| This qualitative study examines the literacy perspectives, events, and practices of adult ESL/literacy immigrants and literacy facilitators at an ESL/literacy center in South Florida. The author uses primarily Baynham's (1995) model for studying literacy practices, including such factors as literacy mediator, social network, language domains, literacy domains, code-switching, L1 vs. L2 literacy, and reading/writing relationships. Observation and interviews are used to collect and analyze data in order to find the relationships between literacy perspectives, practices and events.; The ESL/literacy center as a discourse community shows multiple perspectives on literacy: (1) discrete skills development, (2) therapeutic/remedial, (3) personal empowerment, (4) social empowerment, (5) functional/survival, and (6) critical literacies. Literacy events vary according to the perspective: (1) alphabet lesson, arising from discrete skills literacy models; (2) résumé writing, arising from workplace functional literacy; (3) diagnostic test, arising from autonomous, school-type literacy; (4) reading lesson, arising from school-type literacy, discrete skills models; (5) paragraph/essay writing, arising from “essayist” school-type literacy, etc. Literacy practices can also vary according to the event occurring: first, practices include (1) meaning negotiation using L1, (2) use of L1 orally while elaborating L2 text, and (3) think-talk alouds while composing, as in a resume event arising from a functional/survival literacy perspective; and second, practices include (4) drills on discrete sound/letter recognition, and (5) echoing/repeating, etc. as in an alphabet lesson arising from discrete skills literacy perspective; Also, the author discusses emergent patterns: literacy mediators, social networks, domains of literacy, code switching, and discourses. The following generalizations are made: (1) discourses are inherent sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit schemata, or ways of viewing a status quo; (2) events and practices within discourses shape literacy perspectives; (3) social networks become established among facilitators and participants; (4) literacy and language domains arise, literacy events occur, and practices are prevalent; (5) the world of the ESL/literacy center forms a microcosm of the reality of discourses outside the center itself: a mirror of social realities of discourses, forming perspectives, shaping events and giving rise to practices. The author concludes that literacy perspectives shape the literacy events because established discourses promote certain literacy practices. |
