Marianne McTavish | University of British Columbia (original) (raw)

Papers by Marianne McTavish

Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015

Journal of Literacy Research, Aug 16, 2012

This report presents the results of the development of a methodological approach to provide empir... more This report presents the results of the development of a methodological approach to provide empirical evidence that family literacy programs "work." The assessment techniques were developed within the action research project Literacy for Life (LFL) that the authors designed and delivered for 12 months, working collaboratively with three different cohorts of immigrant and refugee families in western Canada. The goal was to develop valid and reliable measures and analyses to measure the impact on literacy skill and knowledge in a particular version of a literacy program that incorporated real-world literacy activities into instruction for low-English-literate adults and their prekindergarten children, ages 3 to 5. The authors offer this approach to assessment as a promising way to measure the impact of socially situated literacy activity that requires taking the social context of literacy activity into account. They offer this work not as the answer to the challenge of documenting the value of working with families and literacy, but as one way to think about focusing curriculum and assessment within programs that validate the real lives of the participants and build bridges between those lives and literacy work within family literacy programming.

School Community Journal, Apr 1, 2008

The purpose of this study was to critically examine how family literacy is promoted and represent... more The purpose of this study was to critically examine how family literacy is promoted and represented on websites developed by family literacy program providers. Naturalistic research over the last 20 years or so demonstrates that the family is a rich site for supporting children's literacy development across socioeconomic and cultural contexts. That research suggests that families engage children in a wide array of literacy activities in their daily lives. Furthermore, significant others, in addition to parents, play important roles in children's literacy development. In this study, we examined a representative sample of family literacy websites from across Canada. Findings suggest that: family literacy programs tend to focus almost exclusively on young children, families are portrayed narrowly, deficit notions of families are still prevalent, and the promises made about the impact of family literacy programs go far beyond what the limited research evidence available suggests.

Canadian Journal of Education, 2007

This study explored the nature and performance of masculinity portrayed in popular young adult no... more This study explored the nature and performance of masculinity portrayed in popular young adult novels featuring female protagonists. Although all had their limitations, the novels offered more complex renderings of gendered identity in the lives of female and male adolescent characters, addressed the effects of enforced traditional masculinity, and productively, if only momentarily, disrupted the connection between sex and gender in ways that allow for engagement with alternative notions of masculinity. Studying masculinity in these contemporary young adult novels about girls' lives offers much for students and teachers to consider in analyzing masculinity and femininity in texts and in life.

Language and Literacy, Oct 26, 2021

Community literacy journal, Apr 1, 2012

is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Brit... more is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral study focuses on the affordances of print and digital literacy materials in literacy education. Ryan Deschambault is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. His doctoral research will investigate the experiences of fee-paying international students in a Canadian secondary school.

Literacy, Jan 4, 2013

This paper examines the use of student planners (agendas) with elementary school students. It ask... more This paper examines the use of student planners (agendas) with elementary school students. It asks how teachers, students and parents in two classrooms engage in the literacy practice of using student planners. A literacy object originally introduced to manage schoolwork in and out of school for students with learning difficulties, planners are now used widely in school districts across North America. In this crosscase analysis, planners are shown to be used for a number of functions beyond organising students' schoolwork. The student planners were tools through which teachers, parents and publishers extended their spheres of influence-objects used to manage others when an individual was not physically present to do so and objects used to gain entry to the classrooms and homes for particular purposes.

Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, Mar 16, 2016

Abstract This article examines preservice teachers' understandings and beliefs about literacy... more Abstract This article examines preservice teachers' understandings and beliefs about literacy in the 21st century specifically at the beginning of their teacher education program. In particular, the authors explored preservice teachers' responses to the first assignment of their foundations literacy course for evidence of their emerging beliefs and understandings of literacy and literacy development. The authors found preservice teachers' definitions of literacy in the 21st century are complex and multifaceted, and inclusive sharing techniques helped them become aware of diverse literacy backgrounds and skills. Additionally, opportunities for preservice teachers to develop presentations on personal literacies using a variety of digital formats broadened their understanding of literacy in the 21st century, and expanded their awareness that literacy is acquired in many contexts.

Routledge eBooks, Dec 7, 2015

When the literature on 'Whiteness' first emerged in the 1990s, I was offended and skeptical. As a... more When the literature on 'Whiteness' first emerged in the 1990s, I was offended and skeptical. As an Asian who has lived in White-dominant cultures most of my life, my reflex was to say something like: "Yeah-they want to be 'special' too. After all our struggles to get beyond an unmarked place of deficit in the fields of disciplinary knowledge and social sciences-now they want 'Whiteness' as their own ethnic studies".

This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Tracie, and to my children, Michael and Natalie. Tr... more This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Tracie, and to my children, Michael and Natalie. Tracie, you have unconditionally and quietly supported me through these years in more ways than I can fully express. You provided me with the strength, level-headedness, and patience I needed along the way. You reminded me about balance and life"s larger picture, and for that I am most grateful. Michael and Natalie, I thank you for giving me the time to write and to study, and for knowing when to push my chair away from the computer when you needed a hug. I am so proud of the two of you. To all of you, thank you for allowing me to fulfill a lifetime dream.

Journal of Childhood Studies, 2012

<jats:p>In an international study released in 2008, Canada's provision of early childho... more <jats:p>In an international study released in 2008, Canada's provision of early childhood education and care ranked at the very bottom of 25 developed countries, achieving only one of ten minimum standards as outlined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)(UNICEF, 2008). The results of this study, in addition to other emerging research (e.g., Janus & Offord, 2007), has attributed to the production and implementation of several early learning initiatives within Ministries across Canada (Beach, Friendly, Ferns, Prabhu, & Forera, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to analyze how children, childhood, and families are portrayed on multi-sector Ministry websites in western provinces and territories (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon and Northwest Territories) as government transitions to these new initiatives and programs. Results indicate that the texts promote deficit notions of families and endorse families' participation in these initiatives as ways to ensure success, not only in the child's readiness for school, but in future individual economic success.</jats:p>

Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies, 2019

Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 2016

Children today are growing up in a digital world that is changing and advancing at an unprecedent... more Children today are growing up in a digital world that is changing and advancing at an unprecedented rate. While some adults may struggle to keep up with new technological gadgets, we find our very young may be quite at ease with the use of digital technologies, even before learning to speak. This study builds on a foundation of family literacy studies that looks at the literacies children are exposed to within their home environments. Given the influx of technology in children’s home environments, it is important to understand children’s digital literacy developments from a family literacy perspective. Studying two very young children and their families interacting with these new devices provides a deep and detailed look into how digital technologies might be influencing young children’s language and literacy development in first and second languages. Findings from this study can inform parents and educators of what, why and how young children interact and learn with digital devices.

The Routledge International Handbook of Learning with Technology in Early Childhood, 2019