Sunday, November 6, 2011

Historical Context for Illiteracy in America

Looking at the current reading crisis and illiteracy rate in America, the question to be asked is “How did this happen?”  While I have already discussed various sociocultural factors affecting the illiteracy rate, I will now explore the historical context of this issue.

Beginning with the generation of the 1960s and 1970s large changes in the construction of society began to take place.  According to Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005), members of this generation were fighting for equal rights for all people, and rejecting the authoritarian parenting style of their parents to focus on a more positive and encouraging parenting style.  Trends in society at this time, highlighted by Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005) include: “1. Participation of women in the labor force, 2) Divorce and the family structure, 3) Educational attainment and family size, 4) Shifts in sexual mores, 5) Patters of sex-role behaviors, 6)Declines in religious service attendance, and 7) Changing educational philosophy and practice.”  At this time in society, women were achieving higher levels of education and being allowed more freedom and power in the work force.  In addition, divorce became more common as did cohabitation before marriage and greater sexual freedom.  However, for this look into the historical context of the problem of illiteracy, the two most important factors to consider are the shift in parental values and the concurrent changes in educational practices.

The shift in parental values towards a less authoritarian method can be seen as one contribution to the illiteracy rate.  Morrison, Bachman, and Connor (2005) suggest that it seems parents have not utilized enough discipline or control over their children and this has caused children to be less “independent, responsible, self-regulated learners.”  Students are entering the school system without the necessary self-regulation skills needed to acquire literacy and other essential skills.  Self-regulation is integral for concentration, persistence, and listening skills all of which are needed for literacy acquisition.  While parents had the best of intentions when emphasizing a more encouraging parenting style to create happier children, an unhappy consequence is that many parents have not raised children with the necessary attributes of independence and self-regulation.

In addition, a shift in the educational practices at this time created problems for literacy acquisition.  The educational system began moving away from an emphasis on discipline and authoritarian practices towards a more progressive system that emphasized freedom and openness.  In the wake of this progressive shift in education, reading instruction was changed as well.  The early utilization of the phonics method of literacy instruction was replaced by the whole language approach (Morrison, Bachman, & Connor 2005).  This whole language approach focused on exposing children to meaningful literature and contexts with the understanding it will be easy for children to read once they decide they want to read.  However, the exclusion of phonics instruction (instead of using it in conjunction with the whole language approach) has been detrimental to literacy acquisition in students.  In addition, at this time, many highly-qualified women who would normally have entered the teaching profession decided to enter higher-status professions as a result of the greater freedom for women in the work force (Morrison, Bachman, & Connor 2005).  This meant that the teaching profession was being filled by average, less qualified teachers.  Also, these teachers had all received varying degrees of teaching preparation.  As a result, a less uniform and more variable style of teaching emerged which meant children began receiving variable instruction.  A variable applicant pool of teachers combined with the less effective whole language approach was detrimental to literacy acquisition for children.

However, it is important to note that the current illiteracy problem is a result of the combination of both the shift in parental values and the shift in educational practices.  If only one or the other shift had occurred, the current reading crisis may not be so severe.  However, it is the combination of these two historical shifts that has contributed to the current illiteracy problem in America.

5.  Morrison, F.J., Bachman, H.J., & Connor, C.M.  (2005). The “perfect educational storm”.  Improving literacy in America (pp. 155-170).  New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

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