Telling Tales: Towards a new Model of Literacy Development Using e‑Readers in Teacher Education in Chile

Abstract

Abstract: Current debates on quality standards in education often look to the levels of an increasingly diverse array of literacies as a measure of that standard. At the same time, while mobile technologies are profoundly changing the way we live, communicate and learn in our everyday lives, relatively little seems to be known about their potential to influence even basic literacy in formal education sites. Examining the use of practical and affordable emerging technologies in many countries worldwide where literacy rates are an issue, seems as yet to have been overlooked. Considering the implication of multiple literacy and communication skills to economic and cultural development and stability in emerging countries and increasingly in developed ones as well, finding immediate answers to challenges in this area is critical. This paper reports on a longitudinal study that examined the power of e‑readers to support change in the literacy habits and ultimately the learning cultures of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers‑in‑training in Chile. The aim of the study was to determine if access to low‑cost mobile readers and a social‑learning driven, technology‑supported, guided reading program, could reverse their literacy challenges. The study is based on social‑cultural theory in which learner agency, access to funds of knowledge and social interaction are imperative ingredients for developing engaged, life‑long learners and readers. Participatory Action Research (PAR) is used to conduct the inquiry. Working within a qualitative research paradigm, ethnographic tools and numerical data from pre‑ and post‑test results, helped to uncover how the use of technology influenced both the literacy practices and identities of the teachers‑in‑training. The findings have led to the proposal of a new 21st century model for literacy education for such challenging contexts. This model could have important implications for Chile as well as learners, educators and policy makers elsewhere.