ABSTRACT

Based on qualitative research focused on literacy and health from three schools in coastal Kenya, this book examines country, school, and family contexts to develop a dual-generation maternal-child model for literacy learning and to connect local-specific phenomena with national and international policy arenas.  In contrast to international development organizations’ educational policies and programs that tend to ignore literacy as a social practice within diverse contexts, the author unpacks the relationship between education and health, and the role of family and mothers in particular, highlighting how mothers are key actors in children’s literacy development and health outcomes.

chapter 1|15 pages

Introduction

Global Literacy Landscape and Local Literacy Discovery

chapter 2|45 pages

Theoretical Frameworks

Building a Cultural Model for Literacy

chapter 3|20 pages

Context Matters

Relevant Trends in Kenya

chapter 4|23 pages

Local Contexts

Rural School Communities

chapter 5|30 pages

Reading Mothers' Lives

Connecting Home and School

chapter 6|31 pages

Conclusions

Children, Parents, and Learning Environments