One of the most common methodological limitations in the literacy studies has been the treatment of social class as fixed and a failure to look at the multifaceted aspect to social class. Some studies have included a very specific minority that is not representative of the general population. Other studies fail to deal adequately with the issue of gender, the feminization of poverty and the impact of literacy in families. Further, when referring to home learning activities, the comprehensiveness of the involvement is frequently not defined. For example, in addition to using inconsistent definitions, behavioural aspects such as reading books to the children or helping with homework are recommended, but details are lacking in terms of interaction patterns. Perhaps less reliance on parent report and more direct observation and analysis of actual interventions would be helpful.

In addition to methodological limitations in the research, there is a lack of conceptual models to help understand literacy in low-income homes. The section that follows addresses the idea of adopting a conceptual context for helping to situate the research questions for this study. I first look at critical theory based on the original ideas of the Frankfurt School and then sociological notions of cultural capital and habitus as presented by the prominent French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu. In my literature review, I continually came across notions of power connected with low-income individuals lacking political control of their lives. However, I found this to be an underdeveloped discussion topic in the literature.

As I searched for the meaning of power issues in literacy practice, I was led to critical theory. My interests in seeking to understand what makes systems as they are, combined with the recognition that the principles of critical theory may be applied to this area that has not been adequately addressed in research to date, seemed to give strength to my justification for the application of critical theory in this study.