Literacy

Paper Summary:

This paper defines literacy according to reviews of current literature. It shows how over time any definition of literacy must be dynamic, adaptable and comprehensive in order to be useful. It discusses the importance of understanding modern definitions of literacy in order to gain a deeper understanding of language and its role in a social context.

From the Paper:

"In the end, finding one's way around competing definitions of literacy is no easy job. Without question, literacy is a function of social demands and requirements that will inevitably change over time and across different cultural contexts. The result is that any working definition of literacy must take into account not only the functional aspects of language, reading, writing, and speaking, but also the social context within which that definition was created. The most useful approach to devising a definition of literacy is to allow for a continuum of literacies that can account for the various ways in which individuals use their own levels of literacy throughout their lives and in different social domains and contexts. Any other definition will be uselessly simplistic and difficult to employ in a critical or educational setting."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barton, D. (1994). The social impact of literacy. Functional Literacy: Theoretical Issues and Educational Implications. Ed. L.T. Verhoeven. Philadelphia: John Benjamin's Publishing Co. pp. 185-197.
• Baynham, M. (1995). Literacy Practices: Investigating Literacy in Social Contexts. Harlow; Longman.
• Bracey, G.W. (2000, September). Literacy in the information age. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(1), p. 91.
• Clark, R.J. (1995). Developing critical reading practices. Prospect, 10(2), pp. 65-80.
• Coiro, J. (2003, February). Reading comprehension on the Internet. The Reading Teacher, 56(5), pp. 458-464.

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