Learning “schooled literacy”: The literate life histories of mainstream student readers and writers

Abstract

This study examines the autobiographical literate life histories of mainstream student readers and writers. The research aim is to explore students’ own developing understandings of their actual experiences reading and writing. The findings suggest that the school context determines to a significant degree students’ understandings of reading and writing as literate activities and of themselves as readers and writers. Specifically, students understand reading and writing as demonstrations of what they know. Their purpose is to give teachers what they want, and their hope is to get an A. More importantly, they begin to believe themselves so incompetent that they no longer enjoy reading and writing; indeed, they read and write as little as possible.