This paper has two aims: to introduce readers to Bernstein's concept of languages of description, interpreted through the lens of ethnography; and to demonstrate the value of this approach to theory-making by showing how a qualitative study conducted on these principles led to new explanations for gender differences in literacy attainment that can…

This study investigates how students in third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes at a rural school are socially constituted as "struggling readers," and how this social status impacts reading achievement. It examines the ways that some students are positioned as inferior readers in relation to their classmates during peer-to-peer literacy events.…

Examined self-assessment as a means of teacher learning that develops teachers' understanding and use of discourse strategies to support instructional conversation. Found that teachers' analyses did not grow more precise, but interpretations of talk revealed growing ability to treat discourse as an object of knowledge. Explored features of the…