Mixed-lens family visits: an examination of sharing power between school and home

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand what teachers and families learn from participating in strength-based family visits. This study occurred in a home visit project with one White teacher and one Latinx family in the home of the family. The study employed a basic qualitative design with data sources such as field notes, interviews, and a participant journal. Results show that a new mixed-lens approach to the visits emerged. Participating in these visits led to new learning from both the teacher and the family, resulting in the emergence of a space of shared power, one where the participants learned and co-constructed literacy practices together. The participants benefited from a space to learn from each other to shift their understandings of literacy in the home and school. This study implies that family visits have direct benefits on shifting the power of what ‘counts’ as literacy between home and school.