Developing Immigrant Parents' Computer Literacy in Partnership with Students' Learning

Final Report Executive Summary Principal Investigators: Richard Durán – University of California, Santa Barbara Jane Durán – University of California, Santa Barbara Introduction Plentiful evidence exists at the national level that access to computers and the Internet is lower in low-income households, and, in particular, the households of low-income, immigrant Latinos and other minorities. While the penetration of computers and the Internet into low—income and minority households is on the rise, this increase is far from keeping up with students' access to computers at school. Access to computers and the Internet is increasing at school, so that currently, virtually every school in America now has access to Internet and computers available for use by students. Low-income minority children are beginning to use computers at schools and are being expected to develop competencies in computers as part of schools' implementation of state and school district subject matter and performance standards. The disparity between access to computers at home and school for Latino and other low-income students aggravates already existing concerns about the need to improve Latino family awareness and involvement in their children's schooling. From an intergeneration and family literacy perspective and consistent with the CREDE Program of research on Families, Peers and Community, we need to be concerned with developing strategies and a knowledge base addressing ways that Latino immigrant families can have improved access to computers, learn to use computers in ways required of their school children, and to investigate innovative ways that parents and children can learn and communicate together utilizing enabled computers. Research Goals Consistent with these observations, the overall research goals of the project were as follows: 1. To identify ways in which sociocultural theory could be used to frame immigrant parent involvement in children's literacy learning in a culturally based learning community centering on the use of technology for learning. To explore possibilities by which the project can also inform theory and re-think traditional notions of parent involvement with learning and schooling. 2. In collaboration with all learning community members, to develop designs for computer-based learning activities that were thematically organized around school related learning goals. 3. To disseminate findings of the project through the publication of documents discussing the experiences of the research-development team and the challenges and successes that arose and guided the implementation of the project. As part of this process, to develop a "strategies guide" that could assist others in implementing similar projects. 4. To document, through ethnographic and discourse studies of interaction, processes underlying the scaffolding of learning by immigrant parents and children via technology in concrete activities of value to children's schooling. To also include self-reports from parents and students and selected teachers about links to learning and schooling. Research Design and Findings With these research goals in mind, our project introduced parents and children from low-income Latino immigrant families to the uses of the computer and computer literacy. The parents and children met in small groups once a week in the computer room of local elementary schools, and, at one point, in the computer room of a Boys' and Girls' Club. The families were assisted by a research-development team of university staff and teachers in learning how to operate computers centered on the creation of written documents and Internet activities. The research-development team assisted parents in the creation of newsletters or other publications that were distributed to participants, and via the school, to other families and friends. By the end of our fifth year, approximately 140 parents and 120 children had participated actively in the project, with a small number having participated more than one year. Parents' learning of elementary computer skills was evaluated statistically by means of pre-post questionnaires assessing knowledge in different areas of computer literacy at the beginning and end of two target cycles. Children's performance was not formally assessed. Ethnographic and discourse analyses studies were undertaken to analyze the practices of the parents and children in conducting research and writing on the computer toward the end of developing publications. The research-development team also undertook a review of sociocultural theory and research that helped conceptualize the functioning of the project as a situated, local community of practice. A Strategies Guide document was developed to help others in developing similar projects with immigrant families. Conclusions Implementation of the project created an alternative community-based organization interfacing between a university research and development team, school personnel, community members, and families. An approach to family literacy that involved specific setting of learning and literacy goals, and that allowed parents and children choice and creativity in the contents of products produced on the computer was effective. Immigrant Latino parents with limited, or no computer experience, showed themselves adept learners of computer literacy. Parents were quick to acquire elementary computer skills despite wide variation in their schooling attainment and levels of schooled literacy. It was possible to design and implement pre-post questionnaire measures of parents' learning of elementary computer skills and to show statistically significant gains in parent's skills associated with participation in the project. Parents and children produced complex written products on computers similar to school literacy tasks encountered by children that required exercise of important computer and technology skills, and an articulated understanding of audience, genre, and design of texts. Changes in proficiency in completing more complex learning and writing task by parents and children were not assessed by quantitative methods. Qualitative studies of parents' and children's interaction, and project sessions employing ethnography and discourse analyses, yielded rich evidence regarding how participant's carried out learning and literacy activities. The research showed that the project's effectiveness was enhanced especially by being able to draw out cultural and experiential background knowledge of parents and children as a resource in the negotiation of texts. Implications Our findings derive support from sociocultural theory and highlight the effectiveness of developing a culturally sensitive program. By working with participants and building on their own experiences, in situated meaningful activities we are able to promote not only awareness of the school community in which their children are immersed but also to facilitate technology based literacy through the computer mediated writing activities that they engage in. Parent and child involvement provides a natural arena for joint mediated activity and scaffolding of different learning experiences that draw on diverse literacy practices. The involvement of teachers and community role models, as well as the promotion of Spanish language and the connection to the local university (graduate students and professor involved), can serve as a visible link to their children's possible/future education.