Becoming a Knowing Person: How Women in a Dominican Batey Understand Literacy

This qualitative study explores how Haitian-heritage adult women in a rural batey in the Dominican Republic understand and experience literacy. Drawing on one-on-one and group interviews with eight women enrolled in an adult literacy program, the research centers the voices of learners often marginalized in wider society. Through an inductive thematic analysis, the study reveals that participants view literacy not only as the ability to read and write, but as a form of empowerment closely tied to multilingualism, personal agency, and social participation. This study contributes to broader conversations about literacy as a social practice and the transformative potential of adult literacy education in contexts shaped by historical, structural, and protracted inequities.