Significance of the Study

My research offers an original scholarly contribution to the extant body of knowledge in the field of family literacy in Canada. My study is theoretically oriented and data collected provide a basis for future literacy research. I extend previous research, such as the valuable ethnographic work conducted by Heath (1983) in the Piedmont Carolinas. Heath studied the everyday activities and conversations of citizens of a white community she called Roadville and a black community she named Trackton to examine how the children learn to use language in their homes and communities and the significance that context plays. In the next chapter, I elaborate on Heath's important landmark study of these two communities varying in their home literacy environments.

In my research, I offer new insights into the family life of the selected participants by entering into their life-worlds and presenting a detailed and sensitive portrayal of lived dimensions of enculturation and family literacy. Similarly, Heath conducted an exhaustive longitudinal study of the language-learning habits of the children in her communities, their home routines and the families' social networks. I explored first-hand the experiences of those living in low-income circumstances in New Brunswick, an area where there has been little research conducted to date.