Date of Award

Summer 2022

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Gloria Boutte

Abstract

Using a Critical Case Study design, this study examines the implementation of African Diaspora Literacy (ADL) in three elementary classrooms in order to understand successes, challenges, and student outcomes. African Diaspora Literacy (ADL) refers to becoming literate about African Diasporic peoples, histories, cultures, languages, epistemologies, cosmologies, and axiologies (King, 1992; Boutte et. al., 2017). Against the backdrop of worldwide and systemic anti-Black racism--the most dominant and virulent form of racism (Dumas & Ross, 2016), there is a need for instructional and curricular antidotes in K-12 schools and in the academy (Boutte et. al., 2017). African Diaspora Literacy offers a promising option. This study examined the implementation of African Diaspora Literacy in elementary classrooms. Four questions were proposed and discussed across three separate manuscripts that will be submitted for publication: (1) What does African Diaspora Literacy instruction and content look like in elementary classrooms? (2) How, if at all, does African Diaspora Literacy instruction and content intersect with the required fifth-grade S.C. social studies, mathematics, and English language arts standards? (3) In what ways, if at all, are elementary students’ understanding of African Diaspora Literacy instruction and content evidenced in their academic work and conversations at school and home?

After three months of observation of two elementary teachers using African Diaspora pedagogies, I identified four characteristics of ADL instruction: (1) Communalism; (2) Empowerment; (3) Intentionality; (4) Interdisciplinarity. Required curriculum standards were met using ADL content. Families in the school expressed satisfaction with their children’s learning about African Diaspora Literacy.

Rights

© 2022, Jarvais Javon Jackson

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