Community-based Literacy Research Articles

Integrating Conventional and Innovative Practices: Enhancing Literacy Education in Diverse Contexts

The Spring 2024 issue of the Georgia Journal of Literacy highlights how traditional teaching methods and innovative practices can be merged to effectively address the needs of today’s diverse student population. Articles within this issue advocate for a dynamic approach to literacy instruction, combining decades of research with contemporary classroom realities. The contributors to this issue explore topics from the complexities of reading aloud to leveraging community-based literacy projects, each underscoring strategies to create more inclusive and engaging learning environments. The issue also examines the importance of empirical data in developing effective literacy practices and offers practical strategies that apply research findings to enhance teaching and learning. The nine articles in this issue deepen understanding and encourage educators to innovate and adapt in ways that improve student engagement and literacy outcomes.

Farmer, Lesley (2020). Impactful community-based literacy projects

Book Review

Peran Taman Bacaan Masyarakat berbasis inklusi sosial dalam mendukung tercapainya tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan di Kabupaten Bandung

Introduction Libraries with a variety of resources and information services can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in society. This study describes the role of social inclusion-based TBM in Bandung Regency, West Java to support SDGs.
 Data collection methods. This study was qualitative with a descriptive approach. Data analysis was started with data reduction, data display and conclusion.
 Results and Discussion. TBM contributes to build a community-based literacy ecosystem based on the community characteristics and information needs in their environment. Literacy activities at TBM may improve individual or group skills and give impacts to the community's quality of life through collborations with multiple parties. TBM is a place for consultation regarding life problems in the community by providing access to information and knowledge to support the community's productivity and welfare.
 Conclusion and suggestions. The presence of community-based TBM supports poverty alleviation efforts. Literacy programs at TBM can help improve people's life skills by giving them more empowerment, training, and mentoring. These activities have an impact on improving individual abilities and skills. TBM becomes a bridge for public libraries as information service providers and a place to find information to overcome life's problems.

“Our Voice and Dreams Matter”: Supporting Youths’ Racial Literacy

This qualitative study examines how youth participants in an ongoing community-based literacy initiative sought to increase awareness of racial justice among residents of their subsidized housing community in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in summer 2020 and throughout the 2020–2021 academic year. We utilize theories of racial literacy and critical arts-based literacy to examine youths’ engagement in 44 weekly two-hour-long Zoom sessions of the literacy initiative held between June 2020 and June 2021. Specifically, we examine how youths designed, facilitated, and participated in critical arts-based literacy projects related to children's and young adult literature they chose to read focused on racial justice. Findings contribute new insights into youths’ enactments of racial literacy, possibilities for art-making to support youths’ racial literacy, and the urgent need for literacy instruction responsive to youths’ voices and dreams, particularly during times of crisis.

Empowerment of the Jamu Gendong Kiringan Canden Community Based on Local Wisdom to Increase Literacy Embodied in Children's Literature

Purpose ­ The empowerment program will directly invite the Kiringan Canden herbal medicine community based on the local wisdom of traditional herbal medicine which is inherited from their ancestors to actively participate in increasing literacy and cultivating children's character which is embodied in children's literature.
 Methods - Methode community service activities.
 Result and discussions - The series of activities and results obtained prove that by collaborating with each other from all elements of society, especially involving the younger generation so that they have a good understanding of the local wisdom of the area, promoting behavior will emerge, understanding potential and in the end wanting to participate in preserving the ancestral heritage that has great potential to be appointed as a regional brand, so that the character values of nationalism, pride in local products, independence and mutual cooperation can be realized. Therefore, intermediaries or infrastructure are needed in order to pass on the order of life, tradition and culture to the next generation, so that there are no gaps between generations, so that community service programs by empowering herbal medicine communities based on local wisdom can increase literacy in maintain ancestral heritage. Presentation that is fun and in providing education to all residents, especially children, through explanation activities that are appropriate to the stage of child development, will facilitate and build literacy which has an impact on the formation of children's character.
 Conclusion - Empowerment by inviting the participation of all elements in society including the Jamu Gendong community, youth, children, men and women, community leaders and other residents to jointly preserve the ancestral heritage of "traditional herbal medicine" by directly empowering the Jamu Gendong community in increasing community-based literacy. local wisdom through fun activities, namely children's literature, is able to develop children's emotional intelligence and creativity, foster growth as well as children's personality and social skills. An interesting presentation will create fun and influence children so that indirectly they are able to cultivate the characters of respect, responsibility, caring, citizenship, honesty, cooperation, freedom, courage and justice so that in the future the children of this younger generation will continue and preserving the potential of the region.

Empowerment of the Jamu Gendong Kiringan Canden Community Based on Local Wisdom to Increase Literacy Embodied in Children's Literature

Purpose ­ The empowerment program will directly invite the Kiringan Canden herbal medicine community based on the local wisdom of traditional herbal medicine which is inherited from their ancestors to actively participate in increasing literacy and cultivating children's character which is embodied in children's literature. Methods - Methode community service activities. Result and discussions - The series of activities and results obtained prove that by collaborating with each other from all elements of society, especially involving the younger generation so that they have a good understanding of the local wisdom of the area, promoting behavior will emerge, understanding potential and in the end wanting to participate in preserving the ancestral heritage that has great potential to be appointed as a regional brand, so that the character values of nationalism, pride in local products, independence and mutual cooperation can be realized. Therefore, intermediaries or infrastructure are needed in order to pass on the order of life, tradition and culture to the next generation, so that there are no gaps between generations, so that community service programs by empowering herbal medicine communities based on local wisdom can increase literacy in maintain ancestral heritage. Presentation that is fun and in providing education to all residents, especially children, through explanation activities that are appropriate to the stage of child development, will facilitate and build literacy which has an impact on the formation of children's character. Conclusion - Empowerment by inviting the participation of all elements in society including the Jamu Gendong community, youth, children, men and women, community leaders and other residents to jointly preserve the ancestral heritage of "traditional herbal medicine" by directly empowering the Jamu Gendong community in increasing community-based literacy. local wisdom through fun activities, namely children's literature, is able to develop children's emotional intelligence and creativity, foster growth as well as children's personality and social skills. An interesting presentation will create fun and influence children so that indirectly they are able to cultivate the characters of respect, responsibility, caring, citizenship, honesty, cooperation, freedom, courage and justice so that in the future the children of this younger generation will continue and preserving the potential of the region.

Counselling Adult Leaner for Community Participation in Development of Literacy Centers in Akampa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria

This paper focus on how adult literacy education and community development are explored to determine how adult literacy education might be used to further the goals of community development in Akampa Local Government Area of Cross River State. While there are parallels between these two disciplines, there are also barriers to overcome if an integrated approach to dealing with community issues is realized. This paper reflected an interest in advancing a comprehensive approach to community development in communities with limited economic resources, low-level literacy and limited access. It seeks to address the issue of whether adult literacy education programs have a meaningful role to play in community development. The strengths of participatory approaches such as community-based literacy, and community development principles such as collective action, shared values, participation, social justice, political awareness and action, comprehensiveness, empowerment, and learning and reflection, facilitate an interdisciplinary approach. putting these three perspectives sought to stimulate and provoke the adult learner to critically analyse issues around him/her and be able to suggest practical solutions that will lead to his/her personal development and that of the rural community, all within the cultural setting. promotes confidence as an individual in a modern society, and as a member of a national and world community

Transforming lives through a literacy program: An exploration of adult learners’ experiences

Nearly one-quarter of American adults have low-level literacy skills. Existing research provides a great deal of quantitative information about skill levels and attainment, but little information exists that highlights the contextualized experiences of adult learners. In this phenomenological study, we explored individual adult learners’ experiences in a community-based literacy program. A purposive sample of eight adult learners participated in semi-structured interviews. The study shows that the tutors’ caring and understanding attitude towards the learners, friendship relationships between the tutors and learners, and the tutors’ use of individualized interventions for their learners were vital in shaping their positive learning experience. The study also highlights how the learners’ motivation and support system played in helping them persist in the program. The literacy program transformed their lives and meant “a chance” for making a change.

Engaging Young Children with Science Concepts in a Community-Based Book Distribution and Animal-Themed Literacy Intervention Program

Engaging Young Children with Science Concepts in a Community-Based Book Distribution and Animal-Themed Literacy Intervention Program

The automated literacies of e-recruitment and online services

Online technologies have entered almost all spheres of life, introducing new challenges to how literacies are theorised, defined and taken up in adult literacy education settings. This process has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and on a global scale, as more services, resources and information move online. An important, if under-studied example of this trend is e-recruitment. Job seekers increasingly rely upon automated platforms to find and apply for jobs, and their fate in these selection processes are often automated. Drawing on data from the German LEO study and ethnographic interviews with job seekers in community-based digital literacy classes in Canada, this article explores how adult job seekers experience e-recruitment platforms, examining promises of efficiency, convenience and fairness in light of embedded inequalities within algorithmic agencies. Located within constructs of digital inequality, new literacy studies and sociomaterial literacies, findings suggest the need to reconfigure skills discourses, literacy measurement projects, and literacies education to account for automated intelligences as new actors in the literacies landscape.

Health and well-being literacy initiatives focusing on immigrant communities: an environmental scan protocol to identify "what works and what does not"

IntroductionMost of the major cities in the developed western countries are characterized by an increasing multiculturalism brought by the immigrant population. The immigrant communities face challenges in the new environment with their health and wellness related unmet needs. It is imperative to find sustainable ways to empower these diverse communities to champion their health and wellness. Community-based health and wellness literacy initiatives (CBHWLI) focusing on immigrant communities can be an important step towards citizen empowerment in this regard. The aim of the present environmental scan is to identify the key factors that might impact a CBHWLI in immigrant communities in Canada in order to facilitate the process in practice and identify the competencies and training required for its implementation.MethodsThis study will gather information from existing literature and online sources as well as will capture expert and lay perspectives on the factors that can impact the effectiveness and sustainability of CBHWLIs through conducting a comprehensive environmental scan: (i) a systematic scoping review of published literature and grey literature, (ii) a comprehensive Internet search, (iii) key informant interviews, and (iv) community consultation. Specific methodological and analytical frameworks will guide each step.Ethics and disseminationThis study is the first step in establishing a practical base for developing CBHWLI implementation research. Once the initial findings have been generated, the second step will involve inviting experts to provide their input. We first plan to disseminate the results of our scoping review and Internet scan through meetings with key stakeholders, to be followed by journal publications and conference or workshop presentations. Ethical approval is not required for the scoping review or Internet scan; however, approval to conduct interviews with key informants and community consultations in the second stage of the study will be sought from the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board.

Multimodal Cuentos as Fugitive Literacies on the Mexico-US Borderlands

In this article, we examine fugitivity and fugitive literacies as they are enacted by transfronterizx youth—young people who cross and experience life on both sides of the border between Mexico and the United States. Through a community-based literacy project located on the border between El Paso, Texas, USA, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, this article focuses on storytelling and multimodal creation, what we refer to as multimodal cuentos. Findings illustrate the ways in which Chicanx/Latinx transfronterizx youth exhibit, build, and sustain their ways of resisting white, Western, hegemonic definitions of literacy through communication and creativity. We theorize the notion of fugitivity on the border and share potential implications for language and literacy education for Chicanx/Latinx border crossers.

Building Trust and Cultivating Connection, Leadership, and Empowerment in a Community‐Based Program

AbstractIn this chapter, the former and current directors of adult education at the Arab American Association of New York (AAANY) discuss strategies from their shared process of fostering community, student leadership, and empowerment in AAANY's community‐based literacy program. Amid the challenges for learners and the program connected to the 2016 election and a limited funding landscape, the authors share ways in which students and staff worked together to celebrate, connect, and learn from each other.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Berbasis Gerakan Literasi di Taman Baca Masyarakat Pondok Sinau Lentera Anak Nusantara

Empowerment derived from the word ‘power’. Therefore, the main idea of empowerment in contact with the concept of power. Meanwhile, the authority itself is often attributed with the ability to make other people do what we want, regardless of their wishes and interests. Empowerment refers to the ability of the people, especially the weak and vulnerable groups so that they have the ability in some respects. This in turn makes the praxis of empowerment of communities on the territory of the literacy movement. The inclusion of community empowerment on the literacy movement to make the movement experienced a transformation from the previous only general movement based on issues that are more specific, one that is in the Pondok Sinau Lentera Anak Nusantara as setting research. The purpose of this research is to know the realization community empowerment-based literacy movement and the impact of socio-economic change in the surrounding communities. By using the theory of community empowerment and literacy theory and qualitative descriptive method, it can be noted that there is a relationship between the empowerment of community-based literacy movement toward socio-economic changes in the surrounding communities. The background and the focus of community empowerment-based literacy movement in Pondok Sinau Lentera Anak Nusantara is as follows: (1) the existence of empowerment-based literacy movement in Pondok Sinau Lentera Anak Nusantara the answer to the problems of social-historical territory of the village; (2) the realization of the empowerment funded based on the principle of volunteerism and independence; (3) the main focus of the activities of empowerment is the transformation of the values of the characters building for the productive age group as well as encourage socio-economic independence based on a series of soft skill thematic activities.

Invite Their Languages In: Community-Based Literacy Practices with Multilingual African Immigrant Girls in New York City

This three-year qualitative case study examined how an African community-based organization, Sauti Yetu’s Girl’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (GELI), leads, bolsters, and transforms the literacy development of African immigrant girls who are identified as English Language Learners (ELLs) and Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) in New York City schools. In particular, the study addresses how community-based literacy practices mobilize multilingual African immigrant girls to strengthen their communities. The study drew upon critical perspectives of literacy and community-based practices to examine the approaches GELI has implemented to address the academic and social needs of African immigrant girls in public schools.

Best Practices to Advance Health Literacy in a Wisconsin Adult Literacy Coalition.

Background:Wisconsin Literacy Incorporated is a statewide adult and family literacy coalition representing 75 community-based literacy organizations. This coalition focuses its work in four areas: (1) building capacity of its member agencies, (2) advocating for literacy, (3) preparing adults in worker readiness and career pathways, and (4) improving how health information is communicated through its division, Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL).Brief Description of Activity:This article outlines how an adult basic education coalition successfully developed a statewide health literacy coalition that later transformed into a division of Wisconsin Literacy through a three-phase approach that included: (1) raising awareness and educating health care and literacy providers about health literacy, (2) implementing health literacy interventions through various grant funding, and (3) disseminating and sharing findings from such health literacy interventions to a broad audience.Implementation:Beginning its awareness work in 2003 with help from a physician champion, WHL implemented best practices within each of the three areas of approach. After being implemented, the initial volunteer-based health literacy coalition was transformed into a division of Wisconsin Literacy Incorporated.Results:The division now includes a full-time director, its own website, funding for community interventions, and a business plan for fee-for-service efforts with health care providers, public health agencies, and other stakeholders. Key relationships with Wisconsin health care organizations provided WHL venues to present about health literacy throughout the state and beyond. Wisconsin Literacy Incorporated helped secure a solid infrastructure by hosting two planning retreats and implementing both strategic and business plans for the newly formed division. Offering fee-for-service health literacy training to health care providers brought in new revenue to sustain the division and obtain buy-in from health care agencies on the importance of health literate organizations. Finally, participating in key partner coalitions and Communities of Practice allowed WHL to share experiences and best practices with a national audience.Lessons Learned:The importance of intentionally raising awareness in strategic health care settings across the state fostered many partnerships. Investing in a strategic planning retreat and a business plan guided the division's success. Delivering educational workshops in community-based literacy organizations and trusted settings where adults regularly go to learn was key to successful implementation. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(Suppl.):S8–S14.]Plain Language Summary:Wisconsin Literacy Incorporated is an adult basic education coalition that built a health literacy division over several years. Using best practices such as raising awareness, implementing pilot projects, and broadly sharing its experience, the Wisconsin Health Literacy division advanced the understanding and commitment to health literacy in and beyond Wisconsin.

Transformative and emancipatory literacy to empower

ABSTRACTThis paper draws on sociological and critical educational frames, particularly Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, in order to contest the dominant model of literacy education that is driven by the premise of a ‘knowledge economy’. Instead it foregrounds the political, social, and economic factors that marginalise learners. Data from two projects: an ethnographic study in a Further Education (FE) College in England and a study of community-based literacy programmes in Scotland, are probed to show how literacy classes can offer spaces to challenge symbolic violence and facilitate learners to reclaim identities of success. These changes are illustrated from the learners’ views of the contrasts between their experiences of school education and literacy programmes that use transformative and emancipatory approaches. Our research demonstrates how critical education can open up spaces for a more equitable approach based on the co-production of knowledge. It is argued that making changes to policy and practice could inform and shape the literacy curriculum and its pedagogy if adult literacy can disentangle itself from instrumental approaches driven by neoliberal fusion and instead create critical space for contextualised and emancipatory learning.

The Use of Social Media in the Community-Based Literacy Movement

The Use of Social Media in the Community-Based Literacy Movement

The Tower of Babble: Mother Tongue and Multilingualism in India

The Tower of Babble: Mother Tongue and Multilingualism in India

Dangerous sadness: nervoza among first and second generation Macedonian immigrants to Australia

ABSTRACTObjective: Nervoza is a commonly-used illness category among Macedonian Australians. Although nervoza belongs broadly to the category of ‘nerve illnesses’ little is known of its meaning among Macedonian immigrants, and whether there is intergenerational attrition in its meaning and use. We aimed to explore how nervoza and its treatment are perceived by members of the Macedonian community in Australia.Design: In-depth interviews in Macedonian with 18 participants from the Macedonian community in Melbourne, Australia.Results: Nervoza is a layered concept relating shame, emotional experience and nerves, used as an idiom of distress and sadness in the presence of acute and chronic stressors. Nervoza develops in both the social world (through poverty, grief or the loss of war), and in the psyche of distressed and isolated people. It is viewed as dangerous on many levels: to physical health, as a ‘gateway condition’ to long-term psychological illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, and to the person’s social well-being. The normalised treatment for nervoza in Macedonia – benzodiazepines – is the subject of significant medical control in Australia.Conclusion: For sufferers of nervoza, the social self is both medicalized and stigmatised. Health services in Australia are often considered marginal in the management of nervoza. Second generation Macedonians viewed the concept as unhelpful, and possibly increasing the stigmatisation of mental illnesses. The lack of knowledge about, and underutilisation of, mental health services and support groups in the Macedonian Australian community should be the focus of community-based inter-generational health literacy initiatives.