Exploring family reading practices in non-Kuwaiti nannies

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how home reading practices can impact what teachers assume to be the optimum practice in preparing students for school may not be supported by the local culture. In Kuwait, I have heard teachers repeatedly complain that students do not read at home or seem to value reading. Kuwaiti adults relate that they rarely engage in reading for pleasure. Students here are challenged with learning English, but also seem to take a greater amount of time to understand the use of reading in their lives and learning. These factors led me to consider that what teachers assume to be the optimum practice in preparing students for school may not be supported by the local culture. Design/methodology/approach – In this case study, five nannies were interviewed focusing on participants’ reading practices in their homes of origin and those practiced with Kuwaiti children. Observational notes were taken to record nonverbal communication. Data were analyzed to uncover references to home reading practices such as storytelling, recreational reading and verbal interaction based on the reading. References were color coded and a database was constructed of references the nannies made to reading practices both in their homes of origin and in the Kuwaiti homes in which they work. The references to reading practices were then categorized according to activities reported. Findings – As a result, it was found that the nannies perceived the purpose of reading to be for education only, storytelling is used for different purposes in different cultures, print material were rarely found in the homes of the nannies due to lack of economic means, and the fathers of most of the nannies were critical in their reading development. Research limitations/implications – Further exploration of the home reading practices of the Kuwaitis is needed to fully support the effective inclusion of their cultural reading traditions into school practice. Parent and student surveys, parent interviews and possibly home visits would assist researchers in more fully defining home reading practices. Partnering with Arabic-speaking or Kuwaiti teachers would benefit researchers in being able to efficiently translate for the interviews and then discuss their observations, giving the researchers a more nuanced perspective of the findings. Originality/value – This paper offers an original view on a particular aspect of international education, namely, reading habits, and discusses the promotion of multicultural reading instruction in a more culturally responsive manner.