Literacy Practices and the Development of Civic Identities: A Case Study of Adolescents' Participation in the Letters to the Next President 2.0 Campaign

• In Event: 31.089 - Letters to the Next President: Exploring Youth Civic Identity and Classroom Writing Practices in a National Online Network

Abstract

Drawing on sociocultural theories of mediated action (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1991) and social semiotic theories of multimodality (Jewitt, 2006), this case study examines the experiences of a group of high school students as they composed multimedia video “letters” to the next president. Research questions included: 1) What literacy practices did students participate in as part of the Letters to the Next President 2.0 campaign? 2) In what ways did these literacy practices mediate students’ civic identities?
From a sociocultural perspective, literacy is seen as a set of social practices deeply associated with identity and social position (Heath, 1983; Street, 2005) and takes into account the ways in which young people’s identities are mediated by the texts they read and write (Moje & Luke, 2009). Identity is not a fixed and stable construct. Rather, identities are “the imaginings of self in worlds of action” and “are lived in and through activity and so must be conceptualized as they develop in social practice” (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998, p. 5). Given this study’s emphasis on students’ civic identity and its relation to new forms of participatory politics, an analysis of how students are positioned or called to new roles as active citizens is important.
Participants included twelve students enrolled in a ninth-grade humanities class at Lakeview High, a public high school located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data was collected during the 2016-2017 school year and included field notes, curriculum assignments and rubrics, students’ written reflections about their experiences with the project, students’ multimedia video messages, and follow-up interviews with the students. After coding the data (Miles & Huberman, 1994) I identified two overarching themes: interest-driven activism and agency at the hyper-local level.
Students found that their video messages had impact at the local level as well as a broader influence through the Letters to the President online platform. They reported that their participation in the project made them eager to take on more active roles in social reform specifically with hyper-local issues facing their peer groups and classmates. Of particular importance to the students was presenting their videos to their peers and local and state government officials. Going public with their positions on issues that were often deeply personal proved to be transformational as it helped students envision themselves as agents for positive social change.
The empirical data provided by this study offers insights into how schools can support the formation of civic identity through literacy practices promoting civic engagement. If we understand the role schools play in the formation of civic identities, we will be in a better position to understand how we can support the development of citizens who promote the values of a free and democratic society.

Author

• Lindy L. Johnson, The College of William & Mary