THE NEXUS OF SOCIAL AND LITERACY EXPERIENCES AT HOME AND SCHOOL - IMPLICATIONS FOR PRIMARY-SCHOOL ORAL LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

This study examined the relations among the diversity of the social gr oupings in which children participated in home literacy events, and th e social groupings, oral language, and literacy in primary school lite racy events. We found that diversity of experiences in home literacy e vents related to diversity in social groupings in school literacy even ts. Varied school social groups were contexts in which children genera ted 'literate' oral language; talk about language and talk about menta l states, in turn, related to measures of reading and writing. Results indicated an inter-relation among measures of oral language, reading, and writing in first grade. Results are discussed in terms of diverse social network theory and the influence of cognitive decentration on language and literacy.