Literacy in Theory and PracticeThis book challenges conventional theories about literacy, and the practices which often arise from them. It attempts to provide a new perspective through which the variety of literacy practices across different cultures can be viewed and from which the practical issues that arise in specific literacy campaigns and programmes can be approached. Dr Street first examines the explicit theories developed about literacy within different academic disciplines, on the premise that these underlie statements about literacy within development campaigns and in everyday usage. He analyses in detail arguments about the 'technical' and 'neutral' nature of literacy and its supposed 'cognitive' consequences in the work of some psychologists, linguists and social anthropologists. He claims that these amount to a coherent but flawed model that he terms the 'autonomous' model of literacy. Against this he poses an 'ideological' model, one which pays greater attention to the social structure. He attempts to bring together recent shifts in this direction in writings on literacy and to construct a coherent model for further work. |
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... the costs of further field research in 1976 and 1977 . The responsibility for the ideas expressed in this book is , of course , mine alone . PROLEGOMENON A surprising number of general arguments about society , Acknowledgements ix.
... the costs of further field research in 1976 and 1977 . The responsibility for the ideas expressed in this book is , of course , mine alone . PROLEGOMENON A surprising number of general arguments about society , Acknowledgements ix.
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... argued that certain languages ' enable their users to approximate to neutral objective description ' and they support the argument by reference to the ' intrinsically greater objec- tivity of written language ' . Some anthropologists ...
... argued that certain languages ' enable their users to approximate to neutral objective description ' and they support the argument by reference to the ' intrinsically greater objec- tivity of written language ' . Some anthropologists ...
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... argue that such claims , as well as the literacy practices they purport to describe , in fact derive from specific ideologies which , in much of the literature , are not made explicit . I claim , then , that analysis of the uses and ...
... argue that such claims , as well as the literacy practices they purport to describe , in fact derive from specific ideologies which , in much of the literature , are not made explicit . I claim , then , that analysis of the uses and ...
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... argue , often lie beneath the explicit statistical and economic descriptions of literacy that are currently dominant in much of the development literature . The claims are that literacy affects cognitive processes in some of the ...
... argue , often lie beneath the explicit statistical and economic descriptions of literacy that are currently dominant in much of the development literature . The claims are that literacy affects cognitive processes in some of the ...
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... argument in the terms I am adopting . But , nevertheless , I maintain that the use of the term ' model ' to describe their ... argue that such conceptions are mistaken on a number of grounds : 1 The work of social psychologists , social ...
... argument in the terms I am adopting . But , nevertheless , I maintain that the use of the term ' model ' to describe their ... argue that such conceptions are mistaken on a number of grounds : 1 The work of social psychologists , social ...
Contents
The Autonomous Model I Literacy and Rationality | 19 |
The Autonomous Model II Goody | 44 |
Literacy and Linguistics | 66 |
The Ideological Model | 95 |
Introduction | 129 |
Maktab Literacy | 132 |
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Common terms and phrases
abstract academic adult literacy ALBSU anthropologists appear argue argument associated assumptions attempt autonomous challenge Cheshmeh claims Clanchy classical Greece cognitive commercial communication concepts consequences of literacy context conventions culture described Dinka language economic English establish ethnocentric explicit fact forms of literacy framework functions Goody Goody's Graff Greenfield groups Hadith Hildyard and Olson ibid illiterate individual instance institutions intellectual involved Iran Iranian Islamic kind knowledge Koran learning linguistic literacy campaigns literacy practices literacy programmes literacy skills literate modes logic Lyons maktab Mashad meaning model of literacy mullah neutral Nicaragua non-literate objectivity oral and literate orchards organisation paralinguistic Parry particular political and ideological problems recognise relation represented scientific significant simply social society speech structure suggests tajers Tanzania teachers teaching theory tion tradition Unesco unschooled Vai script village western Wolof words written forms written language