Connections Between Reading Identities and Social Standing in Early Childhood

• In Event: Crown Plaza Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Early Childhood Language

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between early reading identities and social standing in school contexts. Reading identities, or understandings about what reading is and who one is as a reader, have been posited to be closely linked with social standing. This single case study examines the reading identities and social standing of one four year old attending prekindergarten in a public school in a large northeastern city. Data include child-centered interviews, naturalistic observations, teacher interviews, and a family questionnaire. Findings provide insights into how one child’s ability to gain recognition of reading identities is distinct from their social status in the classroom, and point to new questions about how social standing may affect early reading identities.

Author

• Christopher Wagner, Queens College