A Critical Examination of Academic Literacy in Higher Education Beyond the Classroom

Abstract

Academic literacy develops within social systems and contexts of which it is part. Consequently, it is intertwined with the circulation of power and the potential for social transformation. This study aims to understand the practices of academic literacy both within and outside the university setting among first-generation students accessing higher education in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Through an ethnographic approach, the author documented the literacy practices of nine first-generation students in public universities. This article presents representative cases of academic literacy practices that limit access to social justice, as well as out-of-class practices through which students resist and demonstrate their transformative capacity. The findings indicate that certain pedagogical practices at the university level serve as barriers to achieving social justice through academic literacy. This study is significant as it highlights the importance of understanding and integrating the practices, interests, and experiences of students in literacy education, thereby prompting a re-evaluation of pedagogical practices to foster more equitable educational processes.