Although there is a structure in place that supports a practice–based approach, it is currently being used to support a skills–based approach within a schooling context. In other words, literacy is being developed for the most part only to support the development of schooling practices, and not the practices of work, home, or community. Simply compare the activities of the classroom, which are representative of the kinds of activities that occur in most programs, with the activities of the coffee shop, which are aligned with work settings. Currently, students in programs are learning to use literacy only as it is used in school and not as it is used in any other context.

Further Research

More research is needed to analyse the congruency of the funder's description of literacy development that is based on demonstrations, performance indicators, outcomes, and self–management/self–direction with the re–conceptualized definition of literacy development. How does the definition align with the funder's framework? If elements don't align, what does this mean? In addition, what will become the basis for measuring progress?

CONTRIBUTIONS TO RESEARCH

There is growing support for a sociocultural theory of literacy development (Ebert & Bingham, 2000; Fingeret & Drennon, 1997; Lankshear & O'Conner, 1999; Purcell–Gates et al., 2000; Taylor & Blunt, 2001; Wanger & Venezky, 1999). This study is an attempt to actively use existing sociocultural ideas of literacy and learning to begin to reveal tangible elements that could give shape to the emergence of a such a theory. Perhaps the first contribution is a refining of the discussion from the broad notion of sociocultural ideas to the idea of literacy as social practice that came from the re–conceptualized definition discussed earlier (See Figure 1). The use of both the situated literacy and learning frameworks also made contributions by providing a framework that could be used to see and subsequently analyse how literacy and learning is a social practice. A limitation of these frameworks is their inability to adequately address personal factors that shape learning and that are shaped by learning.