Reflection on The complexities of reading capital in two Puerto Rican families

Blog post for 2.21.13 Class

Reading Reflection on The complexities of reading capital in two Puerto Rican families by Catherine Compton-Lilly

                I chose to read this article by Compton-Lilly because it was listed as an “exemplar” of quality case study research in Literacy Research Methodologies by Duke and Mallette (2011) and because Compton-Lilly is a Reading Recovery University Trainer.  Over the years, I have heard her speak at various conferences about issues of poverty, race, and literacy achievement but have never read any of her publications.   This article was really interesting in its own right, and it has given me ideas related to the work I am doing with my professor and possibilities for my dissertation.  I also think  my workshop mates, Hollie and Ann, would enjoy the piece as it connects to their own work (with ELL students and students in urban settings), is centered around literacy achievement, and examines concepts like “troubling” and “problematizing” that we briefly touched on last week.  I plan to email them both about the possibility of discussing this article during our workshop time.

                In this piece, Compton-Lilly masterfully addresses a conflict I have felt over my many years of work in education.  I grow so weary of listening to conversations of teachers minimizing the contributions of families to their student’s academic successes and lamenting the long list of deficits children bring with them to school.  I intentionally avoid teacher “workrooms” to avoid this sort of talk and (what I perceive to be) “bashing” of students and families.  I feel like most teachers do this sort of talking because of their own anxiety about teaching ‘difficult’ children.  In my opinion, it is sort of a ‘blame the victim’ kind of talk that absolves them from responsibility to teach ALL children.  They really don’t believe they (as teachers) have the necessary skills, so they blame the child for her shortcomings.  I get really frustrated by the teachers’ perceptions and talk and avoid, but Compton-Lilly faces it head on and addresses it with theory, stories of participants, and a call for more research in the area.

                From this article, I found many other text that I want/need to read.  From Dyson and Genishi (2005), Compton-Lilly quotes (in part)... “Everyday teaching and learning are complex social happenings, and understanding them as such is the grand purpose of qualitative case studies” (p.9).  This quote connects to the work I am currently doing with my professor at a local elementary school, and it also relates to what I am considering doing for my dissertation.  This book is one that I feel will help me learn more about case study, especially in the field of literacy.   Compton-Lilly describes her methodology as “intrinsic” in that she tried to learn about literacy within a particular community and with a specific population.  She differentiates this from what Stake refers to as “instrumental case study”.  Though I have read Stake, I need to more carefully read about both of these approaches.  Originally, I had thought my professor’s project was an ‘instrumental case study’, but now I am wondering if it is better described as an ‘intrinsic case study’.  

 Compton-Lilly describes the data she collected and I am struck by the depth of her data.  I imagine the transcripts of 4 hour long interviews with each of the 10 adult participants and 4 half-hour long interviews with the 10 child participants as well as observational data and documents over the course of a year in the field.  MASSIVE!  I am thinking that what the professor and I do this semester together will be nothing in comparison in terms of the amount of data we will collect.  I am also wondering about my dissertation and how much data and over what length of time I will collect it.    It seems so incredibly overwhelming!

In her data analysis section, Compton-Lilly talks about the constant comparative approach which I have heard and have a general understanding of, but need to read more about.  She also talks about ‘categorical analysis’ (Rose and Sullivan, 1996) – as a way to define relationships between codes and group or organize codes.  That sounds like a read I need, as well, though perhaps not for this class.  Isn’t there a case study course offered this summer?  Are you teaching it?

I like how Compton-Lilly addresses the idea of ‘voice’ with this quote….”In the case-study accounts that follow, I have used the words of participants extensively.  The cases attempt to tell the stories of participants, although I realize that my role as scribe and as the organizer of these stories cannot help but affect the stories that are told here.”  I think she explains that she wants to relay the stories of the participants and acknowledges that she is the one who is deciding what to say… in a very clear and matter-of-fact manner.   Further in that same paragraph on p.83, she talks about her decision to highlight the two stories of women who were very similar in terms of demographics but who have vastly different lives.  This section of the article reminded me of our conversations about ‘troubling’ and ‘problematizing’ in class last week.

On page 89, Compton-Lilly is talking about the overlap in what is valued, in terms of literacy, between school and communities.  She then goes on to talk about how what is valued can be different between the settings as well.  In the margin, I scribbled, ‘Kevin’, the name of my brother who spent many years in prison and who is still alive, I believe, because of his literacy skills.  Kevin is probably the most intelligent person I have ever met.  School was a breeze for him, and he was acknowledged over and over again for his ‘giftedness’.  In prison, he was acknowledged from his cell mates, because of his ability to read court documents and prepare appeals for friends.  Even in that setting, literacy skills were valued and were life saver.  I never really thought about this before. 

This was a great read…interesting, informative, and pointed me toward many more texts that focus on case-study research.