Parents are the children's first teachers and children can learn much from them in the context of family–based interactions. In terms of reading and writing, the parents pass on what they were taught and may model literate behaviour by engaging in literacy activities themselves. In Taylor and Dorsey–Gaines' (1988) study, the children were read to often and also read by themselves. Younger children were engaged with books too; they practised handling them, looking at the pictures and talking about what they might say. The families of the successful students were readers; they read books, magazines, and newspapers for entertainment and often sent letters and notes to friends and family. By engaging in these activities, they build their cultural capital and their habitus for literacy.

Research Question 2: How is literacy embedded in families'
social practices and relationships between schools and homes?

A view of literacy as a social practice underpins this thesis. I have adopted Street's (1995) definition of literacy practices and literacy events. Accordingly, literacy practices are more abstract and are inferred from literacy events which are observable and mediated by written text and the social context. In this section, I discuss incongruency in school and home practices with the recognition of what Barton and Hamilton (1998) describe as multiple literacies, gender and class issues, unwritten rules, home-school connections, parent involvement and the curriculum as they relate to Research Question 2.

Incongruency in Practices

The people and social institutions surrounding the child shape the literacy practices. Notably, schools play a significant role in the process of helping the child become literate and acquiring relevant discourses, as well as forming their identity. If the type of literacy promoted does not link with existing literacy practices, the mismatch can be problematic.