Print Literacy Humiliation: Translanguaging and emotions with newcomer children

Abstract

Emotions not only take us deeper in but also reveal larger political and historical structures that dominate how the Grades 4 to 6 newcomers with emerging print literacy in this study shape their literacy practices. Following a humanizing approach, I conducted three qualitative, critical case studies in Ontario urban schools. Data collection tools included in this article include plurilingual texts, focus group interviews and field notes. Through a thematic deductive analysis, themes emerged such as desire and written English, and print literacy humiliation. Moving away from historically oppressive, English-only structures in the classrooms, created more excitement and pride around writing and language.