Story : the heart of the curriculum : gramar, genre and gender

• Main Author: Purnell, Liane
• Published: University of Leicester 2006
• Subjects: 801.950905
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.432970

There is a substantial amount of research concerning oral narratives and some which covers written narratives but the vast majority is more than ten years out of date and predates the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy. In this study conclusions are drawn regarding this in the light of the story narratives written and the implications for the range of genre taught. The thesis presents findings from research carried out in one primary school with a sample of 82 pupils from each of the four Key Stage Two year groups. The story narratives collected from the sample were analysed using Longacre's (1996) Grammar of Analysis which the writer believes to be a model which is as objective as is possible. The outcome is a range of data which was interrogated using the SPSS programme. This allowed findings to be made explicit and to be comparable, in terms of the sample, for genre, grammar and gender. This thesis draws out similarities and differences in relation to story narrative and focuses on those which relate to the grammar used, the preferred genre of the participants and any differences relating to gender which emerge. It discusses these findings in detail and links them to the Literacy Hour teaching which has occurred in the school prior to the study. The thesis concludes by suggesting ways in which the findings might be addressed, by discussing the implications of these and by identifying possible directions for future research.