![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Few studies have explored how the literacies of immigrant parents are influenced by participation in their children’s emerging biliteracy. This study addressed this lacuna using a qualitative case study design to investigate the biliteracy development of Arab immigrant mothers in the U.S. Southwest. We used the framework of digital biliteracy to study participants’ literacy practices in Arabic and English and how these changed in the process of raising bilingual/biliterate children. As participants experienced life changes as immigrants, mothers, and language learners, they navigated this work through forms of digital technologies previously unfamiliar to them. They learned new words in both languages and developed digital literacy skills needed to use computers, tablets, and cell phones; access the Internet; create e-mail accounts; and translate terms across English and Arabic. The study contributes to knowledge of the literacy practices of Arab immigrant families and offers implications for research and practice.
Keywords Arab, mothers, digital, biliteracy, Arabic
References
Section:
|
Al Ghanem, R., Kearns, D. M. (2015). Orthographic, phonological, and morphological skills and children’s word reading in Arabic: A literature review. Reading Research Quarterly, 50, 83–109. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Al-Salmi, L. (2013). Digital biliteracy as a social practice: Biliteracy development through digital technology. In McBride, R., Searson, M. (Eds.), Proceedings of society for information technology & teacher education international conference (pp. 4352–4360). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Google Scholar | |
|
Al-Salmi, L. (2014). Digital biliteracy: Digital technologies as homes for Arab immigrant children’s biliteracy development (Doctoral dissertation, University of Texas, El Paso). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3682448) Google Scholar | |
|
Alshaboul, Y. M. (2004). From inside the Arab family: What family literacy practices occur when raising bilingual and biliterate children? (Doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3157464) Google Scholar | |
|
Arab American Institute . (2015). Demographics. Retrieved from http://www.aaiusa.org/pages/demographics/ Google Scholar | |
|
Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education (4th ed.). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar | |
|
Barton, D. (2007). Literacy: An introduction to the ecology of written language. Oxford, England: Blackwell. Google Scholar | |
|
Behizadeh, N. (2014). Mitigating the dangers of a single story creating large-scale writing assessments aligned with sociocultural theory. Educational Researcher, 43, 125–136. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Callaway, A. (2012). Home literacy practices of Arabic-English bilingual families: Case study of one Libyan American preschooler and one Syrian American preschooler. Ann Arbor MI: UMI. Google Scholar | |
|
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | |
|
Collier, V. P., Thomas, W. P. (2009). Educating English learners for a transformed world. Albuquerque: Dual Language Education of New Mexico. Google Scholar | |
|
Cope, B., Kalantzis, M. (Eds.). (2000). Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures. London, England: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Darvin, R., Norton, B. (2014). Transnational identity and migrant language learners: The promise of digital storytelling. Education Matters, 2, 55–66. Google Scholar | |
|
Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., Shaw, L. L. (2011). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
García, O., Kleifgen, J. A. (2010). Educating emergent bilinguals: Policies, programs, and practices for English language learners. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Gregory, E. (2008). Learning to read in a new language. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | |
|
González, N., Moll, L. C., Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Hornberger, N. H., Link, H. (2012). Translanguaging in today’s classrooms: A biliteracy lens. Theory into Practice, 51, 239–247. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Jewitt, C., Kress, G. (2003). Multimodal literacy. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Google Scholar | |
|
Jiménez, R. T., Smith, P. H., Teague, B. L. (2009). Transnational and community literacies for teachers. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 53, 16–26. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Lankshear, C., Knobel, M. (2003). New literacies: Changing knowledge and classroom learning. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Laroussi, F. (2003). Arabic and the new technologies. In Maurais, J., Morris, M. A. (Eds.), Languages in a globalizing world (pp. 250–259). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Lave, J., Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Lewis, M. P., Simons, G. F., Fennig, C. D. (Eds.). (2015). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (18th ed.). Dallas, TX: SIL International. Retrieved from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ara Google Scholar | |
|
McLean, C. A. (2010). A space called home: An immigrant adolescent’s digital literacy practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54, 13–22. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Mihut, L. A. (2014). Literacy brokers and the emotional work of mediation. Literacy in Composition Studies, 2, 57–79. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Murillo, L. A. (2012). Learning from bilingual family literacies. Language Arts, 90, 18–29. Google Scholar | |
|
New London Group . (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 60–92. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Pearson, B. Z. (2008). Raising a bilingual child: A step-by-step guide for parents. New York, NY: Living Language. Google Scholar | |
|
Reyes, I. (2012). Biliteracy among children and youths. Reading Research Quarterly, 47, 307–327. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Rong, X. L., Preissle, J. (2009). Educating immigrant students in the 21st Century: What we need to know to meet the challenge. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Google Scholar | |
|
Selfe, C. L., Hawisher, G. E. (2004). Literate lives in the information age: Narratives of literacy from the United States. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Google Scholar | |
|
Valosik, V. (2014, 3/4). Arabic is blooming. International Educator, Language Supplement, 1–8. New York, NY: Association of International Educators. Retrieved from http://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ie_marpar14_arabic.pdf Google Scholar |
