Literacy for the Soul. Gender, Creativity, and Success: A Narrative Study With Women in China

• In Event: A Closer Look at Qualitative Research Methods Employed in the Research on Women and Education

Abstract

Literacy, reading both the world and the texts within it in an ongoing dialogue of meaning making, has the potential to nourish the soul. However, often the literacy practices employed by academic institutions are limited to reading as a method of accessing knowledge and regurgitating it back out, described as the banking method of education. Utilizing a framework of critical literacy, this study uses narrative methods to engage in research conversions with five women in China to understand the ways in which the development of their literacy practices informed their perspectives and criticality on the many roles they inhabit. Their reflections revealed lived experiences that highlighted nuanced themes of success, creativity, and gender.

Authors

• Elena Marie Marquez, Chapman University

• Meng Zhao

• Yan Wang, Chapman University

• Lilia D. Monzo, Chapman University