Social Constructivism and the School Literacy Learning of Students of Diverse Backgrounds

Abstract

This theoretical review builds on the idea that social constructivism offers implications for reshaping schooling in ways that may correct the gap between the literacy achievement of students of diverse backgrounds and that of mainstream students. A diverse social con-structivist perspective may encourage literacy educators to progress from a mainstream orientation toward a serious consideration of the significance of students' ethnicity, primary language, and social class to literacy learning. From a social constructivistperspective, 5 explanations for the literacy achievement gap appear plausible: linguistic differences, cultural differences, discrimination, inferior education, and rationales for schooling. Incorporating these 5 explanations and building on the work of Cummins (1986, 1994), a conceptual framework for addressing the literacy achievement gap is proposed. This framework suggests that the school literacy learning of students of diverse backgrounds will be improved as educators address the goal of instruction, the role of the home language, instructional materials, classroom management and interaction with students, relationships with the community, instructional methods, and assessment.