Join us for this CLER Conversation, led by Dr. Lucy Taylor, University of Leeds. With discussants Parinita Shetty, Doctoral Researcher, University of Leeds, and Dr. Harry Kuchah, University of Leeds.

We read, we write: Reconsidering reading-writing relationships in primary school children

The extent to which children’s reading experiences influence their writing production is not well understood. It is imperative that the connections between these literacy practices are elucidated in order to inform the development of stimulating curricula, and support children’s development. This paper presents new data and key findings from a project investigating relationships between children’s free choice reading and volitional writing in Key Stage 2 (9-10 years).  The data was collected in two primary schools in northern England, using mixed methods.  Quantitative data was collected using an online reading survey taken by 170 children, and qualitative data was provided through independent writing journals maintained by 38 participants.  Through analysis of the data using a multiliteracies approach, we demonstrate that the writing children choose to do is influenced by the texts they encounter as readers in terms of content, text type and linguistic style.  The child readers in this project encountered texts in different media and created texts in a range of genres. By examining a sample of children’s written texts from the data set, we show that children’s interactions and transactions with texts as readers and writers are complex and multiple.  Children creatively work across media, and in doing so the boundaries of traditional text genres and styles are redeveloped and redesigned. These findings highlight the importance of providing children with opportunities to freely choose and create texts and recognising the wide variety of text experiences that children bring to their classroom learning.

About our discussants...

Parinita Shetty, a Doctoral Researcher in the School of Education at Leeds,  is keen to explore how young people use the framework of their favorite media texts to share their diverse perspectives and experiences. Her research interests include children’s literature, young people’s agency and culture in digital and social media spaces, online fan communities, critical literacy, and intersectionality.

Dr Harry Kuchah is a Lecturer in Language Education at the University of Leeds where he also leads on the MA TESOL, Young Learners Programme. His research is mainly with young language learners and their teachers in multilingual contexts in sub-Saharan Africa.