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GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS AS A POWER TOOL:

A STUDY EXAMINING CRITICAL LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

AMONG PRIMARY LEARNERS IN RURAL GHANA

LAKIA M, SCOTT & JESSICA MCKAMIE​

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PUBLISHED IN:

 Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2024,

The Community-Engaged Scholarship Issue

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70144/ls010204cs

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KEY WORDS: 

 critical literacy, graphic organizers, dual-language immersion,

cognitive development, community-engaged scholarship​

 

ABSTRACT: 

This study explores the role of repetition and bilingual instructional strategies in fostering critical literacy in multilingual classrooms. Classroom observations were conducted in dual-language immersion settings, where English was used as the academic language and Twi as the native/social language. The findings reveal that while repetition is a common strategy, it is insufficient for promoting higher-order cognitive skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis, which are essential for critical literacy. The study highlights the effectiveness of graphic organizers in supporting students’ comprehension and engagement with academic texts in English, demonstrating their potential as a cost-effective tool in resource-limited environments. The research also underscores the importance of integrating both languages in bilingual education to enhance cognitive development. Based on these findings, the study recommends that educators move beyond rote learning to incorporate strategies that foster critical thinking, and that professional development programs focus on bilingual instructional practices and the use of low-cost tools like graphic organizers. The implications of this research extend to bilingual education, critical literacy, and the development of cost-effective teaching strategies in multilingual classrooms.