ILLICIT LITERACY AND LEGITIMATE LEARNING: EXAMINING THE SITUATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF GRAFFITI WRITERS IN A SMALL, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOWN by Kenneth William Weiderman A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts In Education May, 2012 ILLICIT LITERACY AND LEGITIMATE LEARNING: EXAMINING THE SITUATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF GRAFFITI WRITERS IN A SMALL, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOWN by Kenneth William Weiderman Approved by the Master’s Thesis Committee: _______________________________________________________________________ Thomas Cook, Major Professor Date _______________________________________________________________________ Maxwell Schnurer, Committee Member Date _______________________________________________________________________ Eric Van Duzer, Graduate Coordinator Date _______________________________________________________________________ Jena Burges, Vice Provost Date ABSTRACT ILLICIT LITERACY AND LEGITIMATE LEARNING: EXAMINING THE SITUATED LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF GRAFFITI WRITERS IN A SMALL, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOWN Kenneth William Weiderman This thesis examines the informal learning experiences of proficient graffiti writers living in a rural northern California community. It examines the learning pathways graffiti writers follow as they progress from a basic understanding of graffiti practices to proficiency at the craft. It utilizes a phenomenological, qualitative research approach guided by a New Literacy Studies framework. Semi- structured interviews were carried out in order to gather data from five active and expert writers. The interviews allowed the writers to describe what initially drew them to graffiti, what motivated them to continue practicing graffiti in the face of cultural barriers, and the learning strategies they engaged in to develop their graffiti writing skills. Most graffiti writers participated in social groups that grounded their practice. The writers’ artistic roots, their countercultural outlooks, and their desire to have the identity of graffiti writers allowed them to attain proficiency through such means as analytical practice, participation in crews, and the use of sketch books. Barriers to proficiency included growing up in rural locales, lack of access to other proficient writers, and graffiti’s illegal status. By understanding the informal learning experiences of graffiti writers, educators and policy makers can better understand the socially-negotiated learning strategies of graffiti writers as well as other out-of-school educational endeavors. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the support of many caring and generous individuals who shared their time, expertise, and patience with me. First, I have to thank the Chair of my thesis committee, Tom Cook. Tom’s creative and progressive approach to academic efforts closely mirrored my own, and his unwavering support of my topic was the single reason I chose to study graffiti writers. His support was widespread, including painstaking edits and comments on early drafts of this work, giving me more ideas about graffiti and literacy than I could even use, and providing numerous texts for me to draw from as I needed. The other member of my thesis committee, Maxwell Schnurer, has been a bedrock of knowledge from which I could plant my initial interest in graffiti writers and graffiti culture. I would like to thank Max for offering points of interest that I would otherwise have never encountered. Thanks also go to Ann Diver-Stamnes, who spared no words while I formed my academic voice, expertly edited each new chapter, and told me without saying so that she knew I could do it. Patty Yancey was another source of inspiration and support as she carefully and skillfully took me through my first qualitative research project, which formed the preliminary study for this thesis and enabled me to feel comfortable breaking into the secretive and hidden social circles of graffiti writers. I am also incredibly indebted to the writers who broke their vow of silence toward a graffiti outsider and shared with me the many intimate details that formed iv the body of my research. NOIR, MUFASA, CAPTAIN PRACTICE, KID4, and GOMEZ, may your words and opinions serve to advance a validation of graffiti as a true literacy and spectacular art form. May your spray cans be blessed by your willingness to explain your early graffiti efforts, your dedication to graffiti writing, and your tenacity to gain proficiency at a very difficult craft. Finally, I have to thank my family for their steadfast support of me throughout this journey. My dad and stepmom have graciously provided moral and financial support during my education, research, and writing. Great thanks go to my mom and Bear, who listened so closely as I pontificated far too long about the latest news in my study. I am most grateful for my beautiful wife Krista and our incredibly handsome dog, Bronson. Both Krista and Bronson were there for the daily encouragement and sustenance I required during the last three years. Krista, thank you for giving me the time and space I needed during the many months of writing I engaged in, for being critical of my ideas when they weren’t strong enough, and most of all, for listening to me when I needed someone with which to share my thoughts. Bronson, thanks for your patience when your walk was an hour late, your calm demeanor that settled my nerves, and for being my writing buddy next to the heater with me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 Operational Definitions ...................................................................................... 4 Overview of Thesis ............................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 10 Establishing Dominant and Marginalized Literacies ....................................... 10 Identifying Dominant and Marginalized Literacies ......................................... 17 Literacy Events and Dominant and Marginalized Literacies ........................... 23 Dominant Versus Marginalized Literacies in Education .................................. 29 The New Literacy Studies ................................................................................ 36 Marginalized Literacies at School .................................................................... 48 Bridging the Gap Between Academic and Vernacular Literacy Practices ....... 61 Graffiti: A Marginalized Literacy Outside of School ....................................... 64 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 86 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 86 Development of the Interview Schedule .......................................................... 89 Participants ....................................................................................................... 93 Procedure .......................................................................................................... 96 Coding and Analysis of the Data ...................................................................... 97 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 101 vi CHAPTER 4: RESULTS .......................................................................................... 102 Introduction .................................................................................................... 102 The Progression of a Writer ........................................................................... 104 At the Beginning: The Writers’ Influences .................................................... 114 Taking the Next Steps: The Writers’ Motivation to Continue ....................... 131 Moving on Up: Learning Strategies ............................................................... 158 CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 191 The Progression of a Writer ........................................................................... 194 At the Beginning: The Writers’ Influences .................................................... 199 Taking the Next Steps: The Writers’ Motivation to Continue ....................... 204 Learning Strategies ......................................................................................... 213 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 224 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 227 Limitations of the Research ............................................................................ 229 Recommendations for Future Research .......................................................... 230 Summary ......................................................................................................... 233 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................