Children as literacy teachers: a study of the situated literacy practices of 'buddy pairs' at primary school and the same older children, at home, with younger siblings

Nance, Suzanne (2006). Children as literacy teachers: a study of the situated literacy practices of 'buddy pairs' at primary school and the same older children, at home, with younger siblings. EdD thesis The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0000fe16

Abstract

This study examines the teaching strategies used by five, middle-class, nine-to twelve -year-old children as they help a younger child (4 - 6 yrs. old) at school and a similarly-aged sibling at home, with literacy. The analysis focuses on ethnographic data collected from two schools, A and B, where 'buddy' programmes were in place and on data collected from the five children's family homes. A multi-method approach to the data collection was used (participant observation, field notes, audio and video recording, semi-structured and informal interviews, photographs and examples of children's writings) and forty- six interactions were recorded and transcribed of the focus pairs - 33 interactions at home and 13 at school. My analysis draws on Vygotskyan sociocultural theory, the ethnography of communication and social perspectives from the New Literacy Studies. I focus on the nature of the children's talk, the older children's teaching strategies and possible links to learning; of particular relevance are the context of the teaching events and the concept of situated literacy as social practice, shaping the activities. Analysis of findings showed the presence of both school and recreational teaching activities which involved different kinds of talk. The data suggested this talk was 'appropriated' from both school and home and, in certain interactions, from popular media, together with the taking on, or appropriation of others' 'voices'. The potential for the appropriation of particular values accompanying the types of talk was considered, drawing on insights from more social-based theory. Findings revealed learning to be experienced by the older as well as the younger children. Findings also revealed a wider range of teaching talk for this sample of children which was linked to the more recreational literacy activities occurring at home and was associated with 'play'. I have suggested that these contexts could be important sites for the children in their experience of an ' alternative' kind of leaming which runs parallel to the more ' skills-based' learning resulting from the more formal or school like interactions. Implications drawn from both kinds of interactions are also considered regarding the possibility of practice in other schools within the LEA and their contribution to the New Literacy Studies work on literacy theory.