Home Investigating literacy narratives among ethno-linguistically diverse South African students
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Investigating literacy narratives among ethno-linguistically diverse South African students

  • Adelia Carstens EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: June 2, 2015

Abstract

This article reports on a study of pre-service teachers’ literacy narratives in a South African institution of higher learning. Literacy self-narratives of 57 students were collected and analysed for categories and themes under narrator and sponsor identities through the use of AtlasTi software. The results of the study show the role of historical, cultural and political contexts in shaping literacy identities of student teachers. The results also show huge disparities of literacy experiences among different racial and gender groupings, which highlight social and educational opportunities. Using New literacies and Multiliteracies frameworks, I consider how these literacy challenges may be transformed to facilitate a just and equitable society. Particular implications of the students’ constructions of literacy identities are considered at the end of the article.

References

Ball, Arnetha F.2000. Preparing teachers for diversity: Lessons learned from the US and South Africa. In Carol D.Lee & PeterSmagorinsky (eds.), Worlds of meaning: Vygotskyan perspectives on literacy research, 314359. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Bangeni, Bongi & RochelleKapp.2005. Identities in transition: Shifting conceptions of home among “Black” South African university students. African Studies Review48(3). 119.10.1353/arw.2006.0004Search in Google Scholar

Barton, David & MaryHamilton.2000. Literacy practices. In DavidBarton, MaryHamilton & RosIvanič (eds.), Situated literacies: Reading and writing in context, 715. London: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar

Brandt, Deborah.2004. Literacy in American lives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Busch, Brigitta, AzizaJardine & AngelikaTjoutuku.2009. Language biographies for multilingual learning (PRAESA Occasional Papers 24). Cape Town, RSA: University of Cape Town.Search in Google Scholar

Carstens, Adelia & Linda-AnneAlston. 2014. Literacy self-narratives as constructions of pre-service teachers’ multiliterate and multilingual identities. In LieselHibbert & Christavan der Walt (eds.), Multilingual universities in South Africa, 179–201. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.10.21832/9781783091669-013Search in Google Scholar

Clark, Caroline & CarmenMedina.2000. How reading and writing literacy narratives affect preservice teachers’ understandings of literacy, pedagogy, and multiculturalism. Journal of Teacher Education51(1). 6376.10.1177/002248710005100107Search in Google Scholar

Cleaveland, Kathleen Palmer. 2011. Teaching boys who struggle in school. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.Search in Google Scholar

Coffey, Marjorie.2011. Literacy narratives across the curriculum. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Master’s dissertation.Search in Google Scholar

Corkery, Caleb.2004. Narrative and personal literacy developing. A pedagogy of confidence-building for the writing classroom. College Park, MD: University of Maryland Doctoral thesis.Search in Google Scholar

Corkery, Caleb.2005. Literacy narratives and confidence building in the writing classroom. Journal of Basic Writing24(1). 4867.10.37514/JBW-J.2005.24.1.04Search in Google Scholar

Eldred, Janet Carey & Peter Mortensen. 1992. Reading literacy narratives. College English54(5). 512539.10.2307/378153Search in Google Scholar

Frost, Alanna, Julie A.Myatt & StephenSmith. 2009. Multiple modes of production in a college writing class. In AnneHerrington, KevinHodgson & CharlesMoran (eds.), Teaching the new writing. Technology, change and assessment in the 21st century classroom, 181197. New York: Teachers College Press.Search in Google Scholar

Hamilton, Mary.2000. Expanding the New Literacy Studies: Using photographs to explore literacy as social practice. In DavidBarton, MaryHamilton & RosIvanič (eds.), Situated Literacies: Reading and writing in context, 1634. New York: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar

Kouritzin, Sandra.2000. Bridging life to research: Life history research in ESL. TESL Canada Journal17. 135.10.18806/tesl.v17i1.878Search in Google Scholar

Mendelowitz, Belinda.2005. Representing selves: Reflections on teaching memoir writing to pre-service teachers. Perspectives in Education23(1). 1524.Search in Google Scholar

Mgqwashu, Emmanuel.2009. On becoming literate in English: A during- and post-apartheid personal story. The Language Learning Journal37(3). 293303.10.1080/09571730903208447Search in Google Scholar

Norton, Bonny.2010. Identity, literacy, and English-language teaching. TESL Canada Journal28(1). 113.Search in Google Scholar

Ocholla, Dennis.2007. Marginalised knowledge: an agenda for indigenous knowledge development and integration with other forms of knowledge. International Review of Information Ethics7. 1710.29173/irie26Search in Google Scholar

Pomerantz, Eva M., Wendy S.Grolnick & C. E.Price. 2005.The role of parents in how children approach achievement. In Andrew J.Elliot & Carol S.Dweck (eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation, 259278. Nueva York, NY: Guilford Press.Search in Google Scholar

Rodrigues, Richard.1982. Hunger of memory: The education of Richard Rodriguez. New York: Bantam.Search in Google Scholar

Scott, J.Blake.1997. The literacy narrative as production pedagogy in the composition classroom. Teaching English in the Two-Year College24(2). 108117.Search in Google Scholar

Terenzini, Patrick, Laura T.Rendon, M.Lee Upcraft, SusanMillar, Kevin W.Allison, Patricia L.Gregg & RomeroJalamo. 1994. The transition to college: diverse students, diverse stories. Research in Higher Education35(1). 5773.Search in Google Scholar

Wentzel, Kathryn R.1996. Social goals and social relationships as motivators of school adjustment. In JaanaJuvonen & Kathryn R.Wentzel (eds.), Social motivation: Understanding children’s school adjustment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/CBO9780511571190.012Search in Google Scholar

Williams, Bronwyn T.2003. Heroes, rebels, and victims: Student identities in literacy narratives. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy47(4). 342345.Search in Google Scholar

Williams, Bronwyn T.2009. Shimmering literacies. Popular culture and reading and writing online. New York: Peter Lang.Search in Google Scholar

Wroots, Rachel. G.2002. What can the literacy narrative accounts of EAL students tell us about their transition from high school to university-based academic practices?Cape Town: University of Cape Town unpublished MEd dissertation.Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2015-6-2
Published in Print: 2015-7-1

©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton

Downloaded on 11.9.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijsl-2015-0006/html
Scroll to top button