Gender differentiation in early literacy development : a sociolinguistic and contextual analysis of home and school interactions

Abstract

The role of gender in the social construction of literacy is investigated in some detail. Gender construction is examined by observing and analysing the literacy interactions of six kindergarten children (three boys and three girls) at school and in the home. The analysis shows the ways in which the girls and boys differ in attaining literacy skills, and also reveals the different interactions between the children and their families. The ways literacy is perceived in the home are also noted. The children responded in a much more uniform way in the classroom than they did in their individual home situations. The findings are significant for educational practice because they provide insight into how implicit structuring by teachers can affect the extent of participation of boys and girls in the classroom. The results indicate how analysis in the emergent state of literacy development is critical for a thorough understanding of gender construction. Significant theoretical insights are gained through a methodology using both a microanalysis and a macroanalysis.

Date of Award	2002
Original language	English