‐to‐day experiences and needs that shape learners' social worlds. This focus on critical reflection of everyday needs is especially important because limited‐English‐proficiency (LEP) students constitute an increasing percentage of the U.S. school‐age population, currently more than 9% nationwide (National Center for Education Statistics, ), and institutional systems are often completely foreign to the experiences of LEP groups.…”

“…Many family literacy classes for adult ELLs seek to empower adult learners with knowledge about school norms so that they can help their children achieve academically; however, they rarely focus on empowering the adults to question the power dynamics that make it difficult for them to become active members of their new society (Giles & Alderson, ; Neuman, Celano, & Fischer, ; Reyes & Torres, ). Family literacy programs serving this dual purpose could have the potential to simultaneously impact two generations of immigrant families while working to alter the power relationships between dominant cultural institutions and marginalized groups.…”

Analyzing Epistemological Considerations Related to Diversity: An Integrative Critical Literature Review of Family Literacy Scholarship

“…Other reviews explicitly describe goals related to social justice (Farr, 2001;Gregory et al, 2004;Haneda, 2006;Heath, 2010), critical action and social change (Rogers, 2003), parent empowerment (Delgado-Gaitan, 1994;Gadsden, 1995;Ordoñ ez-Jasis & Ortiz, 2006;Ortiz & Ordoñ ez-Jasis, 2005), the transformative potential of family literacy (Cairney, 2002;Neuman et al, 1996), and emancipatory education (Iddings, 2009;Johnson, 1999). Scholarship that aspires toward social justice may involve defined linear processes involving reflection, social critique, and action that belie modernist assumptions about learning, progress, and change.…”