An analysis of the co-construction of context in beginning reading instruction

Abstract

This study aimed to develop ways of working which would facilitate the engagement and accelerate the progress of new entrant children who find the transition to school literacy difficult. A critical review of current approaches to this problem revealed some underlying difficulties. It is argued that these problems demand a view of literacy as a shared understanding of ‘context’. ‘Context’ is reconceptualised as a socially-defined set of presuppositions which provide parameters of search for meaning. Through a dialectic process of eliminating alternatives participants in literacy tasks collaboratively construct shared ways of thinking, feeling and acting. It is argued that literacy is at once social and psychological and that meaning and ‘context’ are co-constructed. Assuming a co-constructivist view of learning, an analysis of instructional interactions and the developing expertise of children was made in order to identify characteristics of instructional dialogue and engagement that may be inhibiting or enhancing progress in school literacy tasks. The children (n=8) were shown to be developing some unhelpful understandings about the task they were engaged in and differences between High and Low Progress children were identified and described. Based on these characteristics and a co-constructivist view of language, literacy and learning, including aspects of the theory of activity, an intervention was designed. Using a repeated measures across groups design with a delayed format, it was shown that by modifying instructional interactions and focusing on the development of ‘context’ children making low progress during the baseline enhanced engagement, developed critical self-regulating reading behaviour and accelerated their progress.