from storybooks to games

7/30/2019 From Storybooks to Games

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CANADIANJOURNALOFEDUCATION30,1(2007):113136

FROMSTORYBOOKSTOGAMES,COMICS,BANDS,ANDCHAPTERBOOKS:AYOUNG

BOYSAPPROPRIATIONOFLITERACY

PRACTICES

KimberlyLenters

UniversityofBritishColumbia

Thiscase

study

addresses

amiddle

class

family

srole

in

their

son

sliteracy

developmentthroughaninvestigationofthesocioculturalpracticesthatsupporthis

literacyacquisition. Rogoffssocioculturalframework,whichproposesthreeplanes

of analysis for observation of human development, is used for the analysis. The

literacy practices ofMax (age 8) are the central focus. The analysis explores how

community, interpersonal, and personal literacy activities connect to form holistic

literacypracticesforhim.Insightsintothenatureofpeerinteractionsaroundliteracy,

gender considerations in family literacy, andboys outofschool literacy practices

emergefromthisanalysis.

Keywords: sociocultural perspectives on literacy;multiliteracies; family literacy;

genderandliteracy

Ltudedecasprsente iciportesur le rledeparentsdeclassemoyennedans le

dveloppement de la littratie de leur fils. Le cadre socioculturel de Rogoff, qui

proposetroisaxesdanalysepourlobservationdudveloppementdeltrehumain,

est utilis dans lanalyse des pratiques socioculturelles qui favorisent la littratie.

LarticleporteessentiellementsurlespratiquesdelittratiedeMax(8ans). Lauteur

analyse le lien entre diverses activits communautaires, interpersonnelles et

personnelles en matire de littratie et lapparition subsquente de pratiques de

littratieholistiqueschezMax. Lanalysefournitdespointsderepresurlalittratie

etlesinteractionsentredespairs,lesdiffrencesentrelessexesetlalittratiefamiliale

ainsiqueles pratiquesdelittratiechezlesgaronsendehorsdumilieuscolaire.

Mots cls: perspectives socioculturelles sur la littratie, multilittraties, littratie

familiale,littratieetsexes

_________________


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114 KIMBERLYLENTERS

The phrase lifelong reader has been ubiquitous in the literature on

literacy instructionoverthepastthreedecades. Researchdemonstrates

that the strongest readers,and theonesmost likely tobecome lifelong

readers,are thosewhoengagedeeplywithreading (Guthrie,2004)and

readforpleasureoutsideofschool(Anderson,Wilson,&Fielding,1988;

Applebee,Langer,&Mullis,1988). Furthermore,someresearchsuggests

thatwhenchildrensvernacularliteracypracticesareacknowledgedand

respected, these practices provide the foundation of prior knowledge

and experience necessary for effective teaching and learning to take

place in school (Hall&Coles,2001,p.220).Thisacknowledgementof

personal literacypractices is also important for fostering in children a

conceptionofthemselvesasindependent,successfulreadersandwriters

(Hall&Coles,2001).Anacknowledgementofthe importanceofoutofschool reading for many children leads to one of the questions

considered in this study:what roledo familiesplay inencouragingan

enduringengagementwithliteracyintheiryoungermembers?

Additionally, boys literacy development has recently become an

important topic inWestern countriesbecause of the apparent crisis in

boys literacy learning.Whether one subscribes to the notion of crisis

regardingboysandliteracyornot(seeFoster,Kimmel,&Skelton,2001;

Martino,2003), it is,nonetheless,anareaof concern formany families

andteachers. Recognizingthatanyattempttounderstandthesubjectof

boys literacyrequiresmorethanabroadbrushanalysisofallboys,the

purposeof

this

case

study

is

to

investigate

the

particular

kinds

of

socio

cultural practices occurring in the context of a family and its wider

communitythatsupportamiddleclassboyinhisliteracydevelopment.

Investigating the sociocultural background of young readers is

fundamentaltoanunderstandingofthatwhichhelpsthemsucceedwith

the more formal aspects of schooling (e.g., Heath, 1994; Barton &

Hamilton,2000).GivenHallandColes (1999)findingsthatboystendto

read less thangirls (a relativelystable trendovermanydecades, ifnot

centuries,andagapthat increasesaschildrengrowup),developingan

understandingofliteracypracticesinfamilieswhoseboysdoparticipate

inawiderangeofliteracyactivitiesmayinformthecurrentdiscussionof

boys literacypractices. Thisinvestigationthusalignswiththeimportant


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FROMSTORYBOOKSTOGAMES,COMICS,BANDS,ANDCHAPTERBOOKS 115

injunction to ask, Whichboys? (Millard, 1997) in any investigation

involvingboys literacy.

RESEARCHMETHOD:CONTEXTANDDESIGN

Participants

Iusedanintensitycasesamplingstrategy(Miles&Huberman,1994)to

selectacasethatwas informationrichtodemonstrate thephenomenon

of families whose boys are deeply engaged with literacy. The

participants chosen for this studywere amother and father,Kay and

OwenHollowayRichards,andtheirtwosons,MaxandSam,aged8and

5respectivelyatthetimeofthestudy(pseudonymshavebeenassigned).

Both parentswere educated at the postgraduate level. Kay, a social

worker,worked approximately halftime outside of the home. Owen

worked as a socialworker and taught on a sessionalbasis at a local

university.Max attended thirdgrade at a localprimary school,where

Sam also attended senior kindergarten. (The province in which the

familyresidedoffershalfdaykindergartenforchildrenaged4and5,for

a total of two years of publicly funded preprimary education.)

Although I referencemembers ofHollowayRichards family and their

widercommunitysuchasextendedfamily,peers,andteachersasapart

ofthesocioculturalapproachtothestudy,theliteracypracticesofMax

arethefocalpointforthiscasestudy.

Setting

TheHollowayRichards family resided in a resourcerich,middle class

neighbourhoodofalargeurbanareaincentralCanada. Theirhomewas

situateddirectly across the street from the elementary school theboys

attended. The family frequented a public library, located beside the

school,aboutahalfblockfromtheirhome. Afewdoorsawayfromthe

familyshome,a formerpolice station servedasa thrivingcommunity

centre;bothboyshadattendedafterschoolanddaycarecareprograms

there. Inside the familyshome, textsofall typeswere found inevery

room. Theseranged froma largecollectionofmusiconcompactdisk,

several video cassettes and DVDs of childrens movies, and home

movies,

to

notes

in

the

kitchen

and

study

and

signs

on

the

children

s


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116 KIMBERLYLENTERS

bedroom door; to newspapers, magazines, and collections of books

belongingtoallmembersofthefamily,locatedthroughoutthehouse.

Design

Theoretical Framework. Grounded in a sociocultural approach tounderstanding literacy, I have used Rogoffs (1995) sociocultural

framework that proposes three planes of analysis for observation of

humandevelopment. ThisframeworkbuildsonVygotskysconception

of apprenticeship (Vygotsky, 1978), the theoretical work of Boas in

culturalanthropology(1920,citedinWertsch,Rio,&Alvarez,1995),and

Bakhtins(1981)workinlanguageanddiscourse.Rogoff(1995)describes

threedifferentplanesof focus insocioculturalactivity:apprenticeship,

guidedparticipation,

and

participatory

appropriation.

These

planes

correspondtothecommunityorinstitutional,theinterpersonal,andthe

personal respectively,which are inseparable and nonhierarchical and

involve different grains of focus within the whole sociocultural

activity(p.141).Adetailedandrichunderstandingofliteracypractices

is made possible by employing the finegrained analysis that this

framework offers. A strength of Rogoffs work is its widened focus

related tochildrenscognitivedevelopment. Althoughadultactivity in

apprenticingchildren incognitiveactivitiesremainsan important focal

point, Rogoffmovesbeyond Vygotskywith the notion that attention

must also focus on the the active nature of childrens own efforts to

participate

[in]

and

observe

the

skilled

activities

of

their

community

(p.149). Inthismanner,bothchildrenandadultsareviewedasagentful

participants in a childs cognitive development, which is seen as

participatoryappropriationthroughguidedparticipationinasystemof

apprenticeship.

WithinRogoffsframework,activitiesoreventsareusedastheunit

of analysis, enabling the investigation of the inseparable relationship

betweentheindividualandthesocialandculturalenvironments:inthis

study theunitof analysis is the literacy event. Barton andHamilton

(2000) define literacy events as activities where literacy has a role.

Literacy isdefined in this study as one of a range of communicative

resources available tomembers of a community (Barton&Hamilton,

2000,p.10)andthereforeconceivesthetextsutilized in literatepractice


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as emanating from a range of verbal, visual, and written forms of

communication. I have also used Barton and Hamiltons (2000)

conception of literacy practices as referring to what people do with

literacy, or more specifically, situated literacies related to cultural

ways of utilising literacy (p. 8). This conception includes the values,

attitudes,andsocialrelationships thatshapepeoplesunderstandingof

literacy.

DataSources.Data sources includemyobservationsof the familyshomeandcommunitywithinafourblockradius;videofootageofMax

readingwithhisparents,andaskitwrittenandperformedbyMaxand

hispeers;transcribedinterviewswithMaxandhisparents;andartefactsrepresentativeofhiswritinganddrawingfromthetwomonthperiodof

thestudy. Iconducted thesemistructured interviewswithMax in twosessions; the semistructured interviews with the parents were

conductedseparatelyandcontinuedviaemailthroughaseriesofback

andforthconversations.

DataAnalysis. Ianalyzedthedatabyfirstlocatingtheliteracyevents

andactivitiesthatconnectedtoformholisticliteracypractices,practices

that frequently extend across time and location and involve a host of

participants. Thesepracticeswereanalyzedusingamatrix thatcoded

the events and activities within each practice as demonstrations of

apprenticeship, guided participation, and participatory appropriation,

notingwhereeachevent tookplaceandwho theparticipantswere(see

AppendixA).

The

final

product

was

aset

of

seven

different

literacy

practices (Barton & Hamilton, 2000) taking place within two

constellations:Maxsfamilyand thewidersocialconstellation inwhich

his family is embedded. I triangulated the thickdescriptions ofMaxs

literacy practices with recent research on boys literacy practices to

provide results thatmaybe translatable (Goetz&LeCompte, 1984) in

understanding the literacy practices of other middleclass boys. I

employed peer debriefing and member checking to establish the

credibilityofthestudy.

LITERACYPRACTICESINTHEFAMILYCONSTELLATION

Literacy events within his family constellation provide an excellent

startingplacetounderstandMaxsliteracydevelopment.Ihavegrouped


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118 KIMBERLYLENTERS

these events into larger units, conceptualized as literacy practices, in

recognition of the understanding that they represent culturalways of

utilizingliteracy(Barton&Hamilton,2000). Literacypracticesobserved

include enhancing the bedtime story and incorporating electronic

literacytools.

EnhancingtheBedtimeStory:TheElementofChoice

Related toMaxsapprenticeship into thebedtimestory literacypractice

isOwens interest in introducinghis sons to favouritenovels fromhis

own childhood and the familys interest in reading together popular

favourites such as theHarryPotter series (e.g.,Rowling, 1999). Owen

stated, I try to sharemypassionwith theboys in thehope that it is

contagious.Kay

summed

up

her

approach

to

genre

selection:

Wetryveryhardtomeetourchildrenwheretheyareat,evenifitmeansCaptain

Underpants[(Pilkey,1997)],andTheDayMyButtExploded[sic][(Griffiths,2001)].

However,wegetall thejoysofTheHobbit [(Tolkien,1937/1996)],which Ihad

neverread,andHarryPotter[(e.g.,Rowling,1999)],whichweareALLhugefans

of.(Kay)

ByengagingMaxinthisliteraturethroughtheirownpassionforreading

novels and time spent interacting with them (guided participation)

duringthebedtimestorypractice,OwenandKayledMaxtotheplaceof

participatoryappropriation.Asaresultof thisappropriation,Max took

thenovels

he

read

at

home

(with

Owen

and

Kay

and

on

his

own)

to

schooltoreplacethelevelledreadersmostofhisthirdgradepeerswere

requiredtoreadintheirliteracyprogram.Maxexplained:

Wehavebookbagsand its like levelledbooks: soyouhave thebookatyour

certainlevel. ButImatthehighestlevelthereisandImallowedtobringinmy

ownbooks,anykindofbook,justnot if its likeWebstersCollegeDictionary!

AnythingIlike.(Max)

Maxelaboratedthatheoftensharedthecontentofwhathewasreading

withhisclassmatesduringclassreadingtime,evidenceofhistakingon

anapprenticingrolewithhispeers.


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At the timeof thisstudy,MaxcitedTheHobbit (Tolkien,1937/1996)

andSinbad(Fremont,2003)asnovelshereadathomeandtooktoschool.

Sinbad isoneofhis fatherschildhood favourites,and,asnotedearlier,

TheHobbit is a novel hismother cites as one that shemissed in her

growingupyears. Throughthesepractices,Inotehowthethreeplanes

of cultural activity, apprenticeship, guided participation, and

participatoryappropriation,workholisticallyandinarecursivemanner,

withinthefamilyandextendoutwardtoMaxspeers.

IncorporatingElectronicLiteracyTools

TheHollowayRichards family, as is true ofmany families, provided

theirchildrenwithanarrayofliteracytoolsbeyondbooks. Paper,pens,

markers,art

supplies,

and

their

own

desks

were

all

well

utilized

by

Max

andhisbrother. Theuseof thecomputerasa literacy toolwillbe the

focusofthissection. Fromhisearliestdays,Maxsparentsusedahome

computer for work and pleasure. Apprenticed into the use of the

computer for these purposes through observing his parents,Maxwas

alsoguided inhisuseofthis literacy toolthroughbeingshownhowto

findthelettersonthekeyboard,playinggamesoneducationalwebsites,

andnavigating the internet to find information forpersonal interestor

schoolresearch. Asaneightyearold,Maxused thecomputer towrite

plays and stories of his own and to visit websites related to his

Warhammer(GamesWorkshop,n.d.)gaminginterest.

His

use

of

the

computer

as

a

literacy

tool

is

an

area

where

Max

has

moved fromperipheralparticipation to takingongreaterresponsibility

formanagingtheactivity(Rogoff,1995,p.157)becauseitwasmediated

byhisownexpressedinterests. Forexample,whenaskedifheenjoyed

using the computer, he replied, Well, its kind ofboring, unless Im

lookingup informationorontheGamesWorkshopwebsite. Thatsthe

stuff I like to look at: the rest is really boring. After making the

statement, Typings okay, depending on what Im typing, Max

launched intoanenthusiasticexplanationofa storyhewaswritingon

the home computer for severalweeks. In describing the Three Pigs

Adventure,whichheindependentlychosetowrite,Maxsaidheplanned

to turn it into a childrensbook likeCaptainUnderpants (e.g., Pilkey,

1997), but more like the Day My Butt Went Psycho (Griffiths, 2001)


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120 KIMBERLYLENTERS

becauseitisgoingtobealongerchapterbook. Anexcerpt(unedited)

from the Three Pigs Adventure demonstrates how Max has actively

incorporatedterminologyandthemes,suchasbattlinggianttoiletsfrom

theCaptainUnderpantsseriesintohiswriting.

Chapter1

Adventure

Onceuponatimetherewerethreelittlepigs.

2weresmartand1plainstupid. ALL

wantedtotakeanadventure. So,they

wentintothewoodsofdarknessand

thengottothefirstgate. Therewasaman,whose

namewasJohn,atthegate. Hetoldthemtheyhad

toenteracodetogetin. Itwasveryeasy. Theyleftthewoodsandsawatoilet. Itwashugeand

scary. Theyranbackhomeforthenight.

Chapter2

Butwhentheywentback,theyfoundoutthey

wereinpeeworldthenthe

stupidpigsaidIforgetthepointofcoming

here. Wellsaidthesmartpig,letslook

around.Okay,theysaid,letsgo.theysaidbut

theydidntknowtherewaslotsofdangeraheadof

themselves.Wellitsa

longstorythathappenedalongtimeago.oneday.(Maxsstory)

The story goes on to describe the pigs adventure in a manner

reminiscentofTolkiensstorytellingvoice inTheHobbit. It thenmoves

into a third chapter, which introduces characters from The Hobbit,

reflecting another intertextual link in Maxs writing. This example

indicatesMaxindependentlyappropriatedtheuseofthecomputerasa

literacy tool to suit his own personal needs and interests, while

simultaneouslyincorporatinghisgenreinterests.

These two examples demonstrate some of the holistic literacy

practicesinMaxsliteratelifeasamemberofhisfamily.Simultaneously,

they illustrateaspectsof thesociocultural foundationofMaxs literacy

practicesbothinthepastandatthetimeofthisstudy,whilesettingthe


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stage for understanding his enthusiasm for a wide range of literacy

activityoutsideofthefamilyconstellation.

LITERACY PRACTICES IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY

CONSTELLATION

ThissectionprovidesexamplesofMaxsparticipatoryappropriationof

literate practicebeyond his immediate family. Interconnected literacy

events are grouped into the following literacy practices: extending

genres of choice into personalwriting, turning play intobookmaking,

writingplayscripts,developingcartooningskills,andsongwriting.

ExtendingGenresofChoiceintoPersonalWriting

Maxsparents

philosophy

regarding

what

constitutes

good

reading

materialwhich translated into theirwillingness to readbooks such as

Adventures of Captain Underpants (Pilkey, 1997) with their sons was

sharedby some of the families ofMaxs friends. This phenomenon

within the familyswider sociocultural constellation led to this series

becoming apopular topic ofdiscussionbetweenMax andhis friends,

subsequentlyleadingtotheirparticipatoryappropriationofthereading

activity through the coconstruction of their own series of stories

entitled, Tushyman. Max elaborated: Wemade,me and some ofmy

friends,wemadeup this superhero calledTushyman. Hes related to

CaptainUnderpantsbasically. Andwewrite anddraw comics for it.

Stuff like that. Active participation, at the heart of participatory

appropriation, isseen in thewritingof thesestories takingplaceathis

ownhomeandthehomesofhispeers,aswellasduringindoorrecessat

school (ondayswhen inclementweather kept students indoors).This

extendedwriting activitywas a source of great fun and tremendous

prideforMaxandhisfriendsovertheperiodofaboutayearandahalf,

whiletheywereinthesecondgradeandtheearlypartofthethirdgrade.

TurningPlayintoBookmaking

WhenMaxwasinthesecondgrade,heandOwenreadthroughASeries

ofUnfortunate Events (e.g., Snicket, 1999). The shared reading of this

seriesfollowed thesamepatternastheothernovels introducedtoMax

byhisparents: theystartedreading thenovels together,andMaxsoon


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122 KIMBERLYLENTERS

tookover,readingonhisown. Inthispractice,Maxlikelybecamewell

acquainted with the language and tone utilized in the series. The

unfortunateeventsalsobecameanactivityaroundwhichMaxandhis

friendsorganized theirplay. Forexample,aroleplayinggame,which

tookplaceontheschoolplaygroundatrecess,wasdeemedsocoolthat

wewantedtoturn it intoabook. Aftertalkingaboutitforsometime

withone friend,Bradley,butnotactuallygettingaround towriting it,

Maxjustdecidedtostartwritingitonedayathomewhenhewasjust

wanting to write something. The resultant piece, Souls of Swords,

demonstratesMaxsparticipatoryappropriationoftheliteratepracticeof

transformingplay into text,theappropriationofthewordsand toneof

theSeriesofUnfortunateEvents(e.g.,Snicket,1999),andincorporationof

characters from The Lord of the Rings, along with the action of theplaygroundgame(seeFigure1).

Similarly,MaxandhisfriendMikebegananewstoryentitledSuper

Snowman. Maxelaborated:Hes likeasnowmanthatfightscrimeand

stuff. Something likecrime. Likewhatweplayandstuff. Inbothof

thesewrittenproducts,Maxworked interdependently withhispeers,

takingonactive anddynamically changing rolesasheandhis friends

usedwriting to capture the fun they experienced in their play. These

stories provide another strong example of peer apprenticing; an

illustrationofRogoffscontentionthattheapprenticeshipmodeldoesnot

solelycompriseanadulttochildtransmissionmode.

WritingPlayScripts

Whilestillinthesecondgrade,MaxandhisfriendsattendedCubScout

camp. Severalmonthsafterthecamp,Maxsschoolheldatalentshow

where studentsauditioned forapart ina show tobepresented to the

whole school and their families. Max and three of the friendswho

attendedtheCubScoutcampusedtheirmemoryofaskitthattheyhad

seentowriteaplayscriptforthetalentshow. Theirversionoftheskit,

entitledBigRedLollipop,wasscribedinskitformatbythemotherofone

oftheboys. Inthismanner,theskittheyhadviewedatCubScoutcamp

apprenticed them into the performance genre. Then through the

mothers help with the scriptmaking, they took part in the guided

participation needed to define their roles and practice the skit. This


11/24


guidance enabled them to confidently present their own skit for the

talent show (participatory appropriation). In this example, cultural

practices in the wider community guided and influenced the boys

literacypractice.

Figure1:SoulsofSwords


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124 KIMBERLYLENTERS

DevelopingCartooningSkills

Owen and Kay had both grown up reading comic books, comic

anthologies,andcomicstripsinthenewspaper,inadditiontootherprint

forms of literature. InKayshousehold, comicswerenot classified as

goodliterature butweretolerated. Owenhadamonghispossessionsa

collectionofCalvinandHobbesanthologies(e.g.,Watterson,1992)when

heandKaymet;Maxexpressedinterestinthiscollectionatanearlyage.

Comicstripsinmagazineswereamonghisfavouritetextstoreadwhen

hewas in kindergarten and grade one. In particular he enjoyed the

Bionicle comic strips in Lego magazines, the comic strips found in

Chickadeemagazines, and theCaptainUnderpants series (Pilkey,1997),

whichiswritteninagraphicnovelformat.

The librarianatMaxs schoolhad recentlybecome concernedwith

findingalternativewaystoengageboys in literacy. Abouttwomonths

beforethisstudybegan,alongwithafatherfromtheschoolcommunity,

she initiatedaboysonlyreadingclub.Comicbookswereused inthe

clubashighinterestreadingmaterial. AlthoughMaxhadreadcomics

andusedcartooning inhisbookmaking,asevidenced in theTushyman

series forexample,hebeganexperimenting,alongwitha friend, with

more formal cartooning techniques outside the reading club, using a

howtocartoonbook(Hart,1994). Thiscartooningbookandtheguided

participation affordedby the study of comics as a genre in theboys

readingclublaunchedMaxintothepursuitofpractisingandperfecting

hiscartooningskills. Asaresult,hiscartooningtookonamorepolishedqualityofwhichhewasveryproud. Thisactivitysparkedaninterestin

hisyoungerbrotherSamwhoproudly toldme thathisbrotherdraws

cartoons and that he himself hadjust coloured a cartoon thatwas a

small body and a big head duck that says Quack! Through his

participatory appropriation of the cartoon genre,Max apprenticed his

youngerbrother. Additionally, Kay reported thatMaxwould take a

cartooning course througha local communityprogram, thereby taking

part in another set of sociocultural literacy activities thatwould lead

him through apprenticeship, guided participation, and participatory

appropriationofthepracticeofcartooningatahigherlevel.


13/24


SongWriting

Owen has an electric guitar and amplifier with which he has

experimentedformanyyears. Asapreschooler,Maxbecameinterested

in playingwith this guitar; at the age of seven he received his own

electricguitar.GuidedparticipationensuedasMaxbegantotakeguitar

lessonsandplaybandwithhisfriends. Maxalsobecameveryinterested

in rock starBruceSpringsteen,afterOwenandKay introducedhim to

hisalbums. Kaydescribedthissharingastheirendeavourtofeed[our

sons]interestswheneverpossiblewithwrittenmaterial. Forexample

OwengaveMaxamagazinefeaturingBruceSpringsteenforhisbirthday

[thisyear]asMaxisahugefan. Thisphenomenonisalsoanexample

ofwhatOwendescribedasan importantpartof theirparental role in

theirchildrensliteracydevelopment:discussingwhattheyarereading

andwhat they are interested in to link interests towrittenmaterials.

TheseformsofapprenticeshipandguidedparticipationledMaxtotake

his interest inSpringsteen as a songwriter andhis interest inmaking

music to the level ofparticipatory appropriation ashe engaged in the

personalliteracyactivityofwritingasong.

onceIleftmyhousesayinIm

goinawayeverybodycriedsoIsaid

ImgoinawaybutIdontcare

youar

Chorus

youaremyoldtownIamyour

uptownbutImgoinaway

goinaway.SotriedIdidagainthats

whyImgoinawaygoinaway

soonceIwasaround

Theblockandyoucameuptome

andIsaid

Chorus (Max)

ThisunediteddraftofanuntitledsongwrittenbyMaxdemonstrateshis

participatory appropriation of song writing. Its lyrics, reminiscent of


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126 KIMBERLYLENTERS

Springsteens style in LuckyTown (Springsteen, 1992), again provide a

glimpseintotheintertextuallinksMaxutilizesinhiswriting.

Together,theseexamplesofMaxs literacypracticesclearlysupport

one of the premises of Rogoffs Planes of Sociocultural Activity: the

contention that it isnotjust adultswho exercise agency in the childs

cognitivedevelopment.Maxs literacydevelopment,ashe interactsand

engageswith thewidercommunity,veryclearlydemonstrateshisown

active efforts to participate [in] and observe the skilled activities

(Rogoff,1995,p.149)ofhiscommunity.

DISCUSSION

This case study demonstrates how one boys literate practices move

betweenbeing

developed

within

his

family

constellation

and

within

the

context of hiswider community. Comparing these practiceswith the

extant literature on boys and literacy may help inform scholars

understandingof thekindsof socioculturalpractices in thehomeand

community that support primary schoolaged boys in their literacy

development.

BeyondtheBedtimeStory

The bedtime story, often viewed as a middleclass construction that

prepares young children for classroom discourse (Gee, 1990; Heath,

1994),hasbeenseenasimportantinfamilyliteratepractice(Heath,1983;

Sulzby & Teale, 1991). This understanding, which has led to the

privilegingofthebedtimestoryastheprimaryliteracypracticeinwhich

familiesshouldengage theirpreschoolchildren,drawscriticism in that

itsperceivedpreeminencehas the tendency todeny thesignificanceof

othervaluableliteratepracticesinwhichmanyfamiliesengage,suchas

theoraltradition(Auerbach,1997;Taylor&DorseyGaines,1988).Inthis

casestudy,thepracticeofstorybookreadingundoubtedlyhasprovided

ameans foryounger familymembers toexpand family literatepractice

into wider community literate practices with peers, in a variety of

locations, reachingbeyond classroomhours.But theremaybemoreat

work here: as Rogoff states, such arrangements and engagements

subsequently construct and transform cultural practices with each

successive generation (Rogoff, 1995, p. 148). The dialogic nature


15/24


(Bahktin,1981)ofstorybookreadingintheHollowayRichardsfamilyis

noteworthyinthisregard.AsKayandOwensownchildhoodfavourite

textsinformtheiruseofthestorybookritual,thepassingonoffavourite

stories isblendedwith new family favourites informedby their sons

interests.This intergenerationaldialogue from theparentsgeneration

toMaxs generation is reminiscent of the oral tradition. The dialogic

natureofthesestoriesinMaxslifeisevident,notonlyinhisenjoyment

ofthesefamilytexts,butalsointhewayheincorporateselementsofhis

parents favouritetextsintothestoriesandsonglyricshewrites.

Good Literature

The enduring discussion of what constitutes acceptable literature for

childrenis

familiar

to

most

educators.

Furthermore,

comic

books

themselves have been the subject of heated debate for decades (see

Norton,2003). Thenovelseries,AdventuresofCaptainUnderpants, from

which Max and his friends made many intertextual links, has been

challenged for its attention tobodily functions, and purported lack of

respectforauthorityfigures. Sometitlesintheserieshavebeenremoved

from the shelves of school libraries in someAmerican schooldistricts

(e.g., American Library Association, 2002), though it has survived

challenges elsewhere in the United States (e.g., American Library

Association,1999). Maxsparents take theposition thatsupportinghis

interestinsuchtextsisoneimportantcomponentinengaginghimwith

literacy.

Indeed,

this

series

played

an

important

role

in

sparking

interest

inreadingandwritingforMaxandhisfriendsinhisearlyschoolyears,

andwasonecatalyst for thecartoonwriting/drawingMaxcontinuesto

refineasathirdgradestudent.

Maxsparentscorrelate theirconsciouschoicesaround thekindsof

textstheyencourageMaxtoreadwithhissuccesswithinschoolliteracy.

Could itbe that a form of scaffoldingmaybehelpful forMax in this

regard? In addition to the positive associationsMax is formingwith

literature considered acceptablewithin the literary canon, such asThe

Hobbit(Tolkien1937/1996),Maxsparentsalsoencouragedhimtoengage

withreadingandwritingtextsthatappealedtohissenseofhumourand

personal interest,throughavarietyofliteratepractices,suchasreading

AdventuresofCaptainUnderpants(e.g.,Pilkey,1997)andwritinghisown


16/24

128 KIMBERLYLENTERS

version, Tushyman. Here again, Maxs parents conception of what

counts as literature enabled Max to connect personal interestwith a

varietyof typesofnarrative text.Canadianresearchershavenoted that

this harnessing of personal interest is highly important for engaging

boyswith literacy (Blair& Sanford, 2004; Sokal,Katz,Adkins,Gladu,

JacksonDavis, & Kussin, 2005), and lends credence to Blair and

Sandfords(2004)suggestionthatfindingwaystobringtheoutofschool

literacy practices of boys into the school curriculum, or morphing

literacy (p.452) through the tappingofpersonal interest, incorporation

ofaction, insuranceof success,andbeingmindfulof funandpurpose

may go a long way toward keeping boys reading for a variety of

purposes.

ReadingwithPeers

Onthecuspofhisintermediateschoolyears,theimportanceofpeersin

Maxsliteratepracticesisevident. Maxreportedthathedidnotactually

readwithhisfriends,inschooloroutofschool.However,thereisample

evidenceofMaxsfrequentparticipationinliteracyeventswithhispeers:

a peertopeer system of apprenticeship. Not only is this practice

frequent, itwasasourceofgreatprideandenjoyment forMax.All the

examples of coconstructed texts discussedbyMax were, to varying

degrees,undertakenwithpeers. Thefact thatMaxspent timeengaged

inliterateactivitywithhispeers,outsideofschoolhours,lendssupport

to

the

contention

that

peers

play

an

integral

role

in

young

children

s

literacy learning at home (Kendrick, Anderson, Smythe, & MacKay,

2003,p.252),aconclusiondrawnfromastudyoffirst andsecondgrade

children,butnonethelessapplicable toMaxandhis friends inthe third

grade as they continued to take an active role in each others literate

practice. Theway inwhichMax and one friend planned to turn the

actionofplay intoa coconstructed text isone suchexample. Though

Max did, in the end,write Souls of Swordsby himself, the discussion

around turning thegame intoawrittenstory isapowerfulexampleof

peertopeer apprenticeship. The cartoon writing, whichbegan with

theirTushyman series ingradeoneand carriedon into the thirdgrade

with the refiningof their cartooning skills, is another exampleofpeer

apprenticeship. Although participants shifted in this peer


17/24


apprenticeship system, there is nonetheless strong evidence of its

existence.

GenderandFamilyLiteracy

The findings in thisstudyconcurwithNutbrownandHannons (2003)

familyliteracystudy,whichfoundthatfathersplayanimportantrolein

the literacydevelopmentof thechildren.Owensprominentrole in the

system of apprenticeship to literate practice experiencedbyMaxmay

lendsupporttoaparticularexplanatorytheoryregardingthegendergap

inliteracyachievementreportedbymanyWesternnations(seeGambell

&Hunter,2000). TheDivisionofFamilyLabor theory (Solsken,1993)

suggeststhatchildrenreproduce theirhomeexperiences intheirschool

literacylearning.

Some

studies

are

beginning

to

show

the

impact

of

the

attitude of significantmale rolemodels toward reading as one of the

most decisive factors in determining the attitudes of male children

towardreading(Cartwright&Marshall,2001,citedinSokal,2002). This

certainly appears to be the case with this family; however, Maxs

mothersroleinhisliteracydevelopmentisbynomeansnegligible. As

demonstrated in the data,Maxs literate practice, while undoubtedly

robustly shaped by his fathers participation in the apprenticeship

process, may be more accurately characterized as apprenticeship

throughguidedparticipationintoparticipatoryappropriationthrougha

rangeofculturalinfluences,thoseofhismotherandfather,aswellashis

peers,

his

extended

family,

and

institutions

such

as

preschool,

school,

daycare, and Cub Scouts: influences that encompass both male and

femalerolemodels.

Issuesofgenderemergewhenlookingattheboysonlybookclub

Max participates in one lunch hour perweek. Such groups are often

premisedonthelineofthinking,presentinsomeeducationalcircles,that

boyslearndifferentlyfromgirlsandthereforetheirdevelopmentisbest

facilitatedingendersegregatedsituations(Sax,2005). Reasoningsuchas

thismayhaveformedpartoftherationaleforthelibrariansofferingof

the segregated club, although Kay observes that itwas concern over

boys reading skills lagging behind girls in Maxs school that gave

impetus to starting the club. It may be that such a club made

participatinginliteratepracticeanacceptableororpossiblyahighstatus


18/24

130 KIMBERLYLENTERS

activityfortheboyswhotookpartinit. However,thegenderednature

oftheclub,whichwasconcerningtoMaxsfather,isalsoproblematized

by others in the literacy research community (Foster, et al., 2001;

Martino,2003). Itremainstobeseenwhetherconductingboys literacy

clubsishelpfultotheirliteracydevelopmentasacollectiveorwhetherit

is a practice that merely fuels the gender regulatory functions in

educational practice that progressive education seeks to eradicate

(Young&Brozo,2001).

OutofSchoolLiteracy

Timespentengagedwithreadingoutsideschoolhoursisacharacteristic

ofmostgood readers (Anderson, etal.,1988).Maxs engagementwith

textsoutside

school

and

his

above

average

reading

ability

certainly

seem

tosupportthisresearch. However,muchoftheliteratepracticeinwhich

Max so enthusiastically engageddid not revolve around literacy as it

was typically practised in his classroom. This discrepancymaybe a

functionofthequestionsaskedintheinterviewswithMax,becausehis

motherreportedthattheliteracyinstructionpractisedbyhisteachershas

always encompassed awide range of literate activity. BecauseMax

made negligible reference to classroom literacy activities in our

discussions, it may be important to ask whether this phenomenon

signalsthegenesisofthekindofdisjunctureoftenseenbetweenoutof

school reading interestsand the typesof inschool readingadolescents

are

expected

to

participate

in.

Might

the

disjuncture

begin

much

earlier

than theadolescentyearswhen,asappearstobe thecasewithMax,as

earlyasthethirdgrade,outofschoolliterateactivityhadgreaterpower

to captivate, motivate, and function as the medium for active

participationinliteratepractice?

CONCLUSION

Thiscasestudyhasdemonstratedsomeof thewaysonechilds literacy

development is apprenticed through a range of communitymembers,

whose roles must be celebrated and supported. It adds to an

understanding of the role of storybook reading in one middleclass

familys literate practice by noting intertextual or dialogic links that

appear to emanate from thepracticeof engaging in thebedtime story


19/24


ritual.Thisstudysuggests that thewayhis familyviews literatureand

whattheydidwiththesetextsplayedanimportantroleinMaxsliteracy

development:hisparents stanceprovidedaspringboardfortheirsonto

expandhis literatepractice intowider community constellations. The

kinds of literate activities that served to engageMaxwith literacy are

shown here to be those that spring from personal interest and that

incorporatetheactiveplayinwhichheandhispeersengaged.

Thisstudyoftheparticularliteracypracticesofonefamily,focusing

on the eldest son, is situated in nature and not generalizable to all

populations. Nonetheless, the study highlights the possibilities of

considering the strong positive role played by peers and the wider

communitybeyondthefamilyandschoolintheliteracydevelopmentof

youngboys.Italsoencouragesliteracyscholarstothinkbroadlyintermsofthetypesoftexttheyconsiderhelpfulforboys literacydevelopment.

Finally,itraisesquestionsaboutthegenesisoftheadolescentdisjuncture

betweeninschoolandoutofschoolliteracy. Asresearchersconcentrate

on the active nature of their participation in literacy practices,which

oftenstandoutsideofmainstreamclassroomliteracypractices,theymay

findthatotherboysandtheirfamiliesaresimilarlyengagedinrichand

meaningfulliteracypractices.

FurtherResearch

The roleofpeers in thedevelopmentofboys literatepractice requires

further

investigation.

Although

Gregory

(2001)

documents

the

synergy

betweensiblingsactingasliteracyteachersforeachotherandadvocates

thatfamilyliteracyinitiativestapthisrichresource,thenumerousways

thatMaxandhispeersmediatedeachothers literatepractice suggests

that family literacy research may find peer apprenticeship to be an

important arrangement to investigate. Teachers will also want to

capitalizeupontheseliteraterelationships.

Additionally, on a methodological note: when investigating

childrensliterateactivitywithpeers,literacyscholarsneedtobecareful

with their questioning. If they employ narrow conceptions of literacy,

e.g., framing literacyas reading,as Ididwhen firstaskingMaxabout

readingwith friends, theymayreceiveanswers thatbelie therealityof

whatistakingplaceinchildrensliteratepractice. Thisobservationmay


20/24

132 KIMBERLYLENTERS

beparticularlyimportantforboyswhoseliteratepracticesmaynotalign

themselves with mainstream classroom practices. Researchers must

frame their research and their questioning of children so that at

minimum, writing and drawing are seen as literate practices. Only

throughbroadening their conception of literacywill literacy scholars

begintogeneratestrongconclusionsinthestudyofboys literacy.

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Kimberly Lenters is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Language and

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students of diverse backgrounds in a variety of national and international

settings. Her research interests include literacy development with diverse

learnersinschoolandoutofschoolcontexts.


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136 KIMBERLYLENTERS

AppendixA

SampleofDataAnalysisMatrixbasedonRogoff,1995

ExtendingGenresofChoiceintoPersonalWriting(LiteracyPractice)

Event/Activity Location Participant(s)

Apprentice

ship

1. Parentspersonalphilosophy

regardinggood

literature

2. ReadCaptainUnderpantsseries

(23yearsearlier)

withparents

3. ManyofMaxsfriendshaveread

CaptainUnderpants

serieswiththeir

parents

1. Home

2. Home

3. Friendshomes

1. Mum,Dad,theirownparents,

societal

expectations,

guidelines

regarding

childrensreading

materials

2. Max,Mum,Dad

3. Maxsfriends,theirparents

Guided

Participation

1. ReadCaptainUnderpantsseries

independently

2. DiscussCaptainUnderpantswith

friends

1. Home

2. Home,friends

homes,

school

1. Max

2. Max,friends

Participatory

Appropriation

1. DesignandwriteTushyman seriesof

stories

2. Incorporatesomeofthelanguageof

CaptainUnderpants

inThreePigs

Adventures

1. School(indoor

recess)

2. Home

1. Max,friends

2. Max

from storybooks to games

Documents