I have been conducting research in early literacy for over 30 years. My work has included research in text comprehension, home and school literacy practices, school transitions, children's literature and the social construction of literacy.
Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of Sch... more Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of School Education in Australia which sought to examine the school-community interface and communication in government comprehensive high schools in that state. Data were ...
To understand more fully what it means to be literate, we need to consider the people who use lit... more To understand more fully what it means to be literate, we need to consider the people who use literacy and how it is constructed, defined and supported in varied contexts. In this paper we share part of an ongoing research project that has sought to understand the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy practices at home and school for a number of specific families. This study examines the discourse practices of members of three families as they engage in shared reading activities. The families are unique both socially and culturally, and construct meanings about literacy according to their own ways of experiencing and using it. As well, they engage in sociolinguistic practices to support literacy learning and further their children’s educational opportunities. The data discussed was gathered as part of a large-scale study involving multiple ethnographies (Cairney & Green, 1997). The paper reports on an exploration of the nature of literacy practices in three diverse families. Specifically, it looks at the discourse practices families engage in as they support children’s literacy understanding during shared story reading events. These events were examined to explore how the definitions of literacy implicitly held by parents and the roles they adopted in supporting their children, impacted on the literacy discourse practices of home story reading events. Our discourse analysis of shared reading events indicated that while two families relied on implicit understandings of literacy that shared much in common, the strategies employed in supporting shared reading varied quite significantly. Furthermore, our analysis showed that while such events could be examined in terms of the cognitive support that parents offered, this in no way explained the complexity of what parents were doing as they supported their children’s literacy learning. What our analysis demonstrates is that the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy support that adults offer, makes it difficult (indeed unwise) to make simplistic statements concerning differences across literacy contexts, or even repeated occurrences of the same type of literacy event within a single context. Hence, one could assume that where there is congruence between the pedagogical practices found at home and at school, this must also reflect a degree of intersubjectivity, developed through the parents’ own experience of school, parent education programs and involvement in children’s education. However, our work shows that without greater attention to the discourse practices, the picture is at best incomplete. Detailed discourse analysis of the kind we have undertaken offers us the power to look more deeply at the sociolinguistic strategies that are being employed. This in turn offers us opportunities to identify how pedagogical practices need to change both in the home and at school in order to more fully support all students as literacy users.
Teachers have been aware of the influence of home on school success for a long time. However, in ... more Teachers have been aware of the influence of home on school success for a long time. However, in the last decade we have seen a significant increase in the interest of educational researchers, educational authorities and individual teachers in the relationship between home, school and community. In this paper I want to set this emerging interest in its historical context and challenge readers to consider this topic through multiple, and more diverse and appropriate lenses. I want to argue that there is a need to look closely at the nature of the relationship between home and school and to deconstruct the purposes that drive these initiatives. There is a need to examine the many claims about the relationship between home and school, and to critique the deficit views that have driven much of this interest. However, rather than just to critique, I want to explore alternative more responsive models for developing partnerships between home and school, and use literacy practices as one way to illustrate some of the options available. While there has been a dramatic increase in awareness and research concerning the relationship between home and school in the last decade, the stimulus for this increased interest has its roots in education reforms of the 1960s and 1970s.
Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of Sch... more Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of School Education in Australia which sought to examine the school-community interface and communication in government comprehensive high schools in that state. Data were ...
The purpose of this project was to explore differences in the language and literacy practices of ... more The purpose of this project was to explore differences in the language and literacy practices of schools, families and community groups. In particular, it considered matches and mismatches between the discourse practices of home and school and the impact that differences have on students' school success.
The research was motivated by previous research evidence indicating that schools inconsistently tap the social and cultural resources of society, inadvertently privileging specific groups by emphasizing particular linguistic styles, curricula and authority patterns (Bourdieu, 1977; Gee, 1990).
The study involved detailed discourse analysis of family, community and school contexts, and focused on families with children in primary and secondary schools. Observation of home, school and community literacy practices, the collection of literacy artefacts, interviews with all participants, and discourse analysis of a range of literacy events all informed the exploration of these issues.
The findings indicated that school literacy has a significant impact on home literacy. In many families it was found that specific types of literacy associated with schooling were prominent in home activities. This was often associated with homework, and varied school-related activities.
While for many families there was a strong match between home and school in relation to some forms of literacy, there were also fundamental differences in the purposes for which literacy was used, and the interactional structures in which literacy was embedded and discussed. As well, children retained greater control of their literacy at home, literacy tended to be better suited to their interests and it could in some instances, be more challenging. However, mismatches were inconsistent across families, as were their consequences. This is an important finding because it highlights the fact that the failure of some children to succeed at school cannot be simply attributed to deficits in children, their families or their home environments.
Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of Sch... more Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of School Education in Australia which sought to examine the school-community interface and communication in government comprehensive high schools in that state. Data were ...
To understand more fully what it means to be literate, we need to consider the people who use lit... more To understand more fully what it means to be literate, we need to consider the people who use literacy and how it is constructed, defined and supported in varied contexts. In this paper we share part of an ongoing research project that has sought to understand the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy practices at home and school for a number of specific families. This study examines the discourse practices of members of three families as they engage in shared reading activities. The families are unique both socially and culturally, and construct meanings about literacy according to their own ways of experiencing and using it. As well, they engage in sociolinguistic practices to support literacy learning and further their children’s educational opportunities. The data discussed was gathered as part of a large-scale study involving multiple ethnographies (Cairney & Green, 1997). The paper reports on an exploration of the nature of literacy practices in three diverse families. Specifically, it looks at the discourse practices families engage in as they support children’s literacy understanding during shared story reading events. These events were examined to explore how the definitions of literacy implicitly held by parents and the roles they adopted in supporting their children, impacted on the literacy discourse practices of home story reading events. Our discourse analysis of shared reading events indicated that while two families relied on implicit understandings of literacy that shared much in common, the strategies employed in supporting shared reading varied quite significantly. Furthermore, our analysis showed that while such events could be examined in terms of the cognitive support that parents offered, this in no way explained the complexity of what parents were doing as they supported their children’s literacy learning. What our analysis demonstrates is that the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy support that adults offer, makes it difficult (indeed unwise) to make simplistic statements concerning differences across literacy contexts, or even repeated occurrences of the same type of literacy event within a single context. Hence, one could assume that where there is congruence between the pedagogical practices found at home and at school, this must also reflect a degree of intersubjectivity, developed through the parents’ own experience of school, parent education programs and involvement in children’s education. However, our work shows that without greater attention to the discourse practices, the picture is at best incomplete. Detailed discourse analysis of the kind we have undertaken offers us the power to look more deeply at the sociolinguistic strategies that are being employed. This in turn offers us opportunities to identify how pedagogical practices need to change both in the home and at school in order to more fully support all students as literacy users.
Teachers have been aware of the influence of home on school success for a long time. However, in ... more Teachers have been aware of the influence of home on school success for a long time. However, in the last decade we have seen a significant increase in the interest of educational researchers, educational authorities and individual teachers in the relationship between home, school and community. In this paper I want to set this emerging interest in its historical context and challenge readers to consider this topic through multiple, and more diverse and appropriate lenses. I want to argue that there is a need to look closely at the nature of the relationship between home and school and to deconstruct the purposes that drive these initiatives. There is a need to examine the many claims about the relationship between home and school, and to critique the deficit views that have driven much of this interest. However, rather than just to critique, I want to explore alternative more responsive models for developing partnerships between home and school, and use literacy practices as one way to illustrate some of the options available. While there has been a dramatic increase in awareness and research concerning the relationship between home and school in the last decade, the stimulus for this increased interest has its roots in education reforms of the 1960s and 1970s.
Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of Sch... more Draws on the findings of a major research project funded by the New South Wales Department of School Education in Australia which sought to examine the school-community interface and communication in government comprehensive high schools in that state. Data were ...
The purpose of this project was to explore differences in the language and literacy practices of ... more The purpose of this project was to explore differences in the language and literacy practices of schools, families and community groups. In particular, it considered matches and mismatches between the discourse practices of home and school and the impact that differences have on students' school success.
The research was motivated by previous research evidence indicating that schools inconsistently tap the social and cultural resources of society, inadvertently privileging specific groups by emphasizing particular linguistic styles, curricula and authority patterns (Bourdieu, 1977; Gee, 1990).
The study involved detailed discourse analysis of family, community and school contexts, and focused on families with children in primary and secondary schools. Observation of home, school and community literacy practices, the collection of literacy artefacts, interviews with all participants, and discourse analysis of a range of literacy events all informed the exploration of these issues.
The findings indicated that school literacy has a significant impact on home literacy. In many families it was found that specific types of literacy associated with schooling were prominent in home activities. This was often associated with homework, and varied school-related activities.
While for many families there was a strong match between home and school in relation to some forms of literacy, there were also fundamental differences in the purposes for which literacy was used, and the interactional structures in which literacy was embedded and discussed. As well, children retained greater control of their literacy at home, literacy tended to be better suited to their interests and it could in some instances, be more challenging. However, mismatches were inconsistent across families, as were their consequences. This is an important finding because it highlights the fact that the failure of some children to succeed at school cannot be simply attributed to deficits in children, their families or their home environments.
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Papers by Trevor Cairney
This study examines the discourse practices of members of three families as they engage in shared reading activities. The families are unique both socially and culturally, and construct meanings about literacy according to their own ways of experiencing and using it. As well, they engage in sociolinguistic practices to support literacy learning and further their children’s educational opportunities.
The data discussed was gathered as part of a large-scale study involving multiple ethnographies (Cairney & Green, 1997). The paper reports on an exploration of the nature of literacy practices in three diverse families. Specifically, it looks at the discourse practices families engage in as they support children’s literacy understanding during shared story reading events. These events were examined to explore how the definitions of literacy implicitly held by parents and the roles they adopted in supporting their children, impacted on the literacy discourse practices of home story reading events.
Our discourse analysis of shared reading events indicated that while two families relied on implicit understandings of literacy that shared much in common, the strategies employed in supporting shared reading varied quite significantly. Furthermore, our analysis showed that while such events could be examined in terms of the cognitive support that parents offered, this in no way explained the complexity of what parents were doing as they supported their children’s literacy learning.
What our analysis demonstrates is that the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy support that adults offer, makes it difficult (indeed unwise) to make simplistic statements concerning differences across literacy contexts, or even repeated occurrences of the same type of literacy event within a single context.
Hence, one could assume that where there is congruence between the pedagogical practices found at home and at school, this must also reflect a degree of intersubjectivity, developed through the parents’ own experience of school, parent education programs and involvement in children’s education. However, our work shows that without greater attention to the discourse practices, the picture is at best incomplete. Detailed discourse analysis of the kind we have undertaken offers us the power to look more deeply at the sociolinguistic strategies that are being employed. This in turn offers us opportunities to identify how pedagogical practices need to change both in the home and at school in order to more fully support all students as literacy users.
The research was motivated by previous research evidence indicating that schools inconsistently tap the social and cultural resources of society, inadvertently privileging specific groups by emphasizing particular linguistic styles, curricula and authority patterns (Bourdieu, 1977; Gee, 1990).
The study involved detailed discourse analysis of family, community and school contexts, and focused on families with children in primary and secondary schools. Observation of home, school and community literacy practices, the collection of literacy artefacts, interviews with all participants, and discourse analysis of a range of literacy events all informed the exploration of these issues.
The findings indicated that school literacy has a significant impact on home literacy. In many families it was found that specific types of literacy associated with schooling were prominent in home activities. This was often associated with homework, and varied school-related activities.
While for many families there was a strong match between home and school in relation to some forms of literacy, there were also fundamental differences in the purposes for which literacy was used, and the interactional structures in which literacy was embedded and discussed. As well, children retained greater control of their literacy at home, literacy tended to be better suited to their interests and it could in some instances, be more challenging. However, mismatches were inconsistent across families, as were their consequences. This is an important finding because it highlights the fact that the failure of some children to succeed at school cannot be simply attributed to deficits in children, their families or their home environments.
This study examines the discourse practices of members of three families as they engage in shared reading activities. The families are unique both socially and culturally, and construct meanings about literacy according to their own ways of experiencing and using it. As well, they engage in sociolinguistic practices to support literacy learning and further their children’s educational opportunities.
The data discussed was gathered as part of a large-scale study involving multiple ethnographies (Cairney & Green, 1997). The paper reports on an exploration of the nature of literacy practices in three diverse families. Specifically, it looks at the discourse practices families engage in as they support children’s literacy understanding during shared story reading events. These events were examined to explore how the definitions of literacy implicitly held by parents and the roles they adopted in supporting their children, impacted on the literacy discourse practices of home story reading events.
Our discourse analysis of shared reading events indicated that while two families relied on implicit understandings of literacy that shared much in common, the strategies employed in supporting shared reading varied quite significantly. Furthermore, our analysis showed that while such events could be examined in terms of the cognitive support that parents offered, this in no way explained the complexity of what parents were doing as they supported their children’s literacy learning.
What our analysis demonstrates is that the sociolinguistic complexity of literacy support that adults offer, makes it difficult (indeed unwise) to make simplistic statements concerning differences across literacy contexts, or even repeated occurrences of the same type of literacy event within a single context.
Hence, one could assume that where there is congruence between the pedagogical practices found at home and at school, this must also reflect a degree of intersubjectivity, developed through the parents’ own experience of school, parent education programs and involvement in children’s education. However, our work shows that without greater attention to the discourse practices, the picture is at best incomplete. Detailed discourse analysis of the kind we have undertaken offers us the power to look more deeply at the sociolinguistic strategies that are being employed. This in turn offers us opportunities to identify how pedagogical practices need to change both in the home and at school in order to more fully support all students as literacy users.
The research was motivated by previous research evidence indicating that schools inconsistently tap the social and cultural resources of society, inadvertently privileging specific groups by emphasizing particular linguistic styles, curricula and authority patterns (Bourdieu, 1977; Gee, 1990).
The study involved detailed discourse analysis of family, community and school contexts, and focused on families with children in primary and secondary schools. Observation of home, school and community literacy practices, the collection of literacy artefacts, interviews with all participants, and discourse analysis of a range of literacy events all informed the exploration of these issues.
The findings indicated that school literacy has a significant impact on home literacy. In many families it was found that specific types of literacy associated with schooling were prominent in home activities. This was often associated with homework, and varied school-related activities.
While for many families there was a strong match between home and school in relation to some forms of literacy, there were also fundamental differences in the purposes for which literacy was used, and the interactional structures in which literacy was embedded and discussed. As well, children retained greater control of their literacy at home, literacy tended to be better suited to their interests and it could in some instances, be more challenging. However, mismatches were inconsistent across families, as were their consequences. This is an important finding because it highlights the fact that the failure of some children to succeed at school cannot be simply attributed to deficits in children, their families or their home environments.