Szwed and Moss with Ethnography

Moss, Beverly J. “Ethnography and Composition: Studying Language at Home.” From
Composition in tour keys: Inquiring into the Field, Mark Wiley, Barbara Gleason, and
Louis Weatherbee Phelps eds. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield 1996.

Szwed, John F. “The Ethnography of Literacy” From Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook.
Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll and Mike Rose eds. Boston, MA :
Bedford/St. Martin’s 2001.


Both writers to have read this week to have a common reason for writing on how to study such things as language and literacy but as I read I saw two different purposes for the studies they were doing. In Szwed he wanted to improve the studies done now on measuring literacy to move away from statistics to include the social factors. He does point out that students do read different ways in school then at home or anywhere else. He is very critical of the standard testing going on in school and I am in complete agreement. Those tests are to critical and want to put a standard on reading and is a student cannot reach that standard as put forth by above standard people their future can be severely retarded. Szwed points out that we are constantly reading all around us from billboards to road signs telling us how to drive. It seems the question is being raised; isn’t literacy a comprehension of the text and the ability to translate it and take action on it? It might actually not be what the symbolism in Harry Potter is because it is just as significantly important to have comprehension in the social sphere. He says that this is exactly what these standard tests do not account for the account for a nervous student reading something for the first time and being forced to write an essay on the spot in a given time and nothing else. Although these tests do not affect grades schools have still found ways to have it affect the student and their future in school.
Now in the Moss article she was more concerned with the language part of schooling and the responsibility of parents or learning in the home to further the education of students in the classroom. This study stayed away from statistical numbers and tries to bring in the social context because it could not be ignored. She specifically links the study of language and the cultural setting into writing and both authors brought up this point, that the two language and social context are important to reading and writing because the social defines the language and the language determines the writing which leads to the social determining the reading and reading determining the comprehension measured in writing. It all links back to the social context. Moss is more so about how to conduct the study as Szwed would want it done. The studying purely not the influencing but the observing solely and pulling info and theories from what the community has defined as acceptable in itself.