‘To start talking phonics is crazy’: how parents understand ‘literacy’ in the lives of children with learning disabilities

Doak, L ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7934-5276, 2021. ‘To start talking phonics is crazy’: how parents understand ‘literacy’ in the lives of children with learning disabilities. Pedagogy, Culture and Society. ISSN 1468-1366

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Abstract

Children and young people with learning disabilities may not acquire the independent reading and writing skills which are conflated with ‘literacy’ in international educational policy, calling into question what ‘literacy’ means in the context of ‘special education’. Existing literature explores teacher perspectives, but less is known about parent views. This study conducts semi-structured interviews with two mothers of learning disabled children, drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis to trace inflections of policy, theory and practice-based discourses in their talk as they attempt to construct a meaningful version of ‘literacy’ in their children’s lives. It is argued that parents may align either with conventional discourses of autonomous literacy currently favoured in policy – which may result in disappointment at the child’s ‘inability’ – or with more expansive notions of ‘inclusive literacy’ which challenge and subvert conventional understandings of literate practice. Parental positioning, subjectivity and practice are interwoven with underpinning discursive constructions of ‘literacy’.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Pedagogy, Culture and Society
Creators:	Doak, L.
Publisher:	Informa UK Limited
Date:	27 November 2021
ISSN:	1468-1366
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/14681366.2021.2010121 DOI 1499287 Other
Rights:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Pedagogy, Culture & Society on 27th November 2021, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14681366.2021.2010121
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Institute of Education
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	29 Nov 2021 11:34
Last Modified:	27 May 2023 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/44980

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