Maureen Kendrick - Language & Literacy Education

Dr. Maureen Kendrick

Professor

Deputy Department Head

LITR Coordinator

she / her / hers

maureen.kendrick@ubc.ca 604–822–6857 PCN 3133

Research and teaching areas:

Digital literacies

English language arts

Identity

Instructional approaches

International issues/perspectives

Literacy education

Multiliteracy and multimodality

Biography

Maureen Kendrick is a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research examines literacy and multimodality as integrated communicative practices, and addresses a range of social and cultural issues in diverse contexts. She has a particular interest in visual communication and communicative repertoires, and has conducted research in various geographic locations in East Africa and Canada focused on women and girls, child-headed households, and students with refugee experiences. Her current research focuses on understanding the potential of digital multimodal composing (DMC) for disciplinary literacies for newcomer, multilingual learners.

Projects

Digital Multimodal Composing-To-Learn: Perspectives, Practices, and Possibilities for Multilingual Learners
SSHRC Insight Grant 2025-2029 (Principal investigator: Maureen Kendrick; Co-investigator: Margaret Early)

Language and Literacy Learning Among Refugee and Migrant Background Children and Youth in Canadian Classrooms
http://studentrefugee-literacies.com/
SSHRC Insight Grant (Principal investigator: Maureen Kendrick; Co-investigators: Margaret Early (UBC), Saskia Stille (York), Shelley Taylor (Western))

Awards & Honours

Canadian Committee for Graduate Students in Education (CCGSE) Mentorship Award, 2024

Killam Teaching Prize, 2012-13

Alan C. Purves Award, 2013

Selected Publications

A * next to the name indicates graduate student author

BOOKS AND SPECIAL ISSUES

*Smith, M.B., Early, M., & Kendrick, M. (2024)

Teachers’ ideological dilemmas: lessons learned from a Language Introduction Program in Sweden, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(3), 647-662, DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2022.2126485 [published first online 2022]

*Michalovich, A., Kendrick, M., & Early, M. (2022)

Youth from Refugee Backgrounds Positioning Their Identities Through Reaction Videos. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2022.2086556 [Pre-print]

*Ferreira, J., Kendrick, M., & Early, M. (2021)

Migrant and refugee background students learning through play. The Reading Teacher, 75(4), 453-462. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2072

*Johnson, L., & Kendrick, M. (2021).

Digital storytelling: Opportunities for identity investment for youth from refugee backgrounds. In L. Green, D. Holloway, K. Stevenson, T. Leaver, L. Haddon (Eds.). Routledge Companion to Digital Media and Children (pp. 469-479). New York: Routledge.

Kendrick, M. (2016).

Literacy and multimodality across global sites. London, UK: Routledge.

Early, M., Kendrick, M., & Potts, D. (2015).

Multimodality: Out from the margins of English language teaching, TESOL Quarterly, 49(3), 447-622 (guest editors). [special issue]

Sanford, K., Rogers, T., & Kendrick, M. (2014).

(Eds.). Youth literacies in new times: Everywhere, everyday. Springer Science: Singapore. 199 pages.

Kendrick, M., Rowsell, J., & *Collier, D. (2013).

New literacies in Canadian classrooms. Language & Literacy, 15(1) (guest editors). [special issue]

Anderson, J., Kendrick, M., Rogers, T., & *Smythe, S. (Eds.). (2005).

Portraits of literacy across families, communities, and schools: Intersections and tensions. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 398 pages.

Kendrick, M. (2003).

Converging worlds: Play, literacy, and culture in early childhood. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. 203 pages.

SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES AND CHAPTERS

Ferreira, J., & Kendrick, M. (2025) “They hear it from me”: Student voices on critically assessing digital multimodal composing. International Journal of Educational Research, 1 (33), 102737.

Kendrick, M., & Early, M. (2025) Digital storytelling and intersectional identities: Youth with refugee experiences (re)claiming life stories. International Multilingual Research Journal, 19(2), 99-155. https://doi.org/10.1080/19313152.2024.2332119

Early, M., Ferreira, J., Kendrick, M., Lucci, G. (2025) Understanding the conditions that foster collaborative teacher cultures: A case study. System, 131, 103652. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103652

*Ferreira, J.F., & Kendrick, M. (2025) Leveraging arts-based literacies in science as evidence of learning. In B. Peters (Ed.), Arts-Based Multiliteracies for Teaching and Learning (pp. 269-302). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-3184-2.ch010

Kendrick, M. E., & Early, M. (2024) Addressing the Language and Literacy Needs and Challenges of Students with Refugee Experiences: Integrated Supports. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1354. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121354

Rajagopal, H., & Kendrick, M. (2023) Looking Closely at Words and Worlds: Emergent Bilinguals Making Meaning Through Drawing and Talking. Language Arts, 101 (2), 94-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58680/la202332684

Kendrick, M., Early, M., Michalovich, A., & Mangat, M. (2022) Digital storytelling with refugee background youth: Possibilities for language and digital literacies learning. TESOL Quarterly. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tesq.3146

Kendrick, M. et al. (2022) Possibilities for digital storytelling for language and literacies learning. OASIS Summary of Kendrick, M. et al. (2022) in TESOL Quarterly. https://oasis-database.org/concern/summaries/m613mz10p?locale=en

*Ferreira, J., Kendrick, M., & Panangamu, S. (2021) Storytelling through block play: Imagining identities and creative citizenship. Literacy, 56(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12266

Kendrick, M., *Becker-Zayas, A., Namazzi, E., & Tibwamulala, E. (2020) Children’s billboard drawings of HIV/AIDS as maker literacies: An exploration in communicating difficult knowledge. Education Sciences, 10(8): 193. doi:10.3390/educsci10080193

Early, M., & Kendrick, M. (2020) Inquiry-based pedagogies and multimodalities: Challenges and opportunities for supporting English language learners. Canadian Modern Language Review, 76(2), 139-154.

Kendrick, M., Early, M., & Chemjor, W. (2019). Designing multimodal texts in a girls’ afterschool journalism club in rural Kenya. Language and Education, 33(2), 123-140.

*Becker-Zayas, A., Kendrick, M., & Namazzi, E. (2018). Children’s images of HIV/AIDS in Uganda: What visual methodologies can tell us about their knowledge and life circumstances. Applied Linguistics Review, 9(2-3), 365-390.

Anderson, J., Horton, L., Kendrick, M., & McTavish, M. (2017). Children's funds of knowledge in a rural northern Canadian community: A telling case. Language and Literacy, 19 (2), 20-32.

Early, M., & Kendrick, M. (2017). 21st century literacies: Multiliteracies reconsidered. In R. Zaidi, & J. Rowsell (Eds.). Literacy lives in transcultural times (pp. 43-57). London, UK: Routledge.

Kendrick, M. (2017). Cross-cultural research. In K. Peppler (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Out-of-School Learning (pp. 178-181). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kendrick, M., & Namazzi, E. (2017). Family language practices as emergent policies in child-headed households in rural Uganda. In J. Macalister, & S.H. Mirvahedi (Eds.), Family language policies in a multilingual world: Opportunities, challenges, and consequences (pp. 56–73). London, UK: Routledge.

*Johnson, L., & Kendrick, M. (2017). “Impossible is nothing”: Expressing difficult knowledge through digital storytelling. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 60(6), 667–675.

Stagg Peterson, S., Anderson, J., Budd, K., Kendrick, M., McIntyre, L., McTavish, M., Nteligou, B., & Riehel, D. (2016). Examining rhetorics of play in curricula in five provinces: Is play at risk in Canadian kindergartens? Canadian Journal of Education, 39(3), 1–26.

*Collier, D. R. & Kendrick, M. (2016). I wish I was a lion a puppy: A multimodal view of writing process assessment. Pedagogies: An International Journal. doi: 10.1080/1554480X.2016.1169187

Early, M., Kendrick, M., & Potts, D. (Eds) (2015). Multimodality: Out from the margins of English language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 49(3), 447–622.

Kendrick, M. (2015). The affordances and challenges of visual methodologies in literacy studies. In J. Rowsell & K. Pahl, The Routledge handbook of literacy studies (pp. 619–633). New York: Routledge.

Early, M., Kendrick, M., & Potts, D. (2015). Introduction. Multimodality: Out from margins of English language teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 49(3), 447-460 (guest editors).

*Namazzi, E., & Kendrick, M. (2014). The use of multilingual cultural resources in child-headed households in Uganda. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 35(7), 724-737.

Kendrick, M., Early, M., & *Chemjor, W. (2014). Youth literacies in Kenya and Canada: Lessons learned from a global learning network project. In K. Sanford, T. Rogers, & M. Kendrick. Everywhere, everyday: Youth literacies in new times. Springer Publishers.

Kendrick, M., & Rowsell, J. (2013). The visual turn: Transitioning into visual approaches to literacy education. In Susan Elliot-Johns & Daniel Jarvis (Eds.), Perspectives on transitions in schooling and instructional practice (pp. 320-346). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press. (26 ms. pages).

*Abiria, D., Early, M., & Kendrick, M. (2013). Plurilingual pedagogical practices in a policy constrained context: A rural Ugandan case study. TESOL Quarterly, 47(3), 567-590.

*Andema, S., Kendrick, M., & Norton, B. (2013). Digital literacy in Ugandan teacher education: Insights from a case study. Reading & Writing, 4(1), 8 pages.

Kendrick, M., Early, M., & *Chemjor, W. (2013). Integrated literacies in a rural Kenyan girls’ secondary school journalism club. Research in the Teaching of English. (Special issue on writing in international contexts), 47(4), 391-419. [article received the NCTE 2013 Alan C. Purves Award]

Rowsell, J., & Kendrick, M. (2013). Boys’ hidden literacies: The critical need for the visual. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56(7), 587-599.

Kendrick, M., Rowsell, J., & *Collier, D. (2013). New literacies in Canadian classrooms: Introduction. Language & Literacy, 15(1).

Kendrick, M., & Kakuru, D. (2012). Funds of knowledge in child-headed households: A Ugandan case study. Childhood: A Journal of Global Child Research, 19(3), 397-413.

Kendrick, M., *Chemjor, W., & Early, M. (2012). ICTs as placed resources in a rural Kenyan secondary school journalism club. Language & Education, 26(4), 297-313.

Kendrick, M. (2011). Playing house: A sideways glance at literacy and identity in early childhood. In K. Pahl & J. Rowsell (Eds.), Major Works in Early Childhood Literacy (pp. 47-69). Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. [reprint]

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2011). Drawings as an alternative way of understanding young children’s constructions of literacy. In K. Pahl & J. Rowsell (Eds.), Major Works in Early Childhood Literacy (pp. 261-283). Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. [reprint]

*Mutonyi, H., & Kendrick, M. (2011). Cartoon drawing as a means of accessing what students know about HIV/AIDS: An alternative method.Visual Communication Journal, 10(2), 231-249.

Kendrick, M., Rogers, T., Toohey, K., Marshall, E., *Mutonyi, H., *Hauge, C., Siegel, M., & Rowsell, J. (2010). Experiments in visual analysis: (Re)positionings of children and youth in relation to larger sociocultural issues. In R. T. Jiménez, V. J. Risko, D. Wells Rowe, & M. K. Hundley (Eds.). 59th National Reading Conference Yearbook (pp. 395-408). National Reading Conference.

*Mutonyi, H., & Kendrick, M. (2010). Ugandan students’ visual representations of health literacies: A focus on HIV/AIDS knowledge. In C. Higgins & B. Norton (Eds.), Language and HIV/AIDS (pp. 38-62). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Kendrick, M., *Jones, S., *Mutonyi, H., & Norton, B., (2010). Using drawing, photography, and drama to enhance English language learning in Uganda. In M. Dantas-Whitney & S. Rilling (Eds.), Authenticity in the language classroom and beyond: Children and adolescent learners (pp.181-197). TESOL: Alexandria, VA.

*Andema, S., Kendrick, M., & Norton, B. (2010). ICT, cultural knowledge, and teacher education in Africa. In F. Sudweeks, H. Hrachover, & C. Ess (Eds). Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication 2010 (pp. 450-457). Murdoch University: Mudoch, Australia.

Kendrick, M., McKay, R., & *Mutonyi, H. (2009). Making the invisible visible: Assessing the visual as spaces of learning. In A. Burke & R. Hammett (Eds.), Assessing new literacies (pp. 55-75). New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2009). Researching literacy with young children’s drawings. In M. Narey (Ed.), Making meaning: Constructing multimodal perspectives of language, literacy, and learning through arts-based early childhood education (pp. 53-70). New York, NY: Springer.

Kendrick, M. (2009). Taking attendance and other rules of Kindergarten: A child’s perception of school literacy. In L. Iannanni & P. Whitty (Eds.), Early childhood curricula: Reconceptualist perspectives (pp. 197-216). Calgary, AB: Detselig.

*Mutonyi, H., & Kendrick, M. (2009). Ugandan students’ visual representation of HIV/AIDS knowledge. In C. Higgins & B. Norton (Eds.), Applied linguistics in the field: Local knowledge and HIV/AIDS: Vol. Critical language and literacy studies (pp. 38-62). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Kendrick, M., & *Jones, S. (2008). Girls’ visual representations of literacy in a rural Ugandan community. Canadian Journal of Education, 31, 371-402.

Hayden, R., & Kendrick, M. (2008). Understanding emergent literacy. Foundational training in family literacy: Practitioners’ guide. 2nd Ed. National Literacy Secretariat and Centre for Family Literacy Publication.

Reeder, K., Shapiro, J., Early, M., Kendrick, M., & Wakefield, J. (2008). Listening to Diverse Learners: The Effectiveness and Appropriateness of a Computer-based Reading Tutor for Young Canadian Language Learners. Handbook of research on computer-enhanced language acquisition and learning. Hershey, PA: IGI.

Kendrick, M., & *Mutonyi, H. (2007). Meeting the Challenge of Health Literacy in Rural Uganda: The Critical Role of Women and Local Modes of Communication. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 1(4), 265-283.

Kendrick, M., & Hissani, H. (2007). Letters, literate identities, and imagined communities: Perspectives from rural Ugandan women. Journal of Literacy Research, 39(2), 195-216.

Kendrick, M., *Jones, S., *Mutonyi, H., & Norton, B.(2006). Multimodal pedagogies in English language learning in rural Uganda. English Studies in Africa, 49(1), 95-114.

Kendrick, M. (2005). Let’s play teacher: A child’s perceptions of school literacy. Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis, XLI(2), 175-190.

Kendrick, M. (2005). Playing house: A sideways glance at literacy and identity in early childhood. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 5(1), 5-28.

Kendrick, M., McKay, R., & *Moffatt, L. (2005). The performance of self in children’s drawings of home, school and community literacies. In J. Anderson, M. Kendrick, T. Rogers, & S. Smythe (Eds.), Portraits of literacy across families, communities, and schools: Intersections and tensions (pp. 185-204). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Kendrick, M., Rogers, T., *Smythe, S., & Anderson, J. (2005). Portraits of literacy: An introduction. In J. Anderson, M. Kendrick, T. Rogers, & S. Smythe (Eds.), Portraits of literacy across families, communities, and schools: Intersections and tensions (pp. 1-17). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Reeder, K., Shapiro, J., Early, M., Kendrick, M., & *Wakefield, J. (2005). The role of L1 in young multilingual readers’ success with a computer-based reading tutor. Conference proceedings: Fifth international seminar on bilingualism (ISB5). Barcelona, Spain.

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2004). Drawings as an alternative way of understanding young children’s constructions of literacy. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 4(1), 109 – 128.

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2003). Revisiting children’s images of literacy. Language & Literacy, 5(1), 1 – 17.http://educ.queensu.ca/~landl/index.htm.

Kendrick, M., Anderson, J., *Smythe, S., & McKay, R. (2003). What images of family literacy reveal about family literacy practices and family literacy programs. In C. Fairbanks, J. Worthy, B. Maloch, J. Hoffman, & D. Schallert (Eds.), National Reading Conference Yearbook: Vol. 52 (pp. 245-271). Oak Creek, Wisconsin: National Reading Conference, Inc.

Goelman, H., Anderson, C.J., Anderson, J., Gouzouasis, P., Kendrick, M., Kindler, A., Porath, M., & Koh, J. (2003). Early childhood education. In W.M. Reynolds & G.E. Miller (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology: Vol. 7. Educational Psychology (pp. 285-331). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2002). Uncovering literacy narratives through children’s drawings: An illustrative example. Canadian Journal of Education, 27(1), 45-60.

Hayden, R., & Kendrick, M. (2002). Understanding emergent literacy. Foundational training in family literacy: Trainers’ guide. National Literacy Secretariat and Centre for Family Literacy Publication.

McKay, R., & Kendrick, M. (2001). Images of literacy: Young children’s drawings about reading and writing. Canadian Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education, 8(4), 7-22.

McKay, R., & Kendrick, M. (2001). Children draw their images of reading and writing. Language Arts, 78(6), 529-533.

Parrila R.K., Das, J.P., Kendrick, M., E., Papapoulos, T.C., & Kirby, J. (2000). Efficacy of cognitive reading remediation program for at-risk children in grade 1. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 1(2), 114-139.