Moroccan mothers’ involvement in dialogic literary gatherings in a Catalan urban primary school: Increasing educative interactions and improving learning

Abstract

This article analyses a case study on Moroccan mothers’ involvement in the Dialogic Literary Gathering (DLG) in an urban primary school in Catalonia (Spain). DLG is a dialogic learning environment that improves reading skills and communicative abilities and promotes school–community links. This activity has been identified in previous European Union (EU)–funded large scale research, the INCLUD-ED project, as a successful educational action. Children’s results in standardised tests reported a significant improvement in communicative skills over the academic year. The case study highlights evidences on how this action contributed to transform family interactions at home. Discussions about classic works of literature were transferred to the child–parent interactions and were part of their daily lives. According to the data analysed, this experience affected mothers’ and children’s motivation to read and helped migrant mothers to improve the language acquisition of the host country. Mothers confirmed becoming more able to understand the schoolwork of their children and they felt more confident to help them with their homework.