Literacy Skills and Practices in Cambodian-American Families: A Portraiture of Ten Women

This research article describes the literacy skills and practices in ten Cambodian-American (CA) families within their home environment. It also investigates such contextual problems as CA students not being a part of the Asian model minority and the invisibility that some experience at school.Its literature review addresses the evolving concept of family literacy scholarship, specifically diversity scholarship, with a conceptual framework focusing on Dewey’s (1916) ideas linking family literacy ultimately to human empowerment, hope, progress, growth, and meaning within society. A narrative inquiry technique called portraiture is employed to collect the data of its ten participants’ experiences. This research’s key finding is skewed toward educated women. Recommendations included quantitative methodology, culturally-relevant pedagogy and funds of knowledge be applied for further research.