School Contexts and the Construction of Literacy Practices and Identities among Middle School Students of Color

Author

Eugene K. Gyekye, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9953-7013

Date of Award

Summer 2025

Language

English

Embargo Period

6-13-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational Theory and Practice

Program

Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Prof. Julie Learned

Committee Members

Prof. Julie Learned, Prof. Alex Kumi-Yeboah, and Prof. Brett Levy,

Keywords

literacy identity, school context, adolescent literacy, culturally responsive pedagogy, multimodality, equity in education, qualitative research

Subject Categories

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Curriculum and Instruction

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how middle school students of color construct and negotiate their literacy identities within an urban public school's institutional, classroom, and online contexts. The study is situated at Oakville Middle School, a culturally and linguistically diverse setting that reflects the complexities of adolescent literacy education in contemporary urban environments. The research explores how students' literacy practices are shaped by their interactions with school structures, pedagogical approaches, peer dynamics, and digital platforms and how these experiences influence their development as literate individuals.

The study responds to the persistent challenge of educational inequity, particularly the disconnect between students' cultural identities and the dominant norms of school-based literacy instruction. Many students of color encounter instructional models that fail to affirm their home languages, digital literacies, and lived experiences, resulting in disengagement, reduced confidence, and fragmented literacy development. The research problem centers on how such disconnections constrain literacy identity formation and how specific school contexts foster more inclusive, empowering engagements with literacy.

The study employed a qualitative, multi-perspective design. Data collection included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, structured interviews, artifact analysis, and reflective research memos over a nine-month period. Participants included three focal students, five teachers, two teacher leaders, three parents or guardians, and one school administrator. Grounded in sociocultural and multimodal frameworks, the study examined how students interact with texts, technologies, and learning environments in physical classrooms and online spaces.

Findings revealed that students are active agents in co-constructing literacy environments that are meaningful and reflective of their identities. In institutional and classroom contexts, enabling conditions such as culturally responsive teaching, restorative practices, flexible scheduling, and student choice supported deeper engagement and literacy growth. In contrast, restrictive structures, punitive discipline, and culturally disconnected curricula limited participation and suppressed student voice. Online contexts emerged as a critical yet complex space in students' literacy journeys.

Digital tools such as Raz-Kids, Epic, and Google Docs allowed students to personalize their learning, collaborate with peers, and express their ideas in multimodal ways. These platforms enabled students to revise work at their own pace, experiment with voice and tone, and integrate personal interests like music, art, and social media into their academic work. However, disparities in digital access and inconsistent instructional support also revealed the fragility of these online spaces as equitable learning environments.

The findings demonstrate that fostering strong literacy identities among students of color requires intentionally designing learning environments that affirm who students are, what they bring, and how they communicate. Online and in-person contexts must be structured to support student agency, cultural relevance, and relational trust. The implications of this study extend to curriculum development, school leadership, and teacher education, urging a rethinking of literacy instruction as a dialogic, inclusive, and student-centered endeavor. By foregrounding youth voice and context, this research offers a pathway toward more equitable and humanizing models of literacy education.

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Gyekye, Eugene K., "School Contexts and the Construction of Literacy Practices and Identities among Middle School Students of Color" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 246.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/246