Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 148 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-105).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boise State University, 2005. / Includes abstract. In appendices, sample participation questionnaires are in both English and Spanish. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-89). Also available online via the ProQuest Digital Dissertations database.

This thesis uses the framework of a program evaluation to highlight the human experience of participants in a community-based family literacy program in the context of a “New Destination” for Latino immigrants. There is first an extensive discussion of how Latino immigrant communities have changed over time in Oregon and specifically in Lane County, followed by description of the nonprofit organizations that cater to these communities in Lane County, with specific focus on Downtown Languages and their Pilas Family Literacy Program. A selection of literature is reviewed surrounding the themes of the efficacy of program evaluation as a tool, “New Destinations,” the relationship between bilingualism and family in ESL programs, and finally a brief discussion of cultural competency in ESL practices and literacy as human capital. The conclusion of this research contains recommendations for the Pilas Family Literacy Program, as well as other family literacy programs operating in “New Destinations” communities.

Sammanfattning Syftet med denna studie är att ta del av och göra en analys av tio elevers berättelser om sina literacypraktiker. Den teoretiska ingången i studien är ett sociokulturellt perspektiv vilket medför en förståelse av lärande som något som människan gör i samspel med andra i olika sociala, materiella och kulturella kontexter (Säljö, 2014a). Utifrån denna förståelse syftar undersökningen till att närmare undersöka specifika aspekter av goda läsares literacypraktiker, samt hur dessa kan förstås i relation till olika sociala, materiella och kulturella kontexter i barnens liv. Studien är av kvalitativ ansats och utgår från djupintervjuer genomförda med tio elever bedömda att ha en god läsförståelse. Elevernas medverkan baseras på resultat från både muntliga och skriftliga normerade test (Lundberg, 2001; Järpsten & Taube, 2010; Skolverket, 2015). Av det huvudsakliga resultatet framgår att samtliga elever använder sig av både medvetna och omedvetna literacypraktiker. Till de medvetna literacypraktikerna hör att läsa långsamt, läsa om ord och innehållet i texten samt att utgå från bilderna. De omedvetna literacypraktikerna är att skapa inre bilder, koppla texten till egna erfarenheter, leva sig in i karaktären samt omvandla text till rörliga bilder. Av studien framgår också att föräldrarna kommunicerar ett engagerat förhållningssätt till skolan och skolkunskaper. Detta görs i form av andra läroböcker som föräldrarna förser sina barn med vilket även visar sig i gemensamma utmaningar i olika skolämnen samt läsprojekt i form av bokklubbar.      Nyckelord: Literacypraktiker, family literacy, årskurs 3, läsförståelse, goda läsare

The present study examined the language and literacy practices of one ethnolinguistically diverse family literacy English classroom for women who recently migrated to the United States as refugees, and whose access to formal, school-based learning was interrupted prior to migration. More specifically, this study investigated how institutionally-valued practices socially positioned the women in class, and how the women discursively negotiated and claimed new or different positionings for themselves. Overall, this study draws on social positioning theories (Davies & Harré, 1990; Harré & van Langenhove, 1999), to attempt to address the relationship between English language education for women and notions of social inclusion (Allman, 2013). Designed as a linguistic ethnography (Copland & Creese, 2015), data were collected over the course of two years and included eight months of thrice-weekly classroom-based participant observation; classroom audio (105) and video recordings (39); photographs (1038); audio and video-recorded semi-structured interviews with the focal teacher (4), three focal students (2 each), and the main administrator (1); and document collection. Data were transcribed and analyzed utilizing thematic (Saldaña, 2012) and micro-ethnographic discourse analysis (Bloome et al., 2006). Findings show a range of institutionally-valued language and literacy practices and diverse accompanying positionings. Some practices served to socialize learners into specific “storylines” (Harré & Moghaddam, 2003) related to socially-preferred ways of “doing” language and literacy both inside and outside the classroom, particularly in relationship to the learners’ positions as mothers. Other practices served to position learners as legitimate co-authors and community members, affording them ways to use English to “write (and speak) themselves into” the times and places of their surrounding communities (Trend, 1994, p. 226). The findings further illustrate that learners used language and other multimodal means (i.e., photographs, video, social media) to make inter(con)textual, intercultural, and transnational connections for both academic and personal purposes—and to draw others into those connections with them. These connections positioned learners as academically, technologically, and relationally resourceful transnational women. Implications for pedagogy, programming, policy, theory, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur pedagoger arbetar med projektet Bokstart och hur pedagogers förhållningssätt till litteratur i allmänhet och till Bokstartprojektet i synnerhet påverkar utlåning av böcker i förskolornas kapprumsbibliotek. Studien syftar även till att undersöka hur vårdnadshavarna på förskolorna upplever projektet samt vilken information de fått om Bokstart. Materialet i studien samlades in genom intervjuer med pedagoger samt enkäter till vårdnadshavare. Materialet har därefter analyserats och diskuterats med utgångspunkt i centrala teoretiska begrepp, dessa begrepp är literacy, family literacy, pedagogers förhållningssätt samt att vi tagit stöd i Bronfenbrenners utvecklingsekologiska modell och Vygotskij och det sociokulturella perspektivet där det sociala är centralt. Studiens resultat visade att det finns ett samband mellan pedagogernas attityder till projektet och hur framgångsrikt projektet förefaller på förskolorna och hos vårdnadshavare. I studien framkommer det att pedagogerna arbetar på varierande sätt för att informera vårdnadshavare om projektet Bokstart och att de uppmuntrar barn och vårdnadshavare i varierande grad och på olika sätt att använda kapprumsbiblioteken. Resultaten tyder på att pedagogernas attityder till projektet Bokstart, litteratur i allmänhet och dess funktion och betydelse har avspeglingar i hur pedagogerna arbetar med detta i förskolorna. Studiens resultat visar hur mycket en pedagogs eget intresse och attityd till projektet Bokstart och kapprumsbiblioteken kan påverka vad barnen har för möjligheter och förutsättningar att nyttja projektet. Vidare kan detta ha betydelse för barnets fortsatta utveckling inom läs- och språkutveckling som är det specifika området för denna studie och en central del av denna utveckling är betydelsen av samarbeten mellan hem och förskola. Studiens resultat går i linje med tidigare forskning som visar att pedagogers förhållningssätt till läs- och språkutveckling har en betydande roll för hur framgångsrik undervisningen blir (Celebi Oncu & Unluer, 2014, Gustafsson & Mellgren, 2002). För att kunna ge barnen förutsättningar för goda literacy-erfarenheter krävs ett gott samarbete mellan hem och förskola (Asworth Wolery, 1999).

This thesis sought to aid children in coping with community violence. As violent crimes terrorize communities near and far, children are hearing about them. Children might learn about this violence on the news or by overhearing adults' discussions. Regardless, this thesis sought to help students navigate a world that may be anxiety filled. This thesis includes an exploration of bibliotherapy and discussions of the use of books in a therapeutic manner to delve deeper into its profound effects. The topics of this thesis surround social-emotional learning, which is also investigated and explained. The benefits of combining bibliotherapy and social-emotional learning are evident in the findings of this thesis which identified helpful books. By watching read-alouds, analyzing their content, and choosing books that aligned with the goal of this thesis, nine books were selected for inclusion. Bitmoji Book Bags were created for each of the nine books. These Bitmoji creations contain links to book talks, read-alouds, discussion prompts, activities, and more for students and their parents. The format of these Bitmoji Book Bags is digital, so that the links can be easily exchanged with parents, community members, and educators as a resource for when community violence occurs.

In the late 1980s regional instructional specialists were hired by the Virginia Department of Education in 18 planning districts. The purpose of this study was to describe the role of one specialist in a rural setting. The description may be beneficial to adult education planners and policy makers as they look for innovative ways of delivering rural adult education programs. Three research questions guided the study: 1. What are the contexts (historical, legal, geographical, and program) in which the rural regional instructional specialist works? 2. What tasks (administrative and program) are performed by the rural regional instructional specialist? 3. What are the outcomes of the work of the rural regional instructional specialist? Through interviews, review of documents, and observations, the researcher found that the historical, legal, geographical, and program contexts of the rural regional instructional specialist were interrelated, and that they guided and constrained the work of the specialist. Governmental mandates and budgets prescribed the development of programs. Geographical features,employment opportunities, educational needs, and social conditions influenced what was offered and when it was offered in adult education programs in the Mount Rogers Region. Planning and conducting professional development activities, maintaining links with teachers in the regional program and with personnel at the state office in Richmond, visiting classes in each locality, maintaining referral links with other agencies, and recruitment of students were tasks performed by the regional instructional specialist. Priorities were family literacy, workplace programs, infusion of technology, and health literacy. By increasing classes for One-Stop centers and immigrants, offering in-service programs for teachers, visiting program sites, and collaborating with other agencies, the specialist contributed to higher enrollment in classes and increased educational gains for students. The role of the rural regional instructional specialist in Virginia is changing, and the future of the position is uncertain. / Ed. D.

This qualitative research project reconceptualizes conventional and prescriptive views of family literacy as literacies in the context of family relationships, experimenting with data from the home visitor participants of one international family literacy intervention program (FLIP): Home Instruction for the Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY). Participants of the HIPPY program in Canada primarily include newcomer families. While the program targets conventional forms of literacy and education relating to children’s school readiness, in practice their work with these families goes far beyond this initial focus further engaging with issues related to settlement. For example, after completing HIPPY’s two-year program successfully with their own children, parents can be hired to become home visitors, receive professional development and guide newcomer families through the HIPPY materials they will use with their children. Using the theoretical and practical lens of Multiple Literacy Theory (Masny, 2006, 2009, 2013) this project asks what literacy practices home visitors engage in with newcomer parents, how these practices function in the relationship, and what these practices produce in these interactions. Lombard (1981) recognized the need for further research on home visitor experiences after program coordinators noted the “highly visible changes in home visitors’ level of understanding and performance” (p. 89). Since then, however, parents and children continued to be the main focus of research. This project seeks to to illuminate the under-researched experiences of HIPPY home visitors. Using the theoretical and practical lens of Multiple Literacy Theory (Masny, 2006, 2009, 2013) and the philosophy of Deleuze and Guattari (1987), qualitative observation and interview data were collected and analyzed through the process of rhizoanalysis, creating four mappings. The first mapping experiments with HIPPY not as an isolated program, but as part of a much larger assemblage of programs and services focused on newcomers in a Canadian community. The second mapping looks closely at HIPPY and English language acquisition. Mapping three experiments with conceptualizations of HIPPY home visitors as instructors of “Canadian culture”, and the fourth and final mapping delves into a more specific cultural focus on home and school connections. The final chapter of the dissertation is not a conclusion, but a look forward. This chapter introduces the concept of literacies in the context of family relationships as an integral part of not only early learning, but public and community health.