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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 64
Page
... significance of literacy in human societies : it will assess its importance for political , economic , social and cultural development , and examine how what we take to be the common functions of writing are carried out in oral cultures ...
... significance of literacy in human societies : it will assess its importance for political , economic , social and cultural development , and examine how what we take to be the common functions of writing are carried out in oral cultures ...
Page 2
... significance for specific social groups . It treats sceptically claims by western liberal educators for the ' openness ' , ' rationality ' and critical awareness of what they teach , and investigates the role of such teaching in social ...
... significance for specific social groups . It treats sceptically claims by western liberal educators for the ' openness ' , ' rationality ' and critical awareness of what they teach , and investigates the role of such teaching in social ...
Page 3
... significant lines of cleavage in the field of literacy studies and to provide a stimulus from which a more explicit theoretical foundation for descrip- tions of literacy practice and for cross - cultural comparison can be con- structed ...
... significant lines of cleavage in the field of literacy studies and to provide a stimulus from which a more explicit theoretical foundation for descrip- tions of literacy practice and for cross - cultural comparison can be con- structed ...
Page 4
... significance attributed to tests that are claimed to demonstrate the working of logic and suggested that they often test instead such factors as explicitness , the nature of which is more clearly dependent on the cultural context . 2 ...
... significance attributed to tests that are claimed to demonstrate the working of logic and suggested that they often test instead such factors as explicitness , the nature of which is more clearly dependent on the cultural context . 2 ...
Page 5
... significance that can be attributed to literacy in itself ; understates the qualities of oral communication ; sets up unhelpful and often untestable polarities between , for instance , the ' po- tentialities ' of literacy and ...
... significance that can be attributed to literacy in itself ; understates the qualities of oral communication ; sets up unhelpful and often untestable polarities between , for instance , the ' po- tentialities ' of literacy and ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
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