Currents in Literacy

Defining Literacy

By William T. Stokes

The most common meaning of the term literacy is the ability to read and write. It is generally understood that in order to participate in the cultural, economic, and political life of this society, it is essential that citizens be able to read and write. When minimal competency is of concern, the term becomes functional literacy: i.e., the essential skills required to read instructions and complete job applications, to read newspapers and access other sources of information and entertainment, and to maintain banking and tax records, as well as other common requirements of contemporary society. When specialized knowledge and competencies are of concern, other terms emerge: one recent and familiar example is computer literacy.

The second sense of literacy is the state of being well educated, well-informed, and knowledgeable in the realms of philosophy, history, politics, literature, music, art, theater, science, and technology. It is the quality of educatedness that enables one to participate more fully in the cultural, economic, and political life of the society. The term cultural literacy has emerged to refer to this array of competencies.

These conceptions of literacy emphasize individual achievements and incline us to overlook the social nature of literacy. Literacy is a characteristic of a culture. It is a function of the political, economic, intellectual, and social activities that entail a reliance on texts, oral or written. Literacy is participation in the socially embedded, purposeful activities that occur between members of a linguistic community (speakers, readers, and writers) and texts they create and use.

Literacy, like language, is a means by which members of a culture construct and share meanings and intentions. Moreover, language and literacy are the means by which individuals and cultures construct and sustain a "world view" including: custom, law, morality, science, art and literature, as well as political and economic practices. We should situate literacy within the social context from which it emerges. Literacy is participation in literate social practices, i.e., those social practices that entail the use of oral and written texts. Each culture is distinguishable by the social practices in which its members typically engage, and, in a literate society, to become a member requires becoming literate in the manner valued by that society.

Children acquire cultural competencies by immersion and participation in the daily activities of the community. When oral and written texts (e.g., prayers and storybooks) are involved, children also become literate as they learn to participate in the use of these texts. Upon entering school, children are exposed to a new set of social practices, a new "culture" having its own rules concerning the use of language and literacy. What we mean by literacy and how we understand the nature of learning and development will determine the nature of teaching practices we select. When it is understood that literacy is participation in literate social practices, then teaching practices should focus primarily upon creating the conditions that invite learners to become participants in literate social practices that have genuine meaning to them.