ERIC Number: EJ817423
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jan
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0738-0593
EISSN: N/A
Exploring Literacy and Growth: An Analysis of Three Communities of Readers in Urban Senegal
Shiohata, Mariko
International Journal of Educational Development, v29 n1 p65-72 Jan 2009
This paper consists of two parts. The first part reviews how the arguments supporting literacy education have changed over the last five decades. Although there has been a shift in emphasis from economic to socio-cultural and personal dimensions, literacy is still considered mainly as an instrument for economic growth and poverty alleviation. The second part presents a case study of three different establishments which provide reading materials in urban Senegal. The analysis indicates that people are more likely to practise reading when they have access to materials which genuinely interest them. These materials are not necessarily about development or livelihood--themes often judged as "appropriate" for socio-economic growth by policy makers and practitioners. People read stories and history books for their own pleasure--rather than out of a sense of duty--to transcend the mundane routine of their daily lives. This "reading for pleasure" aspect needs to be taken more account of in literacy education.
Descriptors: Reading Materials, Literacy Education, Foreign Countries, Literacy, Economic Development, Case Studies, Urban Environment, Student Interests, Student Motivation, Educational Policy, Educational Strategies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Basic Education; Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Senegal
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A