‘School is light and we are blind’: Afghan refugee parents’/guardians’ beliefs about literacy and language(s)

IF 1.3 4区教育学 Q2 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy Pub Date : 2022-07-07 DOI:10.1177/14687984221113172

Assadullah Sadiq

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This article examines four Afghan refugee parents/guardians in Islamabad, Pakistan for their beliefs about literacy and language(s). Semi-structured interviews with each parent/guardian showed that they all highly valued reading and writing as essential life skills. However, while they viewed literacy as having instrumental value, they also strongly believed it shaped and developed a person morally and supported one to think critically. In terms of language(s), all of the parents/guardians wanted their children to learn to read and write in their first language, and believed that speaking only one’s first language was not enough. They believed that the school their children attended should offer classes to teach them to read and write in their first language. In addition, they supported their children learning Urdu, the national language of their host country, Pakistan. All of the parents also mentioned the importance of having their children learn English, as they believed it is an international and useful language in the world. This study offers important findings regarding parents’/guardians’ beliefs about language and literacy from one of the largest refugee groups about which little is known.

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“学校是光，我们是瞎子”:阿富汗难民父母/监护人对读写能力和语言的看法

这篇文章考察了巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡的四位阿富汗难民父母/监护人对读写能力和语言的看法。对每位家长/监护人的半结构化访谈显示，他们都高度重视阅读和写作，认为这是必不可少的生活技能。然而，虽然他们认为识字具有工具价值，但他们也坚信识字能塑造和发展一个人的道德，并支持一个人进行批判性思考。在语言方面，所有家长/监护人都希望他们的孩子学会用母语阅读和写作，并且认为只会说自己的母语是不够的。他们认为，他们的孩子就读的学校应该提供课程，教他们读和写他们的第一语言。此外，他们还支持自己的孩子学习东道国巴基斯坦的官方语言乌尔都语。所有的家长都提到了让孩子学习英语的重要性，因为他们认为英语是一门国际性的、有用的语言。这项研究提供了关于父母/监护人对语言和读写能力的信仰的重要发现，这些信仰来自一个鲜为人知的最大的难民群体。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH-

CiteScore

5.00

自引率

12.50%

发文量

期刊介绍： Journal of Early Childhood Literacy is a fully peer-reviewed international journal. Since its foundation in 2001 JECL has rapidly become a distinctive, leading voice in research in early childhood literacy, with a multinational range of contributors and readership. The main emphasis in the journal is on papers researching issues related to the nature, function and use of literacy in early childhood. This includes the history, development, use, learning and teaching of literacy, as well as policy and strategy. Research papers may address theoretical, methodological, strategic or applied aspects of early childhood literacy and could be reviews of research issues. JECL is both a forum for debate about the topic of early childhood literacy and a resource for those working in the field. Literacy is broadly defined; JECL focuses on the 0-8 age range. Our prime interest in empirical work is those studies that are situated in authentic or naturalistic settings; this differentiates the journal from others in the area. JECL, therefore, tends to favour qualitative work but is also open to research employing quantitative methods. The journal is multi-disciplinary. We welcome submissions from diverse disciplinary backgrounds including: education, cultural psychology, literacy studies, sociology, anthropology, historical and cultural studies, applied linguistics and semiotics.