Language use may affect education

The education of primary school children could be affected by the type of language used in schools, a family literacy session was told today.

Research carried out by Dr Aine Cregan, who works in the Centre for Educational Disadvantage Research at Mary Immaculate Collge, University of Limerick, indicated the formal language used within the teaching environment may be impacting on how well children benefit from the curriculum, and could affect literacy skills.

"Children use different varieties of language, and when they come into the school context, there is one particular variety of language - a literate or academic style of language - which is expected in that context," Dr Cregan said.

"That style of language is to do with levels of formality of using language: being able to address your audience appropriately, knowing who you're talking to, and how much information you need to give them so they will know what you're saying, making sure that you have the best vocabulary to express yourself as clearly as possible, expanding your reference appropriately when you speak, using utterances that are densely packed with information, presenting ideas that are organised coherently; these are the characteristics of a literate style of language, which it turns out is the style of language that is expected in a school context."

Speaking to The Irish Timesafter a Family Literacy information session at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin Dr Cregan said a more literate style of language was more accessible to children from a particular type of background.

She said schools and teachers need to take this into consideration and show children how to use it where necessary.

"There is nothing at all wrong with the children," Dr Cregan said. "It's just that their experience of language in an out-of-school context is not of this style of language to the same extent as other children's are."

Children may be exposed to a "mismatch" as a result, she said, as not only are they being exposed to an unfamiliar style of language, but they are also being required to use language in this way.

She said the goal is not to change how children use language, but rather allow them to access the more formal style used within the school system.

"We have to celebrate all varieties of language and to recognise that children are capable of complex language use, but that in the case of some children, we need to scaffold them and support them to use the style of language that is expected in the school context so that we can facilitate them to access what's available there, " she said.

The report stressed that "difference" did not mean necessarily "disadvantage".

The research, which was funded by Combat Poverty under its Poverty Research Initiative and published in 2007, took place at four schools, three of which were classed as disadvantaged, and one in a middle-class setting.