Engagement and Family Literacy Learning

The middle of Figure 2 features a box that represents engagement in literacy. Engagement is defined here as active, attentive and responsive participation by the individual in learning. As illustrated, the individual interacts with members of their culture in a social context. To the extent that the literacy activities are deemed meaningful to the individual and there is support to engage in a task that might be too difficult to do independently, there will be motivation for involvement and learning. Thus, the level of motivation to participate in an activity is not fixed, but highly variable. Opportunities for support for learning may come from the family, but also public institutions such as schools, faith organizations such as churches, or other cultural contexts.

On the far right, the final circle represents the outcome of one's engagement in literacy. As illustrated, the individual, the sociocultural context and how they interact affect how one engages in literacy and ultimately what one learns and how much cultural capital they might acquire.

Conclusion

The preceding discussion highlights the complex relationships among social, cultural and economic factors in the developing framework. The factors in my conceptual context are believed to interact in a mutual synergistic manner to either support or impede family literacy. This framework may have explanatory power in the data analysis for illustrating how discriminatory practices and policies may continue covertly to compromise learning opportunities for marginalized students, while recognizing the power and domination of social institutions. By attending through text and talk to factors such as the social structure, social actions and social practices, educators will not perpetuate powerlessness or repress voices that are not in the mainstream.

Those individuals in influential positions of power and who view literacy as neutral should break out of that mindset (Stuckey, 1991). Open-minded educators will gain a deeper understanding of the various social conditions under which families from backgrounds dissimilar to their own live (Auerbach, 1995a; Burant, 1999). They should acknowledge and examine their attitudes and beliefs and remove barriers to ensure equitable access to learning experiences, thereby increasing chances for academic success for all students. Otherwise, as Stuckey (1991) points out, literacy will continue to be a violent experience to those not in the dominant white middle class.