LATIF, AMNA, Ed.D., A Multi-Method Qualitative Inquiry of Girls’ Access to Education and Literacy through the Implementation of a Critical Literacy Curriculum in Rural Pakistan. (2010) Directed by Dr. Leila Villaverde. 328 pp. Girls’ access to education and literacy in developing countries has received international significance in the past decade. This dissertation uses a qualitative approach in understanding girls’ literacy in rural Pakistan. It contributes in (1) addressing issues of literacy and school enrollment through literacy dimensions, (2) identifying socio-cultural norms that affect girls’ literacy, (3) understanding girls’ home and school practices, and (4) critical literacy curriculum design and implementation. The documentary highlights the work during the pilot study. A total of forty girls’ and women’s narratives were collected to understand socio-cultural practices and girls’ curricular needs. Nineteen other participants were interviewed: educational, political and religious leaders, fathers, and teachers. The analysis indicates importance of understanding literacy dimensions, including social and cultural norms that hinder a girl’s access to education. Further, these norms are reiterated in a girl’s life as shown through girls’ family and school literacy practices. Critical literacy design using Freirean and feminist pedagogies integrated with Islamic principles show its positive impact on girls through its implementation. The findings have practical implications for educational leaders and policy makers that may potentially benefit them in increasing literacy and school enrollment among rural citizens, in particular that comprise sixty-eight percent of Pakistan’s population. i A MULTI-METHOD QUALITATIVE INQUIRY OF GIRLS’ ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND LITERACY THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A CRITICAL LITERACY CURRICULUM IN RURAL PAKISTAN by Amna Latif A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Greensboro 2010 Approved by Dr. Leila Villaverde __________________ Committee Chair i © 2010 Amna Latif i Say: "Are those who know equal to those who know not?" (Quran, 39:9) To My children Maryam, Fatima, and Ahmad Your support, patience, and love during my doctoral program is very much appreciated . I hope this will inspire you to always seek and acquire knowledge ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair ___________________________ Dr. Leila Villaverde Committee Members ___________________________ Dr. Kathleen Casey ___________________________ Dr. Ulrich Reitzug ___________________________ Dr. Charles Gause ___________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee ___________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to acknowledge my husband, Naveed for his support, continuous encouragement, and courage to overcome several gender stereotypes and cultural practices for my higher education. He did not only spend all of his savings on my education, but also set a milestone in his family for supporting my continuous studies after our marriage in 2002. He was willing to take care of the children, feed them, change their diapers, wash dishes, prepare food, and do all the things that “women” do to make this possible. He comforted me when I was worried and found it hard to finish. It would have never been possible for me to fulfill my passion of working with girls and women, write, and analyze data without his help and confidence in me. My children, Maryam (3½ years), Fatima (2 years), and Ahmad (4 months), all born in my doctoral program, for giving me energy, enthusiasm, and zeal to continue my educational journey without taking any breaks. My parents, Latif and Huma, for giving me the vision, strength, and who taught me that seeking knowledge is the most important thing in life since I was a child. They taught me to never lose hope, to be dedicated and persistent in everything I do, and to give and never expect anything from anyone in return. They provided me unconditional financial and moral support to continue my studies without worrying about anything. My elder sister, Nida, and brother-in-law, Haseeb for their encouragement, guidance, and modeling hard work, dedication, love, and care. They were our greatest family support and source of comfort in United States and whom we could turn to for anything. My younger brothers: Arsal and Mahmood, and sister-in-law, Fozia for their iv confidence and belief in me. My nephews Kaamil, Affan, Ibraheem, and niece Ayesha for their love, and patience during my work in Pakistan. My grandmother, Arjumand Bano, and grandfather, Syed Husain (late) for teaching me to stand against all odds in order to acquire knowledge. It was not possible to complete my dissertation without my grandmother’s prayers and trust in me. My mother-in-law, Shamim, sister-in-law, Sahrish, and her husband, Kamran for their support in taking care of my children during my several hours and days of data collection in the village. My father-in-law, Baqir, for taking me to and fro 30 miles every day on his motorbike, being my research informant, safeguarding my research and me, his humor, sleepless nights during my data collection times, and his love and care for me. I am also thankful to my brother-in-law, Ali, who would often be the baby sitter so I could complete my writing process. My friends, Hajra, Izhar, and their children Javeria and Sarah for their continuous support during and after my pregnancies, and for taking care of our children when Naveed and I both had to take courses and study. Thank you to all my family and friends in Pakistan and United States for their support and prayers. I would like to individually acknowledge the kind support of my dissertation committee members. They spent countless hours in ensuring that I grow both academically and professionally. I feel fortunate to have been guided by these committee members. They truly appreciated my efforts and valued my international perspective. I will never forget Dr. Gause’s support in adding value to my dissertation by ensuring that I understand the importance of social and cultural issues in rural Pakistan, the role of v patriarchy and feudalism, and how these may impact my study. He provided me the mindset to think about these issues critically in order to understand girls’ literacy. Dr. Casey nurtured my quest to achieve my passion of understanding women’s issues in Pakistan. Having visited Pakistan herself, she was able to provide me ways to blend in western theory with the Pakistani context. It was her work on narrative research that helped me to listen to the silenced voices of girls and women. I have always expressed my gratitude for Dr. Reitzug’s support since I took my first course with him during the Fall of 2005. As a department chair, professor, and internship supervisor, he helped me adjust, understood the difficulties of international students, made the program flexible to meet my needs, and provided several opportunities for me to continue my studies financially and emotionally. He guided me to pilot my dissertation study as part of my doctoral internship in 2007. His modeling of the data analysis process and use of software helped me identify themes in my data using QSR NVivo 8.0. Dr. Villaverde’s encouragement, support and intellectual support has been the hallmark of our mutual relationship since Spring 2005. Her kindness throughout my course work, research projects and dissertation has been incredible. My ideas about designing a curriculum for girls sprout in her class and her enthusiasm for me to continue it as my dissertation topic helped me achieve my dreams and goals. She has the capability to intellectually excite her students by making them question the inequities in society and in our everyday practices. I have certainly benefitted from her guidance considerably for which I am very thankful to her. She always set the bar very high. Her strategy of setting higher standards vi and then expecting her students to do even better has worked wonders for me. I could not have completed this dissertation if she had not supported me at every step of the way. I would like to thank the faculty, and staff of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations for providing me financial and academic support throughout my doctoral program. Special thanks to Sally Self, Smith Self, and Tina Self for trusting in me and providing me the Luther Winborne Self fellowship for four years of my doctoral program. This fellowship relieved me of my financial burden and helped me concentrate on my studies. This dissertation was not possible without the support of people in Pakistan: District Education Officer, principal, teachers, my research participants, Khan family, and political and religious leaders. In addition, Ichiro Miyazawa and Ann Theres Ndong Jatta, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) representatives for their help in gaining data and statistical facts on Pakistan’s literacy. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I. SETTING THE CONTEXT