ABSTRACT

Descriptions of different learning experiences operating in schools and out of schools are provided, which will enable the effectiveness which different socialization routes have for becoming skilled in reading to be evaluated. The major developments of reading skill usually appear under the joint influence of two developmental contexts, the home and the school. It is clear that learning to read without deliberate instruction is achieved without it being necessary for the child to come from a high social class, or from a family of a particular size or composition. Several features of family life reported in studies of precocious readers made reading and written communication very obvious and potentially desirable skills. First, reading was an obvious activity and literacy a demonstrably used skill in their homes; the majority of parents in the studies could be seen as motivated readers. Given a standard to judge themselves by, they reported reading more than the average adult.