Out-of-School Teaching and Learning: Concerted Cultivation at an Urban Neighborhood Bike Shop

• In Event: Beyond the Classroom: Meaningful Learning in Informal Spaces

Abstract

Through Lareau’s (2003) lens of “concerted cultivation,” this interactional ethnographic study explores the relationships between mentors and mentees at Community Bike Shop. Lareau coined “concerted cultivation” as the myriad ways middle-class parents provide and create rich moments, rich experiences for their children. The bike shop, located in an urban neighborhood in the southern US, is a draw for neighborhood children and adolescents, who learn about bicycle building, repair, safety, and ownership through an apprenticeship design that infuses shared responsibilities and novel experiences. Through this 13-month study, we found that moments of empowerment initiated by the leaders were adopted and adapted by the youths. Planned and unplanned rich points fostered aspects of social and cultural capital often reserved for middle-class families.

Authors

• Kim Skinner, Louisiana State University

• Heather Lavender, Louisiana State University

• Lillie Connor-Flores, Louisiana State University

• Leiflyn Gamborg, Louisiana State University

• Huy Duc Nguyen, Louisiana State University

• Rosalind Mayweather Hudson, Louisiana State University

• Mitzi Berryhill, Louisiana State University

• Corinne Valadez, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi