The Language for School Literacy

This chapter attempts to integrate seemingly conflicting theoretical conceptions of school language learning by offering a literature review driven by two goals: (1) to synthesize how adolescents’ school-relevant language has been conceptualized and examined in relation to reading comprehension; and (2) to propose an integrated conceptualization of school-relevant language proficiency to advance research and practice. Introducing the term Language for School Literacy (LSL), the authors define LSL proficiency as the repertoire of discourse practices and academic language skills that learners gradually internalize as they flexibly enact the socio-cultural norms of reading, writing, and learning at school. Four questions organize this chapter: Which new directions are noticeable in the study of LSL in the last 15 years? How can we conceptualize LSL to advance research and practice? Which academic language skills support reading comprehension? What does metalanguage research reveal about adolescents’ perceptions of academic discourse practices? While acknowledging the challenges of selecting language resources that comprise an academic register, Uccelli and colleagues propose a pragmatic approach to making visible the language demands of academic learning, as well as the voices and identities of adolescent learners. The chapter ends with a vision of a pedagogically relevant research approach and suggestions for future research.