| This ethnographic case study examined how middle class fathers use dialogue to impact literacy and language experiences and identities with their children. The following research questions were examined: (1a) In what ways does the discourse that fathers use promote dialogic conversations with their children, (1b) How might the identities fathers project play a role in this, and (2) What do fathers perceive is their role in their children's home literacy practices and participation, and why? The researcher began with observing and interviewing fathers before the study began. Prior to data collection, participants were asked to take a perception survey about their literacy practices. Then the participants were asked to record 36 hours of discourse over the course of 4 months. Data were analyzed through discourse analysis, using the research questions and Gee's (2011a) seven building tasks as coding categories. The research findings conveyed that the participants (fathers) often engaged in rich discourse with their children. Moreover, it was found that the three participants used an average of 1,615 words per hour and asked an average of 2,919 questions. Participants recorded 87.47 hours of discourse, amounting to 143,374 total words. The implications of this study suggest that fathers have the potential to play a critical role in how literacy and language experiences and identities are enacted with children; however, more research is needed on fathers from different sociocultural, sociolinguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.;Keywords: Ethnography, Case Study, Discourse Analysis, Dialogue, Fathers. |
