"Because We're Unique": The Literate Lives of Black Adolescent Females

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Strong, K. (2019). "Because We're Unique": The Literate Lives of Black Adolescent Females. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

This qualitative study explores the literacy and language practices of Black adolescent girls as they read and make meaning of a critical text. The focus of this inquiry was to broadly examine how societal and situational factors influence the ways in which Black adolescent girls make sense of Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give (2017), a form of culturally responsive text. This study embraces the Black Girls’ Literacy Framework first created by Muhammad and Haddix (2016) and two interconnected research questions from that framework drove this study: a) how do Black adolescent girls enact critical literacy practices? and b) how do Black adolescent girls respond to a culturally responsive critical text? Data in the form of two semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and written journal entries in response to the novel were used to examine each Black girl participants’ representation of themselves and their identities, as well as the way they made meaning of a critical text. Critical discourse analysis was utilized to analyze data across a societal domain, as well as across institution and situation. This study contributes to the current body of literature by positioning Black girls at the center and bringing visibility to the ways in which their intersectionalities (raced, classed, and gendered identities) influence the ways in which they enact their literacy practice.

Details
Author

Strong, Kellan

Title

"Because We're Unique": The Literate Lives of Black Adolescent Females

Physical Description

1 online resource (157 pages) : PDF

Date

2019

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the literacy and language practices of Black adolescent girls as they read and make meaning of a critical text. The focus of this inquiry was to broadly examine how societal and situational factors influence the ways in which Black adolescent girls make sense of Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give (2017), a form of culturally responsive text. This study embraces the Black Girls’ Literacy Framework first created by Muhammad and Haddix (2016) and two interconnected research questions from that framework drove this study: a) how do Black adolescent girls enact critical literacy practices? and b) how do Black adolescent girls respond to a culturally responsive critical text? Data in the form of two semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and written journal entries in response to the novel were used to examine each Black girl participants’ representation of themselves and their identities, as well as the way they made meaning of a critical text. Critical discourse analysis was utilized to analyze data across a societal domain, as well as across institution and situation. This study contributes to the current body of literature by positioning Black girls at the center and bringing visibility to the ways in which their intersectionalities (raced, classed, and gendered identities) influence the ways in which they enact their literacy practice.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Education
Reading
African Americans--Study and teaching
Ethnicity--Study and teaching

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

Black Adolescent Girls
Black Girls
Critical Literacy
Critical Text

Subject Area

Curriculum & Instruction

Advisor(s)

Glass, Tehia
Miller, Erin

Committee Members

Taylor, Bruce
Merriweather, Lisa

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2019.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Strong_uncc_0694D_12277

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2076