Our intention with this blog is to keep a research diary so that we can update anyone interested on how things are going – or otherwise!  And to reassure everyone kind enough to have filled out a questionnaire that their answers have not simply disappeared into a black hole. 

In “How Children Learn at Home” we concentrated on how children learn school subjects informally at home.  Our aim was to build up a general picture of learning at home.   This time we are going to narrow the focus more specifically to reading. Having used the word “informal” already I must add that we are not just interested in the autonomous end of the scale here.  Parents who deliberately teach their children to read using a standard reading scheme are still informal in the sense that they, and their children, had the freedom to choose this path and the freedom to choose when, where, how and why to go about their learning.   It was obvious from doing the research for “How Children Learn at Home” that there are multitudinous paths into literacy and that every family has a unique tale to tell about their experiences.   Our hope now is to look across a whole sweep of different experiences in order to get a little bit closer to how learning to read is experienced by children themselves.  What makes children interested in reading?  Why aren’t some children interested?  How do children pursue their own interests with words?  How does reading fit into children’s lives?  If they are not deliberately taught how do they actually put the skill together for themselves? There’s a whole host of questions begging to be answered!  

Thanks very much to everyone who has filled out a questionnaire!  So far we have had a steady trickle rather than a flood, so if you haven’t and can spare us a few minutes please do fill one out.  If you feel more comfortable, then there is no need to add a  name or an address. Even if you do no names would ever be published.  For us whatever you say will be fascinating!