Content Literacy: A Definition and Implications.

Abstract

■ In the past century, the word literacy has undergone numerous changes in the broad array of concepts it has denoted (e.g., see Purves, 1984; Stedman & Kaestle, 1987; Venezky, 1990). Some changes, such as the generalization of the term to denote mere knowledgeability of a specific subject (as in computer literacy, cultural literacy, etc.), have been unfortunate and continue to make consistent usage difficult. Other changes, such as a multidimensional conceptualization of literacy (Guthrie & Kirsch, 1984; Taylor, 1989) and the necessity that it embrace both situational demands (Guthrie, 1983; Mikulecky, 1990) and cultural considerations (Kazemek, 1988; Levine, 1982) have reflected a growing appreciation for the complexity of literacy processes. One especially important advance in our understanding has been the recognition that both reading and writing are constructive processes in which information is organized and accommodated into memory structures (see Squire, 1983). Accordingly, the writingto-learn movement has stressed that writing, like reading, is a means of clarifying, refining, and extending one's internalization of content (Myers, 1984). Writing as well as reading therefore becomes a tool for acquiring content. These realizations together suggest the following further expansion of the concept of literacy. Content literacy can be defined as the ability to use reading and writing for the acquisition of new content in a given discipline. Such ability includes three principal cognitive components: general literacy skills, content-specific literacy skills (such as map reading in the social studies), and prior knowledge of content. This definition has significant implications for content area teachersimplications that may add to the arguments used to encourage these educators to view matters of literacy with an open mind.

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