Learning to Read and Write Without School and Teaching: Exploring Emergent Literacy in French Unschooling Families

This research, conducted in France, investigates the informal acquisition of literacy among unschooled children outside formal instruction. Grounded in Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the research examines the interplay between familial, cultural, social, and digital influences on literacy development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven unschooling families, encompassing 24 children and young adults aged 3 to 22 years. The findings reveal that literacy development occurs as a sociocultural process, shaped by the interactions within the child’s ecological environment, including parental attitudes, family dynamics, and community involvement. The results challenge the traditional notion of critical periods for literacy acquisition, highlighting that children develop literacy at diverse ages and through various pathways. Digital tools, particularly video games and interactive media, emerged as significant facilitators of literacy, providing immersive and context-rich environments that foster reading comprehension, writing skills, and vocabulary. This underscores technology’s evolving role in informal learning. While the study emphasizes the autonomy of children in unschooling contexts, it also highlights the essential role of parents in shaping environments conducive to learning. The findings underline the need for further longitudinal studies to explore the nuanced interactions between digital tools, informal learning and ecological factors across diverse cultural and family structures.