The first two Chapters of Ways with words provided the context and framework in which Heath's ethnography was done. In the prologue, she makes some important statements about adapting to their environment and the main question/frame for the study.
"What were the effects of preschool home and community environments on the learning of those language structures and uses which were needed in classrooms and job settings?"
She talks about her processes (interviews, observations, audiotape, looking at artifacts).
Finally, she talks about why this can provide insight into ethnography but it can't be considered a model because of the time when the study was done, and because of the length of time she spent there.
She explains her personal connections to the area.
Ethnographies of communication - "focus on each of the communities in which the chidldren are socialized as talkers, readers, and writers"
She also explains how the study moved from the ethnographer learning to the ethnographer doing. Further, she utilized maps to map it easier to understand her context and geography.
I found the history of the area, including the mill and agriculture's parts in the residents lives to be crucial to understanding the community.
Important things to consider in upcoming chapters:
Respectables, transients, no counts
Old timers v. new comers
sex-segregated roles and conversations
importance of school
lack of connection b/w school and home
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment