Critical literacy practices with bilingual immigrant children: multicultural book club in an out-of-school context

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates how and to what extent critical literacy activities in an out-of-school context serves as a space for bilingual immigrant children in the United States to solve their conflicts and challenges in life. Using the contextual format of a multicultural book club and a critical dialogue, the qualitative case study discusses the children's experiences with critical literacy practices for 19 weeks. The data include field notes on book club meetings and critical dialogues, transcripts of book discussion, and written artefacts they produced in the book club. The data were analysed on a weekly/monthly basis with interpretative approaches. The findings showed that the focal student, a seven-year-old immigrant girl, consciously or subconsciously revealed her conflicts and struggles with the book club members by sharing her thoughts, ideas, and feelings about the multicultural books and her lived experiences. Notably, when the conflicts and struggles were shared in the book club, the book club members built a coalition and helped her to resolve them.