| Three families of different configurations were interviewed and observed over a period of one year. The Arlee family consists of Grandmother Arlee, Mother and Father Arlee, and the child, Robert Arlee. The Bynum family consists of Grandmother Bynum, Father Bynum, a single-parent, and the child, Jacob Bynum. The Coram family consists of Grandmother and Grandfather Coram, Mother and Father Coram and the child, Susan Coram. In addition, each of the child's classroom teachers was interviewed. Each of the case study children experienced difficulties in literacy development. Four major elements influencing the development of family literacy were extrapolated from the interviews and observations of the participants, and from research. These elements were used to identify the resulting three family literacy environments. The elements are modeling literacy, making literacy materials available, encouraging literacy success, and sharing literacy. The degree in which the elements are present represents the classification of the family literacy environment. The three environments are the Productive Family Literacy Environment, the Partially Productive Family Literacy Environment, and the Counter-Productive Family Literacy Environment. Each of the three case study families represents one of the environments. In the Productive Family Literacy Environment, the child is provided with continuous opportunities to develop literacy skills within an environment that is constantly nurturing the entire family in the development of literacy. In the Partially Productive Family Literacy Environment, the child lives in two different environments, the father's and the mother's. One of the environments is not productive in the child's development of literacy. In the Counter-Productive Family Literacy Environment, the grandmother does not model or share literacy with the child. In addition, the parents read to the child, but they do not require the child to read to them. The children from the Partially Productive Family Literacy Environment and the Counter-Productive Family Literacy Environment were not progressing in their development of literacy at the same rate as the child from the Productive Family Literacy Environment was progressing. The degree in which the families participated in family literacy activities directly affected the child's literacy development. All of the family members, including grandparents, contributed to the literacy development of the children. |
