Increasing awareness of the value of home literacy experiences, combined with a recognition of the importance of the family, has contributed to growth in the number of family literacy programs. These, however, lack theoretical underpinnings. Further, there is a paucity of studies in family literacy practices with school age children. This study uncovers the interplay of family literacy practices in one low-income neighbourhood. To address sociocultural factors that affect literacy, societal circumstances and issues which enable or constrain literacy events were explored. By entering into the life-worlds of participants to portray lived dimensions of enculturation and family literacy this study employs critical theory to expand research in family literacy. The following questions guided my inquiry into the literacy-related practices and perceptions of low-income families: how family literacy practices unfold, how literacy is embedded in the social practices and relationships between school and home, and what conditions and factors within the family contribute to family literacy practices and children's enculturation into these practices? Eight families were purposively selected for this exploratory case study. Data collection included observations at school, parent interviews, questionnaires, journal entries, parent-child interactions and field notes. The findings uncover the ways that low-income families use and perceive literacy in their homes and serve to challenge assumptions, namely that we live in an egalitarian society and that schools do not privilege particular ways of thinking. The tragedy of living in poverty with its inherent barriers to equitable access and participation is presented as a key factor in limiting educational opportunities for low-income children. Emergent themes include: conflicting time orientation of low-income families; cultural mismatch between teachers and students; importance of the social environment and families as powerful social conduits for culture and identity formation; and limitation in household resources to support educational pursuits. These were analyzed for discourses of hope, invasion, time, space, female body and maternity that they frame in the women's lives. Implications for shaping current practice, future research, teacher education, and public policy are discussed. The significance of this study for the family literacy field inheres in offering an interactive model of literacy practices for educators.

Les pratiques d'enseignement de la lecture à l'élémentaire représentent un facteur des plus importants à considérer pour donner le goût de lire aux élèves et pour favoriser leur réussite en lecture (Dreher, 2003; Snow, Burns et Griffin, 1998). D'ailleurs, les pratiques les plus efficaces des enseignants en lecture sont aujourd'hui bien connues grâce à un grand nombre d'études effectuées sur le sujet (Block, Oakar et Hurt, 2002; Menon et Hiebert, 2005; Taylor, Peterson, Pearson et Rodriguez, 2002). Toutefois, peu de recherches ont donné la parole aux enseignants afin de connaître comment ils ont construit leurs pratiques exemplaires (Wharton-McDonald, Pressley et Hampton, 1998). L'objectif de cette thèse est d'examiner de quelle manière des enseignants qui favorisent la réussite en lecture de tous leurs élèves en sont arrivés a construire des pratiques aussi efficaces. Des entrevues en profondeur de type phénoménologique (Seidman, 2006) réalisées auprès de 6 enseignants qui adoptent des pratiques exemplaires permettent de connaître (1) leurs expériences passées de lecteur et d'enseignant, (2) leurs pratiques d'enseignement de la lecture et de lecteur au présent et (3) le sens qu'ils accordent aux expériences relatées ainsi qu'à leur pratique. Des analyses individuelles et comparatives sont effectuées à partir des profils de chacun des enseignants à la suite des entrevues. Les enseignants participants sont par ailleurs appelés à approuver ces profils ainsi que les analyses de leur entrevue afin d'assurer la validité (Savoie-Zajc, 2000) et un travail de co-construction de sens (Vygotski, 1978). Les résultats dévoilent diverses expériences vécues par les participants, leurs objectifs et leurs valeurs personnelles et professionnelles, ainsi que les liens qu'entretiennent ces derniers éléments avec leurs pratiques pédagogiques efficaces. Il appert que les pratiques de ces enseignants sont socioconstruites d'une part à l'aide de l'intéraction avec d'autres tels des collègues, des professeurs, la direction, les élèves et, d'autre part, à l'aide de leurs valeurs et leurs objectifs ainsi que leur engagement personnel et professionnel.

This study examined the pedagogical practice of a teacher educator who taught an elementary reading methods course in an urban teacher residency program. This single case study addressed the lack of a pedagogical structure and professional lexicon within an elementary reading methods course through an exploration of the how one teacher educator used the pedagogies of professional practice to teach emergent reading best practices (Grossman, Compton, Igra, Ronfeldt, Shahan, & Williamson, 2009). In addition, this study applied the pedagogies of professional practice framework to the study of a teacher educator’s pedagogical practice in an elementary reading methods course and explored what the process revealed about this approach as a research tool. The case established a pedagogical structure and lexicon for the reading methods course and determined that the application of the pedagogies of practice to the research process was a viable tool for data analysis. Findings revealed the teacher educator used the pedagogies of professional practice in coordinated ways, drawing on her understanding of reading acquisition and learning theory, to create a pedagogical structure for Emergent Reading. Additionally, the application of the pedagogies of professional practice framework to the research process articulated a structure to study pedagogical practice.

This study has been designed to describe how aspects of the behavior setting influence literacy events in kindergartens. A systematic investigation of literacy events in and across all areas of four kindergarten classrooms was undertaken to describe the conditions under which children had opportunities to become engaged in reading and writing activities through transactions with the environment. The framework for the study was the human ecological approach to early childhood education (Day, 1983). Quantitative data were collected using two instruments. A modification of The Behavior Checklist of Child-Environment Interaction (Day et al., 1982) was used in four neighboring inner-city kindergartens in the Western Massachusetts to simultaneously record literacy events, activity/areas, teachers' roles, teacher- or child-choice of activities, group size, materials use, and other behaviors. Precautions were taken to provide a sample which was internally consistent in terms of sites, subjects, and teachers. Children's naturally occurring behavior was recorded by two observers over a four-week period using a time-sampling-by-child methodology. High interobserver reliability was achieved on five days of simultaneous observations. A second instrument, The Survey of Displayed Literacy Stimuli (Loughlin and Cole, 1986), was used to measure the amount of literacy-related materials in each classroom. Qualitative data were collected in fieldnotes when literacy events were observed. Relationships were described between children's reading and writing activities and these three factors: design of physical space, amount and presentation of materials, and teacher-child interactions. Variation was found in the types and frequencies of literacy events in and across classrooms that were related to these environmental factors. The interaction of these factors explained the conditions in kindergartens under which children had opportunities to engage in reading and writing activities through transactions with the environment.

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<p> This mixed methods study utilized a survey and semi-structured interviews to investigate upper elementary teacher knowledge for teaching reading to struggling readers to determine what a sample of third through fifth grade teachers knew and understood about the myriad factors that may have contributed to their students&rsquo; reading difficulties.</p><p> Quantitative findings revealed that the teachers possessed the strongest knowledge in the areas of comprehension, vocabulary, and reading fluency, and that their knowledge was the weakest related to foundational reading skills such as phonics and morphological awareness. Quantitative analyses also suggested that participation in certain types of professional development, most notably learning communities, may have improved the teachers' knowledge, but that in general, variables such as education, teaching experience, and professional development, had very little, if any, significant effect on the teachers' knowledge.</p><p> Qualitative findings included five themes, or five areas of teacher knowledge: knowledge about struggling readers&rsquo; foundational skills difficulties; knowledge gained from working with colleagues; knowledge gained from learning communities; knowledge about diagnosing students&rsquo; reading weaknesses; and knowledge about the effects of struggling readers&rsquo; lack of confidence. In each of these areas, teachers discussed the specific knowledge they felt they possessed or lacked, as well as the most significant sources from which they had developed this knowledge.</p><p> Comparisons of the quantitative and qualitative data suggested that experience teaching primary grades, effective work with reading specialists, and participation in learning communities may each have helped the teachers develop the knowledge needed to work with struggling readers. The quantitative and qualitative data comparison also indicated that while teachers did not always possess adequate knowledge for teaching foundational reading skills, they felt that this was an area of knowledge they needed and wanted to develop so that they could more effectively help their struggling readers.</p><p> This study concluded with a discussion of the implications of its findings, as well as recommendations for policy, practice, and future research. This study&rsquo;s findings may provide preservice and inservice teacher educators with valuable information they can use to inform their curriculum and support programs for upper elementary teachers.</p>

Students who are (D/HH) have a history of low-reading proficiency. Factors external to the student, such as the reading and spelling instruction the child receives once he or she enters school, are thought to be contributors to low-reading proficiency (Limbrick, McNaughton, & Clay, 1992; Lytle & Rovins, 1997; Paul, 1998). Because of constraints in teacher preparation programs, much of what teachers of students who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (D/HH) learn about reading instruction will be "on-the-job." Therefore, professional development and in-service training programs assume an important role in providing teachers with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills for early reading and spelling instruction. Research indicates that professional development efforts that focus on improvement in student learning outcomes and that are interactive and ongoing produce the greatest benefits for students and teachers (Bos, 1995; Gersten, Morvant, & Brengelman, 1995; Richardson, 1994). The main focus of this study was to examine teacher change in attitudes, knowledge, and practices pertaining to early reading and spelling instruction with students who are D/HH. Additionally, the learning outcomes of the students in response to their teachers' participation in this project were examined. Three teachers participated in a collaborative professional development project that included a three-week course in assessment and instruction of early reading and spelling for at-risk students, and a year of collaboration. The research design combined qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Analysis of the data showed that two of the teachers grew substantially in their knowledge of the structure of language. While the third teacher did not improve on the knowledge assessment, growth in knowledge was apparent from her practices and comments in journals and during dialogues. All three teachers agreed more with explicit methods than implicit, whole language methods, although their beliefs about implicit methods did not decrease during the year. Teachers perceived the collaboration with the researcher and opportunities for problem solving and dialogue about students and instructional practices to be beneficial. The teachers also identified specific resources that were particularly useful to them individually. The students who received explicit instruction of phonological awareness skills during the year improved on early reading tasks.