| EDUC 831 Foundations of Literacy Education-Adolescent to Adult: Final Paper |
Investigating Adolescent Involvement in Helping with Homework of Younger Siblings as a Family Literacy Process
Introduction
Families provide children with their first exposure to literacy education. Storytelling, reading picture books, playing
computer games, drawing pictures, and practicing the alphabet are examples of activities that families may engage in during
daily life that help promote the development of literacy skills in young children. The field of family literacy focuses on the
interaction of family members, historically mothers, with helping young children expand their literacy skills outside of the
school setting. Family literacy can be addressed in several ways, including projects that train adults and programs that
investigate traditional home practices. The Harvard Family Research Project (2003) describes several perspectives
regarding family literacy. One of the perspectives, the deficit model, has received criticism but continues to be the basis of
most policy-promoted programs. This model addresses the idea that families, particularly those with low incomes, do not
understand the skills needed to promote child learning. Unfortunately this model does not look at cultural practices or
ways that literacy may already be used in the home (Caspe, 2003). As stated above, mothers have been the primary
caretaker involved in most family literacy programs, however limited information is available regarding the role of fathers
and siblings (Caspe, 2003).
Adolescents have generally been ignored by researchers in the field of family literacy, although with the advancement of
federal legislation such as the Striving Readers Act, investigators have begun to look more at the relationship of adolescents
between family literacy practices. One area that has received little acknowledgement is the impact that adolescents may
have as home teachers to their younger siblings. This role may be especially important with the growing number of parents
who are learning English as a second language and may not perceive themselves as equipped with the skills needed to help
their young children with literacy activities in English. Older siblings, particularly adolescents, may take on the role of home
teacher, helping younger children with homework like reading stories and completing written assignments.
The idea of siblings becoming involved in the home literacy education of younger children has had limited documentation in
scholarly reviewed literature. Gregory(1998) and Volk (1999) published some of the first articles examining the role of
siblings as literacy mediators for families learning English as a second language. Both researchers discussed the inaccurate
assumption that literacy learning is primarily undertaken in the home by mothers. In her study of Bengali families living in
London, Gregory stressed the importance of not assuming parental involvement in home literacy education but instead
encouraged researchers focus on systems of family strengths that included the interaction of siblings. She described how
older siblings intervened in helping younger children with explanations that bridged the differences between home and
school literacy expectations. Volk followed up on this idea in her investigation of sibling involvement in the literacy
education of a bilingual Puerto Rican kindergarten student. However, she described the term “sibling” in a broader sense
that included older family members such as aunts, uncles, and cousins. In her work, Volk depicted the adolescent
“siblings” as “mediators” of culture and language between what their younger brother was learning at school and how that
information related to home literacy practices.
In 2001, Gregory continued her research on siblings as literacy teachers by investigating the synergy that takes place during
instruction between older and younger children. She noted that older children were able to interpret school-to-home and
home-to-school literacy practices by sharing their personal experiences with younger siblings while engaging in
collaborative learning activities. With Williams (2001), Gregory expanded on this notion of synergy by advocating that
older siblings work in a collaborative way to help younger children understand the different discourses present in home
literacy learning, including understanding literacy learning related to religion. Observations and interviews of Bengali
families in London revealed that all older children in the family were expected to help younger siblings with homework and
with learning to read the Qur’an. Volk and de Acosta (2001) described this expectation in Puerto Rican families where
siblings played an important role in the religious education of young children by helping them learn to read and recite from
the Bible, as did Rosowsky (2006) who discussed the syncretic experience of two adolescent female teachers in charge of
teaching a Qur’an class for younger girls. Although these female adolescents were not related through family, their
interactions with the younger students displayed many of the same characteristics seen in literacy instruction by older
siblings. Rosowsky particularly focused on the creation of a “third space” during teaching where the younger students
could understand how home and school practices intertwined. Gregory (2004) also alludes to this “third space” as a place
where adolescent siblings serve as “invisible” teachers for younger brothers and sisters, providing models of literacy
learning and
allowing younger siblings to practice navigating the waters of school through
play and practice at home.
One way that older siblings can provide instruction and practice in the “third space” is through assistance with
homework completion. Older siblings who have already completed coursework can use their own experiences to scaffold
and modify learning experiences for younger children. This study served as pilot for gathering information regarding the
involvement of adolescent siblings in the home literacy education of their younger brothers and sisters by exploring their
interactions on homework assignments. Using a short survey that was given to a sample of fourth grade students at a
diverse, suburban elementary school, the investigator hoped to gain a better understanding of if and how older siblings
were involved as family literacy partners in respect to homework assignments as a way to mediate literacy learning
between home and school.
Method
In most cases, prior to gathering data, permission would have been obtained by the Human Subjects Review Board at George Mason University and from the school board of the county were the investigation was conducted. Due to the fact that this data was to be used for classroom project purposes only, was anonymous, and would not be used in publication, HSRB permission was not required. Permission to interview students with a written form designed by the investigator was obtained by the school principal and the teachers of the two classes surveyed. Forty-five 4th grade students volunteered to participate in the project. It should be noted that the investigator is an itinerant faculty member at the school four days each week, has an office in the building, and is known by many students and their families, all of which may have impacted the students’ willingness to participate. Each student surveyed was able to speak and write using English as either a first or second language.
Research Setting
The students who
volunteered to participate in the adolescent family literacy survey project
were enrolled at a suburban elementary school, located approximately 25 miles
from a major Middle Atlantic city. The
school had a membership of 617 students, 41.3% of whom were classified as
economically disadvantaged. Twenty-four
and a half percent of the students were African-American, 7.6% were Asian or
Pacific Islander, 37.8% of the students were Hispanic, 22.7% were Caucasian,
and 7.5% were considered from another ethnic background. Thirty-nine and a half
percent of students at the school received English as a second language
services. The 45 students were members
of 2 fourth grade classes that had close to 22 students in each room. Students completed the surveys in their
classroom under the supervision of their teachers and the investigator.
Procedure
The investigator visited each classroom right after morning announcements to distribute the investigator-developed survey. Students were given a brief description of the project and were allowed to decide without penalty whether or not to complete the survey paper. Questions were read aloud as a group to account for differences in student reading levels and familiarity with English. Items were clarified as needed. The administration of the surveys took 10 minutes per class. A copy of the survey is included in the paper as Appendix 1.
After the surveys were completed, a basic analysis of the raw data was performed. Responses were counted for each question on the survey and percentages were calculated. Written responses were also analyzed for any additional data they could provide.
Results
A basic review of the data revealed interesting information regarding the involvement of older siblings in homework
related activities. Of the 45 students surveyed, 31 (68.9 %) reported that they had an older brother or sister. Fifteen of the
31 (48.4 %) stated that their older sibling(s) helped them with their homework. Students who reported having homework
assistance were questioned further regarding the aspects of literacy skills addressed by their sibling tutors. Nine students
(60%) described assistance from their brother(s) and/or sister(s) with answering comprehension questions. Two out of 15
students, or 13.3 %, noted help with writing assignments and 2 of 15 students (13.3 %) reported help with reading books
. Two other students listed math help as the basis of their homework assistance.
All of the students surveyed were asked to choose whom they would most like help from on their homework out of a list of four choices that included parents, brother or sister, grandparents, or cousin or other relative. Fifty-seven percent, or 26 of the 45 students, chose their parents while 13.3 %,or 6 out of 45 students, said they would most like their brother or sister to help them. One student chose their grandparent and 8 of the 45 students (17.8 %) said they would most like a cousin or other relative to assist them with homework. Three students did not respond to the question. One student circled multiple choices of his/her parents, grandparents, or other relative.
The final question on the survey inquired if the student spoke more than one language at home. Fifty-one percent, or 23 of the 45 students, reported the use of dual languages in the home setting.
Discussion
After a preliminary examination of the data collected for this pilot study, it appears that there is sufficient evidence to support additional research. About half of the fourth grade students who reported having older siblings noted that they helped them with their homework. Based on the survey information, responses described a higher percentage of the siblings helping with comprehension questions than assisting with direct reading or writing activities, however without further clarification it is impossible to speculate if the questions were directly related to building literacy skills. Additionally, 31.1 % of the students interviewed said if they were given the choice they would ask a sibling, cousin, or other relative to help with their homework. This finding is particularly important in light of recent research examining the benefits to having siblings or other family members serving as tutors on school tasks. It also addresses the use of a “third space” where literacy development is mediated between school and home by an older mentor who helps the student draw connections between school tasks and home literacy practices.
Since this investigation was designed as an information gathering pilot study that was examined using very basic methods,
there are many limitations to what, if any, conclusions can be drawn from the data. First, the sample of students surveyed
was very limited. It was confined to two classes of students from the same grade level. A wider population of students
may have shown more variability in the number of students with older siblings and with siblings who provided help with
homework. Expanding the age groups surveyed might also help to capture trends with adolescent siblings helping certain
age groups like kindergarten as opposed to older elementary grades.
Another limitation of this work was the format of the survey which was limited to five questions that concentrated on asking
about homework practices. As Gregory (2001) and Williams and Gregory (2001) discussed, homework and school
activities may only be a small part of home-based literacy practices. Children may spend time at home playing with siblings
or working in family groups to learn information like religious practices that involve a high level of literacy instruction. The
survey presented to the fourth grade students in this study did not allow for students to discuss any of these activities in
relation to working with their siblings.
An additional area of concern for the validity of this work was discussed in research from Volk (1999). The survey
answers showed that cousins and other family members are involved with helping with homework and may be the
preferred person for tutoring for some students, however they were not considered to be siblings on the survey. Volk’s
study of the family of a Puerto Rican kindergartener highlighted the fact that in some cultures, “sibling” is a loosely defined
descriptor. Cousins, aunts, uncles, or friends may be considered siblings of a child and are seen as playing a distinct role in
their schooling. As discussed earlier, this may especially be true for families who are English language learners. Siblings
may be seen as the connection between home and school and may be relied on to help younger children with assignments
written in English.
These limitations could be addressed in future research by constructing a detailed survey regarding sibling roles with the
literacy instruction of younger brothers and sisters in activities not only related to homework completion. In addition, a
narrative inquiry approach could serve as a more accurate and thorough way of learning about the home literacy practices
of adolescents in relation to younger family members. Interviews from both parents and children and observations of
interactions between the adolescents and younger family members might provide insight into the daily literacy practices of
families.
Conclusions
Even with the limitations described above, this pilot study provided useful information about the role of older
siblings in helping younger children complete homework. In the small group of fourth grade students that participated in the
survey, it was evident that for many children, siblings or other family members play an important role in their literacy
education. This information opens a window for family literacy and adolescent literacy researchers and practitioners to
develop new ways to increase sibling participation in the education of younger family members.
By understanding that literacy education in the home may take forms other than just helping with homework,
including intensive collaborative efforts to learn complex religious material, teachers and other practitioners can encourage
families to allow older children to help their younger relatives navigate the material. After school programs could provide a
“third space” for negotiating school and home literacy practices by combining adolescent literacy instruction in new literacy
technologies with mentoring younger children. This could provide opportunities for children without older siblings to benefit
from a form of literacy skill building similar to what has been seen to work between family members.
The teaching and mediation skills of adolescent siblings has long been ignored in the literature, however the early
data from this pilot projects illustrates that there are a number of research opportunities waiting to be explored. In
addition, diversity in the demographics and family structures of children has brought to light the importance of family
involvement in literacy education for many students, particularly for families where English is not the native language.
Investigating the role of siblings of all ages in the literacy education of younger family members could provide a wealth of
knowledge about the scaffolding and synergy processes described by Gregory (2001) and Volk and de Acosta (2001).
Further research on the differences of sibling literacy interactions in diverse cultural groups could also provide much needed
insight into the norms and practices of different communities. Data collected from studies involving adolescent instruction
of siblings may provide another link in helping family literacy researchers move the field away from a model built on deficits
and toward a practice that embraces what individual family members have to offer as experts of their own literacy
experiences.
.
Caspe, M. (2003). Family literacy: A review of programs and critical
perspectives.
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Language and Education, 12, 33-54.
Gregory, E. (2001). Sisters and brothers as language and literacy teachers: Synergy
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Gregory, E. (2004). ‘Invisible’ teachers of literacy: Collusion between siblings and
teachers in creating classroom cultures. Literacy, July, 97-105.
Rosowsky, A. (2006). ‘I used to copy what the teachers at school would do.’ Cross-
cultural fusion: The role of older children in community literacy practices. Language and Education, 20, 529-542.
Volk, D. (1999). “The teaching and the enjoyment of being together…”: Sibling
teaching in the family of a Puerto Rican kindergartner. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 14, 5-34.
Volk, D. & de Acosta, M. (2001). ‘Many different ladders, many ways to climb…’:
Literacy events in the bilingual classroom, homes, and community of three Puerto Rican kindergarteners. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy,1,193-224.
Williams, A. & Gregory, A. (2001). Siblings bridging literacies in multilingual contexts.
Journal of Research in Reading, 24, 248-265.
Appendix
Literacy Project Questionnaire
1. Do you have older brothers or sisters? Y N
2. If yes, do they help you with your homework? Y N
3. What kinds of activities do they help you
with?
Reading books answering questions writing
Other______________________________________
Parents Brother or Sister
Grandparents Cousin or other
relative
5. Do you speak more than one language at home? Y N