The Literacy Lives of Young Men: Exploring Online Literacy Clubs During the Quarantine

• In Event: Literacy Lives Across Spaces, Genres, and Action

Abstract

This study explores the literacies of middle school boys amid a global health crisis. Drawing on interviews and observations, this study traces how six young men of Color engage in online literacy clubs in which they interact with English assignments and self-selected short stories when school and home literacies converged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed that students perceived an expansion of their literacy practices. With an increased maternal presence and reduced peer distractions, students felt more focused on required texts and involved in self-directed literacies such as organizing virtual Black Lives Matter protests or reading manuals to learn how to code. This presentation celebrates the increased engagement of young men in both school-based and home literacies during the quarantine.

Author

• Marisa Saris Segel, Boston College