Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

PhD Health Sciences

Department

Health and Medical Sciences

Advisor

Genevieve Zipp, PhD

Committee Member

Natalie Neubauer, EdD

Committee Member

Kaitlin Brooks, PhD

Keywords

English language learner, literacy, parent, speech pathology, immigrant, hispanic

Abstract

The responsibility of raising a child is demanding on all parents, but immigrant parents with limited literacy skills in English may find parenting even more demanding than native born parents. Hispanic immigrant parents are rarely consulted about their literacy needs. Furthermore, they are often overlooked as experts on their own needs. Using two of the most widely accepted models of literacy, The Simple View of Writing and The Simple View of Reading, this study explored Hispanic immigrant parents' literacy needs in the United States. The current study was conducted on N=30 Hispanic Immigrant parents, ages early 30s to mid 70s. A qualitative open-ended questionnaire was used to provide information regarding Hispanic immigrant parents’ literacy needs. The conceptual frameworks used, emerging patterns of learners’ perspectives of their literacy needs were analyzed under six categories: Three reading elements- Decoding, language comprehension, and reading comprehension, and three writing elements- text generation, transcription, and self-regulation. Findings of the present study provide initial insights on the literacy needs of Hispanic immigrant parents in light of The Simple View of Writing and The Simple View of Reading literacy frameworks. These insights can be used to inform and advance literacy interventions and programs that can be tailored to parents' specific needs moving forward as we seek to provide person centered care for this population. The implications of these findings of parents’ literacy needs are discussed in terms of its impact on parents education and the quality of the outcomes so that a literacy program that meets Hispanic immigrant parents’ needs can be built in the future.

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