Misrecognition and Media Representations of the "Science of Reading"

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Twelve
  In Roundtable Session: Social Class, Culture, and Capital in K–12 Education (Table 8)

Abstract

“The reading wars” is a long-standing metaphorical “battle” between the presumably opposed “sides” debating the emphasis on early reading education. This paper considers metaphor as a tool of Bourdieu’s construct of misrecognition through a critical metaphor analysis of 37 media stories centered on the debate’s current iteration termed “Science of Reading.” The analysis first aggregates the most prevalent metaphorical language into four major conceptual keys leading to misrecognition of reading processes as “phonics” and of both reading processes and teaching as competitive ventures. The analysis extends Bourdieu’s ideas regarding euphemization as a tool of misrecognition, illustrating how the media’s strategic metaphorical framing functions to constrict the legitimate discourse of the field of reading education, with problematic effects.

Authors

• Lara J. Handsfield, Illinois State University
  Presenting Author

• Deborah Ann MacPhee, Illinois State University
  Presenting Author

• Patricia C. Paugh, University of Massachusetts - Boston
  Presenting Author