How Social Stratification Shapes Schooling

• In Event: 42.083 - Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 42.083-4 - Literacy, Language, and Learning: Increasing Educational Equity for All Students

Abstract

In this qualitative study, 38 individuals who emerged from public schools with limited literacy were interviewed; they retrospectively reflect on their situations within education systems. Adult literacy learners share their experiences in public schools and offer their explanations as to what went wrong. The participants of this study were identified as having emerged from public schools with limited literacy by their participation in developmental education. Bullying was a theme that emerged from the interviews despite the absence of questions on the topic. Over three-quarters (76%) reported having been bullied because of their race, clothing, and physical appearance, all of which you were identified in nuanced ways as social markers of their less privileged status.

Author

• Anne Lilla Blanchard, Western Washington University