ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualises the literacy research projects reported on in the volume. It addresses issues related to global concerns in literacy education, including: the importance of literacy instruction in the middle years; the role of explicit language instruction for students who have not been socialised to the language of schooling; and the consequences for teachers of English and literacy standards frameworks, curricula and standardised testing. The discussion forms a rationale for the volume’s focus on research of teachers’ knowledge and application of metalanguage in middle years curriculum areas. A description of the specific collaborations that informed our research is provided, along with an overview of their key findings.
