ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes the methods and finds most useful in examining bilingual learning and literacy among culturally diverse students, with a focus on reading as a mediated cultural activity. While author approach could be described as a traditional qualitative case study design that employs ethnographic methods, critical discourse analysis, and narrative analysis, it also draws on a sociocultural approach influenced by Vygotsky’s concept of mediation and by cultural-historical activity theory. A key principle guiding author methodology is the role of mediation in learning, which addresses the interplay between individual agency and society. Qualitative inquiry into the role of language and texts as cultural tools in Latino children’s learning has been strong thread in scholarly work, with children’s perspectives and linguistic resources brought to the forefront, bringing new insights into bilingual students’ reading. While research questions always drive methods, in a design driven by sociocultural theories, the theory signals the scope of settings, participants, and unit of analysis.
