Syerina Syahrin; Ali Algryani; Julius Irudayasamy
Abstract
This paper reports the uses and practices of literacy in English among a group of students in the Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman. Data was gathered from two undergraduate students. The findings of the study suggest that the students experienced rich and varied use of English outside of school ...
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This paper reports the uses and practices of literacy in English among a group of students in the Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman. Data was gathered from two undergraduate students. The findings of the study suggest that the students experienced rich and varied use of English outside of school than in school. The study also uncovered that the students’ experience with English outside of school is largely afforded by new technologies and that popular culture played a considerable role in their lives. The investigation studied the in-school and out-of-school literacy practices of the two students to evaluate if there are complementing and contrasting features in the two environments. The findings of the study suggest that awareness of how students use and practice English in different communities may enable instructors to integrate elements of literacy outside of school into their school literacy practices to facilitate their learning. By incorporating elements of out-of-school literacy into school literacy, students may be able to engage in meaningful literacy uses and practices that help them face the growing challenges of using English in the 21st century, which is an important aspect of Oman Vision 2040.
Brian Street; Reza Pishghadam; Shiva Zeinali
Volume 3, Issue 1 , March 2015, , Pages 16-27
Abstract
Granted that literacy is a social practice involving different values, attitudes, feelings, and social relationships, this study attempts to examine literacy practices and the potential changes made through a history of forty years. The study was conducted in the village of Cheshmeh, near Mashhad, Iran, ...
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Granted that literacy is a social practice involving different values, attitudes, feelings, and social relationships, this study attempts to examine literacy practices and the potential changes made through a history of forty years. The study was conducted in the village of Cheshmeh, near Mashhad, Iran, where the social definition of literacy emerged. The data have been collected through participants' observation and interviews. The results proposed that literacy progress has been uneven and unequal across countries and within a country or a population despite some achievements gained internationally. This study is a challenge to the idea that literacy is the same thing across all kinds of settings and under all kinds of conditions. In fact, widely varying personal, social, religious, and economic factors imposed their constraints on literacy practices. In the light of the results of the present study, the future literacy effort may achieve better results and increased opportunities of success for all individuals if it takes account of such local social factors.