I contend that my background could be seen to be highly beneficial to my research and adds credibility to the analysis. However, I also recognize that some individuals may feel that I would be a biased observer of events in the school and in forming my impressions of instruction.

Research Foundation

I began my research with a foundation centred on three beliefs. First, I view literacy as a complex process which is deeply rooted in social, economic, educational and political structures (Stuckey, 1991). Second, I regard literacy as a social practice and acknowledge that all children grow up with some form of literacy as an integral part of their personal and familial lives (Goodman, 1986). Third, I consider the family to be the child's first teacher. Through the myriad interactions in the family context, children learn how to behave according to the expectations that the family holds as members of their culture (Richardson, 1994).

The pivotal role of the family and the ways its members use literacy must not be underestimated. The family is viewed as a vital learning unit (Nickse, 1989) and serves as "the most important element in literacy development" (L. M. Morrow & Paratore, 1993, p. 194). Children learn not only speech patterns and language from their family, but they also acquire the values of the culture, including their beliefs and learning patterns about literacy (Harman, 1987; Purcell-Gates, 1993a; Tabachnick & Bloch, 1995). Raymond (1982) stresses that for teachers to develop humane and effective pedagogies and policies they must recognize that differences may exist between what a school promotes and what a family practices in terms of dialect and grammar, for example. He adds that if the language the student brings to the classroom differs from what is favoured at school, the home language must not be labeled as less valid.