Understanding literacy development : a global view

248 Pages·2006·1.413 MB·English

by  Anne McKeough, et al

UNDERSTANDING
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
A Global View
k

UNDERSTANDING
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
A Global View
k
Edited by
Anne McKeough
University of Calgary
Linda M. Phillips
University of Alberta
Vianne Timmons
Univ ersity of Prince Edward Island
Judy Lee Lupart
University of Alberta
LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS
2006 Mahwah, New Jersey London
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Copyright © 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinany
form,byphotostat,microform,retrievalsystem,oranyothermeans,
without prior written permission of the publisher.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers
10 Industrial Avenue
Mahwah, New Jersey 07430
www.erlbaum.com
Cover design by Kathryn Houghtaling Lacey
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Understandingliteracydevelopment:aglobalview/editedbyAnne
McKeough … [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8058-5115-1 (cloth :alk. paper)
ISBN 0-8058-5116-X (pbk. :alk. paper)
1.Reading—Cross-culturalstudies. 2.Literacy—Cross-culturalstudies.
I. McKeough, Anne.
LB1050.2.U54 2005
302.2'244—dc22 2005062481
CIP
ISBN 1-4106-1333-X Master e-book ISBN
To our mothers,
Carmelita McKeough, Elizabeth Ennis Phillips,
and
Georgetta Timmons, Doris Leone Harris,
who were our first and most committed teachers.

Contents
Preface ix
1 Developing Literacy: Themes and Issues 1
AnneMcKeoughandMaryaJarvey
Part I: IMPROVING SCHOOL-BASED LITERACY
DEVELOPMENT
2 The Child’s Route Into Literacy: ADouble-Track 13
Journey
IngvarLundberg
3 How to Avoid Reading Failure: Teach Phonemic 31
Awareness
Tom Nicholson
4 Teaching Reading Comprehension 49
MichaelPressleyand Katie Hilden
5 ACross-Language Perspective on Learning to Read 65
Richard C. Anderson andWenlingLi
vii
viii CONTENTS
Part II: LITERACY DEVELOPMENT BEYOND
THE SCHOOLWALLS
6 Struggling Adolescent Readers: ACultural Construction 95
Donna E.Alvermann
7 Family Literacy in Canada: Foundation to a Literate 113
Society
Heather SampleGosseand Linda M. Phillips
8 Understanding the Everyday: Adult Lives, Literacies, 137
and Informal Learning
Mary Hamilton
Part III: CHANGING LITERACY PRACTICES
9 Literacy and Diversity: Challenges of Change 153
SeokMoi Ng
10 LiteraciesWithin Classrooms: Whose and for What 185
Purpose?
IleanaSeda-Santana
11 Lessons From the Reading Clinic 199
Michael W.Kibbyand DebraA. Dechert
Author Index 221
Subject Index 231
Preface
Thedevelopmentofliteracyisapressingconcernforgovernments,busi-
ness communities, educational professionals, and the general public
aroundtheglobe.TheUnitedNationsEducational,Scientific,andCultural
Organization’s2002illiteracyfiguresrangefrom7%to14%fordeveloped
countriesandareashighas48%inleastdevelopedcountries.Thecostof
notreadingwellcanbedisastrousintermsoflosthumanpotentialandpro-
ductivityandageneralfailuretoaccessmanyoflife’sopportunities.Chil-
drenwhoexperienceliteracychallengesareathighriskforschoolfailurein
theiryouthandchronicunemploymentandpoorhealthinadulthoodand,
consequently,forperpetuatingthecycleofpovertyandlowliteracyinthe

next generation. Limited literacy affects what happens in and beyond
schools.Assuch,literacydevelopmentisahigh-stakesendeavor.Socialin-
stitutionsandindividualshaveinvestedhugely,intermsofmaterialand
humancapital,yetdailyweheardisappointingstatisticsoutliningthecosts
oflowliteracy.Reformsclearlyarerequired.Butwhatdirectionsandap-
proachesarebest?Whataspectsofliteracydevelopmentaremostcritical?
Whatisthebestofwhatweknowconcerninghowtosupportliteracyde-
velopment?Areweusingtheknowledgewehaveacrosslearningcontexts
and across the life span?
Toaddressthesequestions,wehaveassembledleadingliteracyexperts
fromaroundtheworld,thusprovidingaglobalviewofliteracydevelop-
ment across cultures, countries, and circumstances. Taken together, our
contributorstargetawideandcomprehensivesetofcriticalliteracyissues.
ix