Scaffolding literacy in an early childhood setting : exploring adaptations to scaffolding literacy pedagogy through practitioner research

Abstract

Scaffolding Literacy is a supportive pedagogy designed to provide learners with access to academic discourse by making explicit understandings about literate language and effective strategies used by successful readers and writers. This research analysed the key features and teaching strategies of Scaffolding Literacy when implemented with young children and examined adaptations to Scaffolding Literacy pedagogy for use with preschool children. It was a process of drawing on the theory and strategies of Scaffolding Literacy pedagogy and aligning them with play pedagogy of early childhood education to inform practice, followed by analysis of the early childhood practice to further understand and build on the theory underlying the pedagogy. My exploration of Scaffolding Literacy in a preschool setting was a single site study of the pedagogy in action. Through a methodology of practitioner research I was able to reflect on a pedagogy I know well, to surface and criticise tacit understandings of the usual as well as the new in order to teach well in this new context. The presentation of my thesis in narrative form as an intimate and embodied writer aims to bring my research story to life by providing a rich description and analysis of what I learned about using Scaffolding Literacy with young children. The study demonstrates adaptations made to Scaffolding Literacy to emphasise fun and playfulness in early childhood pedagogy, which retained the conceptual integrity of the program. It demonstrates an in-depth approach to teaching young children the conventions of narrative and literate language, and the integrated processes of meaning making, phonemic and graphophonic awareness, which is planned and purposeful. An Early Childhood Scaffolding Literacy model illustrates effective literacy teaching strategies which are task-oriented, contextually relevant and playful.

Date of Award	2010
Original language	English
Supervisor	Barbara PAMPHILON (Supervisor) & Linda DEVEREUX (Supervisor)