European University Institute Library

The social construction of literacy, edited by Jenny Cook-Gumperz

eng

index present

non fiction

The social construction of literacy

electronic resource

dictionaries

181087304

edited by Jenny Cook-Gumperz

Studies in interactional sociolinguistics, 25Cambridge Social Sciences eBooks

Literacy - the ability to produce and interpret written text - has long been viewed as the basis of all school achievement; a measure of success that defines both an 'educated' person, and an educable one. In this volume, a team of leading experts raise questions central to the acquisition of literacy. Why do children with similar classroom experiences show different levels of educational achievement? And why do these differences in literacy, and ultimately employability, persist? By looking critically at the western view of a 'literate' person, the authors present a perspective on literary acquisition, viewing it as a socially constructed skill, whereby children must acquire discourse strategies that are socially 'approved'. This extensively-revised second edition contains an updated introduction and bibliography. This volume will continue to have far-reaching implications for educational theory and practice.--, Provided by publisher