Education has become increasingly valuable in the modern society. Since the invention of the printing press, people are now able to access knowledge through the mass production of books. Furthermore, the invention of the internet and computers have made information readily accessible ( Pritchett, 2013) . However, despite the fact that education has become mainstream and it is accessible by a majority of the population, literacy is still not guaranteed. A significant amount of students around the world still have insufficient levels of literacy due to various factors. Traditionally, literacy was defined as the ability to read and write. However, in the modern context, the definition of literacy has changed to mean the ability of students to understand and interpret content using various contexts. Some of the factors which affect literacy according to the modern context include the family setting, social factors, and technology.
One of the factors which affects literacy among children is the reading practices of the caregivers. According to Tayob and Moonsamy (2018), trauma and unfavorable social experience have an adverse effect on the academic performance of a child. In South Africa for instance, black Africans were subjected to segregation and discrimination, conditions which has compounded the economic and academic problems being experienced by the unprivileged communities. The problem is particularly significant in Children’s homes, where the most vulnerable children are found. Such children need the support of their caregivers in order to develop the right skills and knowledge to be considered literate. Therefore, the caregivers play a significant role in the education and intellectual development of children in such circumstances For example, the caregivers have to be encouraged to use the right reading strategies. However, if they fail to engage the children in a self-reflection session during the reading sessions, then it is likely that the educational outcomes of the affected child would be affected negatively in the long term. Tayob and Moonsamy (2018) conclude that encouraging dialogue, promoting memory recall, answering questions to understand the content and context of information and characterization goes a long way to ensure that vulnerable children have the right education and literacy levels. In addition, speech therapists should advocate for caregivers to facilitate early literacy skills. Since children homes are not normal social environments, there should be deliberate efforts to link language and literacy.
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The importance of caregivers and family members in the development of literacy is also evident in the article by Webb-Sunderhaus (n.d) who states that there are sponsors and inhibitors of literacy. In an industrialized nation like the U.S., illiteracy is not expected to be one of the challenges which Americans are forced to grapple with. Despite the advancement of the education system in the country, illiteracy is still an unfortunate reality in the country. Webb-Sunderhaus explores the experiences of the Appalachians. The community was associated with backward and negative practices, mostly due to their economic and literacy levels. According to the author, literacy results in economic development. In this context, Webb-Sunderhaus uses the argument of Deborah Brandt who states that there are sponsors of literacy in the society. They include agents who support, suppresses, recruit and withhold literacy. Sponsors can be anyone in the society including older relatives, religious leaders, teachers, authors, or even companies. Despite the fact that sponsorship can be diverse, the family members play an influential role in the development of literacy. By looking at the experiences of Katie May, it is evident that immediate family members had an impact on literacy. Her brother intertwined spirituality and literacy. She was given religious texts to read, meaning that the brother was a sponsor. The extended family members also contributed by encouraging her to study and also taught her new concepts and ideas. Parents also play a crucial role in literacy sponsorship. They can do this either directly or indirectly depending on their level of literacy and access to resources. The arguments of the article coincide with the conclusion of Tayob and Moonsamy (2018) who argue that the caregivers in certain environments play a crucial role in the literacy development of a child. Therefore, the family should be sponsors as opposed to being deterrents of literacy if children are to develop the required literacy skills. The immediate environment of children and the people they interact with determine and influence the development of literacy.
Even though the social and cultural environment can have a negative impact on the literacy levels of a child. For example, code switching is popular multilingual communities. Some researchers argue that speaking multiple languages is beneficial for intellectual development. However, in an article by Young (2010), the author shows how social factors can influence the use of language in different groups. Historically, African Americans have been discriminate and disenfranchised in the U.S. The community was denied access to education and economic resources, factors which influence literacy and use of language. The legalization of racial segregation in the U.S. This development led to the emergence of a concept known as double consciousness which is the psychological impact of being described as inferior. This situation has affected how oral and written language is taught to African Americans, and code switching has been identified as the best method to teach African American children contrastive analysis. Children from the group can distinguish home and school language and switch between the two when it is deemed appropriate.
Even though code switching in the African American appears to be a way the community uses to cope with the social environment they live in, opponents argue that it facilitates racism. In the U.S., Standard English is mostly spoken by middle and upper class whites. Therefore, students who do not come from this social demographic are forced to switch to Standard English once they are an in a formal setting. Schools and other mainstream institutions forbid the use of Black English, meaning that it is necessary for African Americans to learn Standard English in order to fit in. since standard English is used in the media and other mainstream places, some factions argue that African Americans need to stop practicing dualism and embrace standard English like the rest if the society. However, this is easier said than done since the environment a child lives in influences his or her linguistic development. As mentioned earlier in the articles by Tayob and Moonsamy (2018) and Webb-Sunderhaus (n.d), the environment a child is raised in influences their literacy levels. The immediate family, caregivers, mentors and teachers among others are sponsors of literacy. Therefore, when the immediate family and the influential people around play a significant role in the literacy (WING-YIN CHOW et al, 2017). For example, years of segregation and discrimination has resulted in the usage of Black English in the African American community by the earlier generations, and this linguistic trait is passed on across generations. Since students have a right to speak their language, it is wrong to force them to change solely for education or getting employed.
Young (2010) advocates for code meshing, whereby the dialects spoken by black children are combined on both conversations and formal assignments. Instead of making children from the African American community feel like their language is inferior or improper, the best way to encourage literacy among the group is to integrate their language in mainstream education to facilitate learning. Code switching should be discouraged since it encourages stereotypes and prejudice. It also brings confusion on the right way to speak, since gender, social class, and race play a role in code switching during interactions either in a formal and informal setting. An example on how code switching can have a negative effect is the use of AAE by Michelle Obama. Even though the code switching endeared her to the African American population, she alienated her white audience. In addition, if the former president Obama would have been perceived differently if he used AAE. He might have been called anti American due to his speech, a fact which would have a negative impact on his chances to be elected. Considering the Obama situation, the danger of code switching becomes apparent. Even though Standard English is widely used in the formal setting, it is alienating some communities. Therefore, it is important for the American community to embrace a more inclusive method of communication, where other languages are not ignored or demonized, but rather embraced as a representation of the diversity of the modern society.
In conclusion, education is accessible to a majority of the population, particularly in the first world. However, the definition of literacy has changed significantly over time. It is no longer enough to read and write in order to be literate. In the modern context, the definition of literacy has changed to mean the ability of students to understand and interpret content using various contexts. Some of the factors which affect literacy according to the modern context include the family setting, social factors, and technology. According to Tayob and Moonsamy (2018), trauma and unfavorable social experience have an adverse effect on the academic performance of a child. Therefore, the caregivers play a significant role in the education and intellectual development of children in such circumstances and if they fail to engage the children in a self-reflection session, then it is likely that the educational outcomes of the affected child would be affected negatively. Webb-Sunderhaus (n.d) also emphasize on the value of caregivers and family members in the development of literacy. Finally, code switching is popular multilingual communities. Some researchers argue that speaking multiple languages is beneficial for intellectual development. However, in an article by Young (2010), the author argues that code switching encourages discrimination and prejudice, hence code meshing should be adopted to ensure that education and the society is inclusive. In order for literacy to be achieved, a collective effort between caregivers, educators, policy makers and the society at large is needed. Success is not possible if one faction is left out since they all play a crucial role in the education process.
References
Tayob, F. & Moonsamy, S. (2018). Caregivers’ reading practices to promote literacy in a South African children’s home: Experiences and perceptions. South African Journal of Communication Disorders, 65(1), a559. https://doi.org/10.4102/ sajcd.v65i1.559
Webb-Sunderhaus, S. (n.d). A Family Affair: Competing Sponsors of Literacy in Appalachian Students’ Lives.
Young, V. (2010). We Straight: An Argument against CodeSwitching. University of Waterloo.
Pritchett, L. (2013). The rebirth of education: Schooling ain't learning . Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development
WING-YIN CHOW, B, et al. (2017). Home environmental influences on children’s language and reading skills in a genetically sensitive design: Are socioeconomic status and home literacy environment environmental mediators and moderators? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 58, 519–529.
