The Literacy gap: an investigation of the role of hegemonic ideology in literacy education

Abstract

In this research the notion of hegemonic ideology is explored within the stories told by three returning adult students. These students were unsuccessful in attaining literacy skill in their elementary and secondary education and were later enrolled in an upgrading program. They described in recorded interviews how their lives unfolded in terms of education and progress in literacy. The study is a phenomenological investigation that ties the potential hazards of hegemonic ideology grounded in capitalist values to the educational outcomes for these students in terms of individual success valued over community support, misdirected violence, powerlessness, self-blame and acquiescence to the status quo.