“‘All Messi’s Ballon d'Ors Were Rigged’: How Children’s Soccer Passion Develops Critical Literacy at Home”

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Diversity in Play in Children's Storytelling

Abstract

Grounded in critical literacy (Freire, 1970; Janks, 2010), Funds of Knowledge (Moll & Gonzalez, 2005), and digital literacy (Buckingham, 2007; Leu et al., 2013), this study explored children’s passion for soccer as a meaningful context for developing critical literacy. It explored two questions: what critical literacy skills children exhibit through soccer engagement, and how this passion supports literacy practices? Data, including a parent interview, home artifacts, and observations fieldnotes were analyzed and sorted using Dedoose. Findings revealed that children’s interactions with soccer fostered a range of critical literacy skills, deeply embedded in their home sociocultural contexts. The study outlined pedagogical implications: recognizing and leveraging children’s home-based funds of knowledge can play a vital role in supporting literacy development.

Author

• Jubara AbuSin, Pennsylvania State University