CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
2.6 Family/ intergenerational literacy
2.6.1 Background to family/ intergenerational literacy Family literacy or intergenerational literacy is a very wide concept
approach tries to make learners independent of the teacher since they believe that there is no set sequence of learning and the learner only needs to
engage with materials in his/her own way, pace and sequence.
occurs naturally during the routines of daily living and helps adults get things done. According to Weinstein (1998) the terms family literacy and
intergenerational literacy have been used to describe how literacy is valued and used in the lives of children and adults, and that they can also be used to describe the educational programmes designed to strengthen literacy
resources by involving at least two generations.
Notwithstanding the differences in definitions and approaches, a key notion that most family and intergenerational literacy studies and programmes share is the recognition that the relationships between children and adults are important and that these relationships affect literacy use and development.
According to Shively (n.d), such programmes can among other things include:
literacy development for parents, literacy development for children, instruction for adults on fostering literacy in their families, and interactive activities between parents and their children. Hence, most family or intergenerational literacy programmes hope to achieve any or all of the following goals:
i) To promote reading as a valued family activity that encourages positive interaction and shared learning experiences
ii) To enhance the ability of parents to support their children's language and literacy development form birth throughout the school years iii) To address parent-child rearing concerns, providing information and
support for positive parental involvement in all aspects of their children's development and education
iv) To model and support developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for children
v) To provide opportunities for parents to pursue their own educational goals
vi) To encourage and support the use of literacy activities to address family and community concerns; and
vii) To encourage and support positive learning partnerships.
Thus, the concept of family literacy is premised on the belief that literacy develops in the context of shared social experience and that the literacy development of families impacts upon most other areas of their lives including children's performance in schools. Balatti and Falk (2002) liken this to the development of social capital, which they define as the resources of networks, norms or shared values and trust to which individuals have access as
community members. In other words, it is both an individual and a community asset.
Hence, the co-existence of different generations participating in
intergenerational programmes has been supported by many scholars. For instance Som'e (1993, p. 2 cited in Kerka 2003) maintains that: "The elder cannot be an elder if there is no community to make him an elder. The young child cannot feel secure if there is no elder whose silent presence gives him or her hope for life. The adult cannot be who he or she is unless there is a
strong sense of the other people around him". Mead, cited in Hively (n.d.) argues that some how, we have to get older people back close to growing children if we are to restore a sense of community, knowledge of the past and a sense of the future. According to them, individuals who can draw on these tangible and intangible resources and relationships will have enhanced life opportunities, and communities in which trust, reciprocity and social networks are strong will benefit from collective action and cooperation.
Two dimensions of the development of social capital namely chronological and external social capital bear a resemblance to features of intergenerational programmes. The chronological dimension of social capital enables or helps the past learning needs to be reconciled with the present in the context of a future gaze or vision while the external dimension is about having the identity resource that allows one to see oneself as a member of the larger community of communities that comprise society.
According to Balatti and Falk (2002) and Schuller et al (2002 cited in Kerka 2003) intergenerational learning creates conditions that help develop the building blocks of social capital in that it: extends, enriches and reconstructs social networks and builds trust and relationships; influences the development of shared norms and the values of tolerance, understanding and respect; and affects individual behaviours and attitudes that influence community
participation.
Others like Hanks and Icenogle (2001) point out that knowledge has for time immemorial been transmitted from one generation to another through history, often informally or incidentally. This is true when we make a specific
reference to traditional and indigenous education that used to take place in Africa. Omolewa, et al (1998) for instance argues that traditional education recreates society and makes its knowledge applicable to the dynamics of community development. Msimuko (1987 cited in Omolewa, et el 1998, p.22) summarises the values and functions of traditional education to include:
enabling man to lead a more satisfying and productive life, conditioning the very survival of the society and its cultural identity, preserving the cultural heritage and transmitting codes of good conduct and fostering obedience, unselfishness, and the endurance of hardships. Traditional education actually shares some of these characteristics with family literacy.