Literacy Engagement Research Articles

Exploratory Qualitative Analysis of Early Literacy Engagement in Latinx Parents of a Child With a Cleft.

Literacy interventions are needed for children born with orofacial clefts, particularly for Latinx children who may experience multiple risk factors. To collect formative data for intervention design, focus groups and interviews were completed with 18 Latinx parents of children ages 13 to 49 months with orofacial clefts. Interviews focused on literacy experiences and practices. Six themes were identified through inductive qualitative analysis: child reading skills were highly valued; parents were motivated to improve on their childhood reading experiences; bilingualism was a goal for all parents; parents noted challenges in building child reading skills; reading engagement was broadly defined; and impact of cleft diagnosis was wide-reaching. Implications for intervention include a bilingual strength-based approach incorporating cleft-specific speech concerns, play, parallel online programming, behavioral strategies, and social support options. Use of telephone and online intervention with mailed materials can also help address family resource and time limitations.

Reaching for the Top

This paper draws attention to the important role school libraries, teacher-librarians, and principals can and need to play in the lives of marginalized adolescent boys in order to advance the goals of social justice and equity, and to make school libraries more relevant to citizens and communities. As an illustration of how teacher-librarians can intervene in the lives of such students, the author presents preliminary insights from a recent literacy research project that involved a school principal, a professor/school library specialist, and a professor in school leadership. Using a modified, contextually tailored version of literature circles, the researchers explored ways of enhancing the critical literacy engagement of marginalized adolescent boys in an urban school in western Canada.

Making Podcasts in the Collegiate French Writing Course

This study argues for grounding the teaching of presentational communication in a foreign language (FL) in Making- and Design-related concepts. We use the example of creating personal narrative podcasts in an advanced collegiate FL course to demonstrate how these concepts facilitate student learning outcomes in relation to genre awareness, digital literacy, and student engagement in presentational writing and speaking. A description is provided of the process of gaining understanding and carrying out thematic, generic, linguistic, and technical components of podcasting—a task that student self-reflections revealed as challenging yet ultimately rewarding.

Learning Opportunities While Incarcerated: Association of Engagement in Literacy and Numeracy Activities With Literacy and Numeracy Skills

Little is known about which educational activities are most associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. The present study examines whether informal engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities (e.g., reading newspapers or using calculators) is associated with incarcerated adults’ literacy and numeracy skills. Using the 2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)—U.S. Prison Study, numeracy/literacy skills were predicted from engagement in reading, writing, and numeracy activities. Literacy skills were higher among incarcerated persons who engaged in an increasing amount of writing activities along with those who completed postsecondary coursework in prison. Literacy skills and numeracy skills were not significantly associated with engagement in reading activities and numeracy activities, respectively. Findings highlight promising strategies for restructuring prison education.

The Effects of Reading Engagement on Older Adults’ Resource Allocation in Reading and Cognition

With aging, print exposure has been shown to predict effective resource allocation during reading, as well as to account for growth in certain abilities. To test the hypothesis that literacy engagement has causal effects on reading processes and the cognitive abilities on which they depend, we developed a home-based literacy intervention administered via iPads. Participants (64% female; 60-79 years of age; < 10hrs/week of reading at baseline) were randomly assigned to an 8-week reading intervention group (developed in collaboration with a Champaign Library adult literacy specialist) or to a puzzle control, both of which involved ~8hrs/week of activity engagement. At pretest and posttest, participants performed a self-paced reading task to assess resource allocation to word and conceptual processing, and completed a battery of cognitive measures assessing episodic memory, working memory, and verbal fluency (alphas ≥ .79). Based on one-tailed tests, results showed greater positive change in working memory, t(57)=1.69, p<.05, for the literacy group relative to the control, and a marginally significant difference in change in episodic memory, t(57)=1.62, p<.06, but not in verbal fluency, t< 1. In addition, there was a significant difference between conditions in change in resource allocation to conceptual processing, t(53)=1.75, p<.05. Changes in working memory and conceptual processing were positively correlated (r=.27, p=.02). These findings suggest that reading engagement may be beneficial for older adults’ growth in fluid ability, which impacts reading processes, so as to create a “virtuous spiral” of resilience between literacy engagement and ability.

Family Engagement in Literacy: What Does Equity Have to Do with Promoting Family Engagement in Literacy?

Family Engagement in Literacy: What Does Equity Have to Do with Promoting Family Engagement in Literacy?

The Brain Health Support Program: A web‐based interactive platform to increase dementia literacy and awareness regarding lifestyle factors in at‐risk individuals

AbstractBackgroundPrior studies have reported that older adults can benefit from formal educational programs about dementia. Participating in an online educational program focusing on risk and protective factors could potentially increase participants’ dementia literacy, empowerment, and engagement in brain health promotion, which in turn could reduce their dementia risk. The goal is to develop a comprehensive, compelling, and evidence‐based online educational program on risk and protective factors for dementia.MethodThe Brain Health Support Program is being developed as part of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging CAN‐Thumbs‐Up initiative. The program is designed to improve dementia literacy, promote lifestyle changes in at‐risk individuals who are cognitively intact or have mild cognitive impairment, and evaluate its effectiveness.ResultsThe content is based on the epidemiological literature on risk and protective factors for dementia. The format is determined from a review of web‐based educational programs for older adults and is co‐created with experts, stakeholders and citizen advisors. The program contains eight interactive modules with new content provided weekly over a 12‐month period. The modules contain general information and tips on modifiable risk factors including diet, physical activity, cognitively stimulating activity, sleep, vascular health, social and psychological factors, vision and hearing, as well as information on dementia, stigma, and stereotypes. Participants have access to an individualized risk profile to determine personal goals and are given feedback on lifestyle changes. Content is available in French and English. Changes in dementia literacy, self‐efficacy, attitudes toward dementia and modifiable risk factors will be collected from the platform.ConclusionProviding access to scientifically validated education through an interactive web‐based platform is expected to have a positive effect on participants’ attitude, engagement in brain health behaviours and dementia literacy. It might also increase readiness to change and maintain positive lifestyle changes. The content and format are co‐created with users and stakeholders, which should increase its relevance and facilitate future implementation.

Enhancing Water Literacy through an Innovative Television Series Focused on Wai Maoli: Hawai’i Fresh Water Initiative

This study examined the ability of four 30-min television (TV) episodes to affect viewers’ understanding of, and engagement in, fresh water recharge, conservation, and reuse. We used questionnaires to examine changes in viewers’ perceived understanding, interest, and motivation after watching episodes at in-person screenings during September 2019 (average 27.5 attendees and 19.5 respondents per episode screening). In general, perception of skills and engagement increased after viewing the episode, and viewers reported a willingness to take action themselves as well as to pledge support for the use of public funds in water-related actions. However, viewers were less swayed on topics such as the “ickiness” of recycled water and on policies that allow black water recycling. At the final screening of the series, we also investigated preference for in-depth content versus a synoptic episode via structured focus groups. With a high degree of consensus, focus group participants felt that topics were better presented in episodes with more in-depth content. These results support the use of long-form, content-rich educational videos to teach water science and increase motivation. In combination with TV viewing metrics, our study thus supports the use of TV as an effective medium for reaching a broad demographic. However, our findings also imply that changing viewers’ perceptions on controversial water-use topics requires additional consideration to support the construction of new beliefs, water literacy, and citizen engagement.

Multiple mediators in the relationship between perceived teacher autonomy support and student engagement in math and literacy learning

This study examined the role of academic self-concept, mastery goals, and academic emotions as mediators in the relationship between perceived teacher autonomy support and student engagement in maths and literacy domains. Questionnaires completed by 854 students in Grades 4 and 5 in China show that perceived teacher autonomy support positively related to students’ behavioural and cognitive engagement in learning both maths and literacy; however, the mechanisms of these relationships varied in the two subjects. When learning maths, perceived teacher autonomy support positively related to student engagement mainly through academic self-concept, mastery goals, and academic emotions; but when learning literacy, perceived teacher autonomy support directly related to student engagement and indirectly via academic self-concept. Moreover, enjoyment was more closely linked with maths engagement than literacy engagement. Findings contribute to understanding how teacher autonomy support influences maths and literacy learning and highlight the necessity to provide subject-specific guidance for future educational intervention.

Effects of an Early Literacy Intervention for Linguistically Diverse Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge underpin children’s early literacy acquisition. Promoting these foundational skills in kindergarten should therefore lead to a better response to formal literacy instruction once started. The present study evaluated a 12-week early literacy intervention for linguistically diverse children who are learning to read in German. The study was set in Luxembourg where kindergarten education is in Luxembourgish and children learn to read in German in Grade 1 of primary school. One hundred and eighty-nine children (mean age = 5;8 years) were assigned to an early literacy intervention in Luxembourgish or to a business as usual control group. Trained teachers delivered the intervention to entire classes, four times a week, during the last year of kindergarten. The early literacy program included direct instruction in phonological awareness and letter-knowledge, while promoting print and book awareness and literacy engagement. Children were assessed pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention and at a 9 months delayed follow-up using measures in Luxembourgish and in German. At the end of the intervention, children in the intervention group performed significantly better than the control group on phonological awareness and letter-knowledge measures in Luxembourgish and the gains in phonological awareness were maintained at 9 months follow-up. The effects generalized to measures of phonological awareness, word-level reading comprehension and spelling in German (effect sizes d > 0.25), but not to German single word/pseudoword reading, at delayed follow-up. Intervention programs designed to support foundational literacy skills can be successfully implemented by regular teachers in a play-based kindergarten context. The findings suggest that early literacy intervention before school entry can produce educationally meaningful effects in linguistically diverse learners.

Family Engagement in Literacy: Insights on E-Learning at the Elementary Level

Family Engagement in Literacy: Insights on E-Learning at the Elementary Level

Bringing Neighborhood Dads Into Classrooms: Supporting Literacy Engagement

AbstractFathers’ engagement in their children’s education has increased over the years, yet we know less about fathers’ perspectives and engagement in children’s literacy development. The authors focused on a fatherhood reading program that was initiated in several Title 1 schools in a large school district in the Southeastern United States. Findings are based on fathers’ reading in classrooms in one elementary school. Based on interviews with teachers, a focus group with fathers, and observations of fathers’ reading in the classroom, several themes were found: a positive male role model for students, a reported increase in student motivation for reading, fathers’ confidence in their parenting role, and fathers’ respect for volunteer reading at school. Ways that teachers can organize a similar program at their schools are presented, along with implications of the findings for teaching practice and research.

Health literacy as a determinant of healthy eating and active living in Canadian immigrant youth.

The purpose of the study was to explore health literacy and community engagement in relation to active living with newcomer young people and their families. We employed a case study design and a participatory approach. The data collected included photovoice and photo-assisted focus group interviews, which included an initial stage when youth participated in workshops creating collages on healthy living. A follow-up focus group centred on discussion of the collages with subsequent training on the photovoice method and the use of the cameras, and a second focus group, which incorporated photos taken by participants during the programming and their leisure time. Different themes were developed from the data: active living, balance, body talk, challenges, environment and health, culture and health, family, health and food, health and safety, knowledge, source of knowledge, peers and friends, personal hygiene, recreational activities, socio-emotional health, social isolation and spiritual health. Excerpts were taken from the different themes to demonstrate the immigrant/refugee youths' understanding of levels of health literacy and its contribution to healthy eating and active living. The qualitative findings are presented under the different tenets of health literacy. Health literacy extends beyond the individual level and effects the whole family and communities; intervention need to extend to include community connections and involvement activities. Future research needs to focus on the long-term effects of critical health literacy among immigrant communities.

Dual-Language Books: Enhancing Engagement and Language Awareness

This collaborative action research project in Alberta, Canada, explored how dual-language books (DLBs) can foster literacy instruction and learner engagement through language awareness. Canada’s changing demographics have resulted in mother tongue diversity and many urban schools identifying at least 25% of students as being English language learners, making it crucial to include a mix of languages in classroom interactions to engage all learners. The case study combined prereading linguistic prompts with a reading of 10 DLBs, one each week, by guest readers in Urdu, Tagalog, and Spanish, alongside the teacher reading in English. Video recordings and surveys collected data on the teacher’s, guest readers’, and learners’ reflections on the experience. Findings indicate that regardless of the learners’ linguistic heritage or English language competence, the DLBs offered a unique support for literacy engagement while fostering a focus on language awareness, reading strategies, and higher order engagement with text.

“I Know How to Read and All, but . . .”: Disciplinary Reading Constructions of Middle School Students of Color

This study explores the disciplinary literacy perspectives of middle school students of color attending urban parochial schools and the reader subject positions they took up across content-area classrooms. Qualitative analysis of 19 student interviews and accompanying observations of subject-area classes revealed that students’ constructions of reading, circumscribed by classroom literacy activities, inhibited discipline-specific reading subject positions. In particular, this study highlights how teachers’ reading activities promoted reading as being about accomplishing a task rather than being apprenticed in ways of taking discipline-specific knowledge from text. When the boundaries between students’ home literacy experiences and school disciplinary literacy experiences were more contiguous, and when more meaningful, authentic literacy experiences were provided, students evidenced deeper disciplinary literacy engagement. Educational implications, including troubling disciplinary knowledge to open the disciplines to wider ways of knowing and learning for all learners, are discussed.

Critical Text Selection for the Elementary Classroom: A Case for Strategically Using the Classroom Library to Open New Spaces for Critical Literacy Engagements

The purpose of this research paper is to encourage school teachers (with an emphasis on elementary teachers) to recognize and explore the literacy potential of their classroom libraries as a powerful critical literacy tool/asset that when designed and utilized strategically has the potential to reposition their classroom pedagogy and curriculum design to be empowering, transformative, inclusive and progressive. To that effect, this paper offers/proposes a framework/model for ‘critical text selection’ that can be readily adapted by teachers across various grade levels within the K-12 classrooms to identify the specific critical literacy needs of their learners (including the learning environment) and then employ their classroom library as a critical literacy tool that facilitates learner empowerment both inside and outside their learning spaces. The paper also presents interested teachers with an alternate way to traverse the proposed framework in the hope that it will provide an impetus to teacher scholars and educators interested in adapting the framework into their classroom to innovatively modify the framework we have presented to better work with their unique curricular structure and design.

Family Engagement in Literacy: Lessons Learned from COVID-19

Family Engagement in Literacy: Lessons Learned from COVID-19

Critical Text Selection for the Elementary Classroom: A case for strategically using the classroom library to open new spaces for critical literacy engagements.

The purpose of this research paper is to encourage school teachers (with an emphasis on elementary teachers) to recognize and explore the literacy potential of their classroom libraries as a powerful critical literacy tool/asset that when designed and utilized strategically has the potential to reposition their classroom pedagogy and curriculum design to be empowering, transformative, inclusive and progressive. To that effect, this paper offers/proposes a framework/model for ‘critical text selection’ that can be readily adapted by teachers across various grade levels within the K-12 classrooms to identify the specific critical literacy needs of their learners (including the learning environment) and then employ their classroom library as a critical literacy tool that facilitates learner empowerment both inside and outside their learning spaces. The paper also presents interested teachers with an alternate way to traverse the proposed framework in the hope that it will provide an impetus to teacher scholars and educators interested in adapting the framework into their classroom to innovatively modify the framework we have presented to better work with their unique curricular structure and design.

Translanguaging as transmediation: Embodied critical literacy engagements in a French-English bilingual classroom

Translanguaging highlights an interconnected use of languages and other semiotic resources for communication and knowledge construction. Everyday communicative practices involve processes of resemiotization (Iedema, 2003) or transmediation (Suhor, 1984), whereby one discourse or semiotic resource is transformed into another mode or a mixture of modes in time and space, mobilizing and rendering new ways of knowing, being and acting. Translanguaging pedagogy hence values the dynamic integration of languages, including the languages of arts for creative and critical learning. Translanguaging and/or transmediation of embodied semiotic resources, linguistic, visual or aural, gestural, etc. help disrupt the traditional logo- and verbo-centric notion of critical literacy (Janks, 2002) that privileges rational textual critique over aesthetic or emotional engagements. Such a trans-systemic approach challenges most deficit-oriented second language classrooms where critical literacy and/or expressive arts are often considered beyond language learners’ abilities. Elaborating on a university-school participatory action research study, this article showcases the use of coordinated translanguaging pedagogy in an English-French bilingual classroom whereby the two language teachers collaborated flexibly to provide target language models while crafting a translanguaging space (Li, 2017) for multidirectional, pluriliterate meaning-making possibilities. Engaging children in a yearlong inquiry into the issue of refugees, the class read and discussed related literature in both languages while integrating visual arts to deepen understanding. Results show these embodied multimodal engagements opened up aesthetic spaces for students to be affected and to affect (Ahmed, 2010) others through their expressive arts, affording an alternative avenue of critical awareness and engagement that deepened reflexivity and civic empathy.

Family Engagement in Literacy: Using Intentionally Inviting Education and Teaching to Engage Families in Literacy

Family Engagement in Literacy: Using Intentionally Inviting Education and Teaching to Engage Families in Literacy