Literacy Identity Construction, Negotiation, and Resistance Among Middle School Students of Color in Online Learning

Abstract

This qualitative multiple case study examines how middle school Students of Color construct, negotiate, and respond to literacy identities within classroom-based online learning contexts. Guided by racialized identity development in learning contexts, the study examines how access, participation, and recognition shaped students' experiences of competence and belonging during digital literacy instruction. Data were collected over 9 months at an urban middle school and included more than 300 h of classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with students, teachers, and parents, and digital artifacts from Google Docs, used for collaborative writing and peer feedback; Epic, a digital reading platform supporting teacher-assigned and student-selected texts; and Raz-Kids, a guided reading platform that supported oral reading, self-monitoring, and rereading. Findings show that students constructed literacy identities through agentic participation, collaborative interaction, and culturally and linguistically meaningful literacy practices. Recognition was negotiated across peer interactions, digital platform affordances, and institutional assessment systems, although these systems were not consistently aligned. While classroom digital platforms supported iterative participation and visible growth, institutional measures often constrained how students' literacy practices were recognized. These findings extend scholarship on racialized identity development and sociocultural literacy by demonstrating how classroom-based digital learning environments shape opportunities for competence, belonging, and recognition among middle school Students of Color.