Analysis of Different Views and Conceptualizations of the Literacy Practices of Pupils, Families, and Teachers in Costa Rican Primary Education

ABSTRACT

This article is based on a socio-cultural discourse model of literacy, whereby literacy events are regarded as being situated within social practices, creating various formal, informal, and non-formal literacy events that are part of multiliteracies. The aim of the research was to analyze primary pupils’ literacy practices (8–12 years) from the perspectives of 1,354 primary pupils, 1,020 family members, and 96 teachers in Costa Rica, using an ex-post facto design and a survey method. The findings indicate that the three groups of participants (pupils, family members, and teachers) have different views on and conceptualizations of literacy practices in school and in the community. The results show that young learners develop their literacy practices according to their different communicative needs inside and outside school. A multimodal literacy is promoted outside school to meet students’ daily communicative needs. However, the school promotes a monomodal literacy, which allows pupils to respond essentially to school needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Formal and informal learning
• literacy practices
• multiliteracies
• primary school education
• reading and writing habits

Acknowledgments

This research project, titled “Ecosystems of the Written Language in Pupils of the Second Cycle of Basic General Education in Costa Rica,” was a collaboration of the University of Seville (US) together with the Instituto de Investigación en Educación (INIE), University of Costa Rica (UCR). In this regard, we thank the collaboration of the INIE staff and resources, led by Dr. Jacqueline Garcia Fallas of the University of Costa Rica. Also, we would like to thank Professor Constant Leung (Centre for Language, Discourse & Communication, King’s College London) and Hilary McQueen (UCL Institute of Education) for his helpful support and advice.

Notes

1. The version for students can be found at https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/ZCTNDGQ, the family version can be found at https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/9WSL63J, and the version for teachers at https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/9W9YGTV.

Additional information

Funding

Funding was provided by Santander University Foundation.