Language and Literacy Learning in Middle-Class Black Families: Parental Practices and Beliefs

• In Event: 63.018 - Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Extensive research has already demonstrated some of the ways in which early learning experiences in the home, particularly those related to language and literacy, are related to schooling outcomes in the elementary years and beyond (Bradley, Corwyn, McAddo, & García Coll, 2001; Diamond, Gerde, & Powell 2008; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). However, much of this research and associated findings have been based on the experiences of White, middle-class families.
This trend is problematic given that differences have been found in literacy practices based on family’s race and class backgrounds (Bradley et al., 2001; Heath, 1983, Raikes et al., 2006; Vernon-Feagans, 1996). For instance, the practice of oral storytelling is more common in Black families than in White families (Heath, 1983; Smitherman, 2000; Vernon-Feagans, 1996; Ward, 1971) and middle-class parents are more likely than low-income parents to routinely incorporate book-like or academic talk into everyday conversation (Gee, 2004, 2008).
Fortunately, some researchers, recognizing the need to conduct research with families of other racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, have conducted research in other communities. Among Black families specifically, existing research has documented common language and literacy practices that cross class lines and that may reflect a shared cultural heritage. For instance, Black families frequently engage in oral storytelling practices and may also use a dialect of English called African American English (Heath, 1983; Horton-Ikard & Miller, 2004; Smitehrman, 2000; Vernon-Feagans, 1996; Ward, 1971). However, the overwhelming majority of this research has been limited to low-income samples and much of it is now quite dated. Therefore, it is not clear whether the practices frequently observed in Black families occur in a similar manner or frequency among today’s middle-class Black families. In other words, it is difficult to tease apart whether the practices observed in Black families are influenced primarily by race, by class, or by intersections between the two.
The proposed project helps to expand the literature on literacy beliefs and practices in Black families by focusing attention on the middle-class families that have been largely overlooked. The specific research questions driving this project are: 1) What types of early literacy practices do middle-class Black parents engage in with their preschool-aged children prior to formal school entry?, 2) What are middle-class Black parents’ beliefs regarding language and literacy development?, and 3) How do the contexts in which middle-class Black parents live shape their early language and literacy beliefs and practices?

Author

• Dede Addy, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill