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Abstract
This dissertation addresses the use of visual methods with culturally and linguistically diverse children, with whom the arts have been shown to provide a venue for articulation of home identities. The questions that framed this study were these: What themes did culturally and linguistically diverse children represent in a photo-based writing workshop? What modes did they use to represent those themes? What did the aforementioned themes and modes explain about identity? And how were those themes and modes different in a school-based program, and a community-based program in the students neighborhood? Methods were framed by semiotic and multimodal theories, and the major conceptual frameworks were the expression of identity, and practices involved in collaborative research with children. Photography-based literacy projects were conducted in two settings: one in-school and one out-of-school. Each study site was considered a case, and a case study approach was used in data analysis. Data were first categorized according to content, and subsequently analyzed in connecting narratives about focal participants. Findings have ramifications for research and teacher training, especially with children from diverse backgrounds.