Sociocultural Approaches to Language and Literacy

Two of the most crucial areas of education - the development of oral language and the acquisition of literacy - are examined here with an effective combination of theory and practice. The sociocultural perspective is illustrated through descriptions of learning by populations usually neglected in treatments of language and literacy - American Sign Language Users, second-language speakers, and minority students.

The book covers a broad range of ages, backgrounds, locations, and literacy concerns from preschool to law school. Although the populations and literacy issues are diverse, the book's unity is provided by a broadly shared theoretical framework.

. Sociocultural Approaches to Language and Literacy will be valuable to educators at every level and to researchers in applied linguistics, psychology, adult literacy programs, and English as a second language.