Liz Donarum
Argument 76-100o
G. Sauer
21 April 1997
Family, Community, and Educational Format
as Possible Influences on Literacy
A child's ability to learn is affected by many factors within the school system, family structure, and community environment. (Christman 146) Facing illiteracy as a growing problem in the United States, researchers continue to hypothesize as to which of these influences promote successful learning and which hinder a child's disposition for knowledge acquisition. Before a model of the ideal learning environment can be formulated, investigation must be performed to determine which attributes of an environment presented to children promote literacy. Although all children are different and situations affect each in individual ways, there are certain generalizations that can be made into the basis of requirements within an environment to encourage learning.
A child's intellectual world is divided into three main influences: the educational system presented to them, the guidance and authority provided by the child's family, and the attitudes and beliefs presented by the community around them. Within each of these divisions, many different factors have been identified and their levels of importance discussed. Many intellectuals have suggested changes and adaptations that they theorize would increase the levels of literacy among children within the United States. There is no one solution to the problem of illiteracy and therefor many intellectuals have formulated different strategies to fight the epidemic of illiteracy within the United States. Before these aspects of change can be discussed, the divisions of influence must be defined.
The interaction between family members and their daily communication are the child's first exposures to language. The level of education expressed through these interchanges and the literacy levels acquired by the family members have great influences on the child's pre-formal education. (Barnes 60) Before entering a school program, children learn certain basics of language and communication from their home environments. (Barnes 60) "Many researchers have found that high levels of literacy in the home environment are related to the children's higher levels of school achievement." (Bloom; Dave; Shea and Hanes; Walberg and Majorbanks; Ware and Garber in Barnes 60) If the child is lacking some of the fundamental skills needed to learn, this offsets the education process and it will take longer for that child to join with the average learning speed. Practice in communicating must be available to the child at an early age in order for them to be ready to enter school. "The early years are crucial for language learning and the best preparation for literacy learning is learning to talk and having opportunities for conversation." (Clay in Chiarelli, 233)
Family involvement in the educational process can motivate a child to try harder and can create certain attitudes toward the educational system. The more positive the family involvement, the more positive the attitude held by the child. It is important for parents and other relatives to show interest in the school activities and performance of the child. Teacher-parent interaction and cooperation are theorized to be two ways that family members can influence a child's attitudes toward learning, and in turn, he child's motivation to succeed. (Barnes 117-118) If the parent shows interest in what the child is learning in school, the child will try harder at his or her school work to please the parent. The more time the parent invests in the child's education, the more seriously the child will look upon his or her work. Parents can participate in the PTA and other school run organizations, assist the child with homework, and stress the importance or school attendance and promptness. (Barnes 117-118) The family can influence a child to learn and also it can prepare the child for the structured educational system. Through discipline at home, the child can learn how to interact with adults which will be needed in a school atmosphere. Motivation, discipline, and communication skills can be taught by the family and can greatly increase a child's probability of success in school and in general the child's level of literacy. The family is a child's first exposure to the intellectual world.
Along with communication within the home, interactions with members of the outside community have profound effects on a child's use of language and overall literacy. Attitudes can be passed on through the community as well. It is extremely important for the community to trust and respect the education system in order for the students to show respect and trust through their studies. If there is no mutual respect then "the school community belies disengaged and sometimes hostile relationships between schools and their neighborhoods." (Christman 147) Tension between school and community causes confusion and doubt within the child. If the child decides to side with his or her community, then his or her respect for the school system will decrease and the child will not try as hard in school. Lack of respect between schools and the communities in which they are located can cause a decrease in the student's dedication and in turn increases the students probability of illiteracy.
If the community to which the student belongs believes in the intentions of the school and openly supports the educational system, the child will feel more comfortable and secure in his or her choice to attend school. With the support of their communities, the children have greater chances of staying in school and in turn to acquire enough education to be labeled as literate. The definition of literacy is an extremely complex idea. Most people have various ideas of what literacy entails and Clement B.G. London encompasses the social expectations in his definition of literacy. He states that literacy "must mean helping students to have an informed voice in the society; it must mean being able to read, write, work, being responsible for/to one's family and to vote: basic functions of citizenship." (London 164) With the positive support of the community in which the child lives, a student can become involved in the social practices of the community. The attitudes of the community toward the educational system can greatly influence child's attitudes and can, in turn, either promote or discourage a child from attending school.
Just attending school does not guarantee literacy. There are many factors within the structure of the school itself which can be either hazardous or beneficial to the child's learning. Every school and every class within each school is different so it is difficult, if not impossible, to refer to the general problems within school systems. The way the school is run, the area in which the school is located, the curriculum taught in the school, the teachers working in the school, and the teacher's attitudes toward the children are all factors which can affect a child's opportunity to learn. As more people investigate into the causes of illiteracy, they realize that it is not just what happens inside the classroom that affects a child's education at school. (Barnes 60) The area in which the school is located can greatly influence the child's attitude while in class. If the neighborhood is plagued with crime and violence, the child would be afraid to go into the area and might not even attend school in fear of being harmed on the way there. (Huang 9) Investigations have been performed asking why schools in large cities often have greater rates of illiteracy: "The highest percentage of students at risk of failure are found in these (urban) schools, and the worst social and economic conditions are also found in urban neighborhoods." (Hodgkinson; Peng, Wang and Walberg in Huang 9) Other factors present in city communities are discussed in Shwu-Yong Huang and Hersholt Waxman's study including
indicators like the high levels of crime, unemployment, drug abuse, broken families, teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, density of liquor stores, and high rates of poverty clearly describe the critical status of students who are currently living in our nation's urban neighborhoods. Consequently, those students attending urban or ghetto schools represent the most imperiled group of our increasing numbers of students at risk of failure. (Boyd in Huang 9)
The classroom environment must be one in which the student feels comfortable and encouraged to learn. (Christman 149) Changes have been suggested as to the way in which a classroom must be run in order to provide the fairest most productive atmosphere. The relationship between the student and teacher must be one of equality and openness. Robert J. Stevens discusses a cooperative learning system and comments that "cooperative learning has helped to transform classrooms in elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities from passive learning situations with the teacher dominating the instructional conversation into engaging environments where students are active coparticipants in the learning process." (Stevens 127) With this more open and nonformal environment the student can feel more comfortable thinking for himself or herself.
The cooperative learning model also involves the lessening of the reliance on teachers. (Huang 11) Teachers should give students attention when needed but education should not rely only on the knowledge of teachers alone. (Christman 148) The basis of schools should be the active participation of students in their own education. (Huang 11) As students receive information and facts from the teachers and textbooks, they must reflect upon this knowledge and comprehend how that information relates to already learnt facts and also with different subjects. (Christman 149) By asking questions and participating in discussions, students learn how to think for themselves and they learn from one another. This interactive cooperative learning encourages the students to express what they are thinking while it also promotes creativity. (Stevens 127) Cooperative learning environments require each student to succeed on a personal level as well as on a group level. Students work together and help each other to achieve common goals. "Upon recognizing that interdependence, students respond accordingly by teaching, motivating, and monitoring one another as they work on mastering the academic content." (Stevens 131)
Another aspect of the school system that has been under great investigation and debate, is the composition of the overall curriculum. (Christman 148) Like the cooperative learning model, Christman, Cohen, and MacPherson discuss curriculum as a "work-in-progress at the intersection of students' experiences, subject matter, and community." (Christman 163) A curriculum should be an ever changing process which includes studies of multicultures and works to interest people of all nationalities and social groups. In the case study done by Christman et al. of Philadelphia teachers between 1994 and 1996, they found that "students argue for a multicultural curriculum in which students construct social history by examining history in light of their own experiences and analyzing connections and contradictions." (Christman 162) With this new type of interactive, multicultural based curriculum, students will be interested in the topics and encouraged to learn.
This motivation to learn comes from many different areas. The influence of family and community either encourage or discourage children from applying themselves in their studies and achieving overall. (Barnes 60, 117-118; Christman 147; Huang 8-9) Incorporating the community and family situations into a model of the educational needs of a child is difficult and requires flexible and understanding structures within the schools. Schools have the job of collecting students of various backgrounds and academic abilities and creating a learning environment conducive to each of them individually. The curriculum instated within the schools must be able to adapt to the ever changing needs of the students and the society. Interactive learning is one way in which students can actively determine how and what they learn. (Steven 127-128) Family, community, and schools come together to influence a child's motivation and attitude toward learning. The family is the child's first exposure to literacy and can determine the child's view on the importance of literacy. (Barnes 117) The child's community has the ability to sway the child's attitudes and feelings toward the school structure in general. (London 164, 182) Community support of the school system develops trust and respect within the child. Without this support, respect and obedience to the school would decrease.
The school structure and curriculum is another factor that determines a child's motivation and determination to learn. With the ever changing requirements for social success and basic human living, a curriculum within the schools must be open to change. (Christman 162) A more participation and personal contribution oriented curriculum is needed.
The solution to the problem of illiteracy in the United States depends on several factors including: family, community involvement, and school structure. With all of the diverse backgrounds, economic standings, and other situations that children originate from, one clear cut plan will not solve the problem of illiteracy. So many interdependent factors determine a child's disposition for learning. One area alone can not be changed but they must all adapt to the needs of children together. "Many people have suggested that a major source of children's school failure lies not so much in the home or the school, per se, but in the mismatch between home and school." (Barnes 8) The problem of illiteracy within the United States must be investigated further and changes within the schools and communities must incur as needed. Family influences can not be changed as easily, but parents and family members must be aware of the great influence that they have on a child's motivation to learn. Though the problem of illiteracy may never be solved, these precautions and changes may be instituted in order to slow down the growing rate of illiteracy. Even if only a few students are helped, the effort may be deemed successful.
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