Family Literacy, Indigenous and Intergenerational Learning

Project details

The Family Literacy study was a collaborative project involving the University of Malawi (Malawi), Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia), Tribhuvan University (Nepal) and the University of Santo Tomas (ThePhilippines). In Malawi, the study focused mainly on understanding how experienced members of the communities passed on their knowledge and skills including literacy and numeracy to less experienced ones. The purpose of the study was to explore literacy and local learning practices which are useful in enhancing a bottom-up approach to family and literacy initiatives. Employing ethnographic perspectives, the study was done in two phases in Machinga and Salima. The, data was collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions and photography. The researchers explored community members’ activities such as farming, mushroom collection and selling, curio and mat making as well as fishing. The study established that the communities were involved in various intergenerational practices that were key to their everyday lives. It also found that knowledge was socially constructed and that it was transferred through a less formal internship practice in which the less knowledgeable person acquired skills from the more knowledgeable persons through observation and practice. The study also established that learning processes and settings were not defined but rather voluntary and spontaneous.