UCLA

This cross-sectional case analysis explored the human dimensions in the study of literacy and technology. The study focused on the semi-structured interviews of 15 Latina/o immigrant adults acquiring basic critical literacy skills over a mobile phone. In the interviews, these emergent readers shared their history of participation (Rogers, 2004) in education and in literacy practices. Their narratives of lived experiences framed the analysis of mobile learning. In this study, situated affordances referred to the contextualized capacities of new technologies (Gibson, 1979; Gomez, Gomez & Gifford, 2010; Mynatt et al., 1998; Zywica, Richards & Gomez, 2011). Approaching the analysis from the histories and perspectives of the participants rendered a powerful human account about populations typically neglected in the study of education and technology.

In addition, the context-specific afforances narrated by the participants transformed the study of mobile learning by including marginalized perspectives. Lastly, this study documented the impact of mobile learning. Those who completed the mobile learning experience also re-invented themselves as learners through their narratives. Thus, mobile learning presented an opportunity for participants to develop literacy while also re-writing their histories as learners. This study documented the transformative capacities of mobile learning among marginalized groups. At the same time, the narratives cautioned against the isolation of technology from the human aspects of learning. In the conclusion, I presented the limitations to mobile learning. Many of these limitations stemed from human needs, including the challenges faced by this population. In addition, the conluding chapter grappled with future design modifications that capitalize on the affordances of mobile devices for this population of emergent readers. Special attention was given to the development of critical literacy as found in a Freirean model of adult education.