The Role of Popular Culture in Primary English

Section 9: Success factors

In the ‘Digital Beginnings’ study (Marsh et al., 2005), nine early years settings in England conducted action research projects in which an aspect of popular culture, media and/ or new technologies was introduced into the communications, language and literacy curriculum. These projects were very successful in engaging and motivating young children in the language and literacy curriculum. A number of factors were identified as contributing to the success of the projects. These were as follows:

1. Projects started with the interests of children
   In the most successful projects, practitioners had spent time prior to the project identifying the interests of children through discussions in group time. They did not introduce topics and characters they assumed to be of interest; instead, the subjects emerged from the stated preferences of children.
2. Parents were closely involved with the projects from their inception
   Where projects were most successful, parents had been fully informed from the beginning and invited to participate in aspects of them (e.g. through taking home media boxes, being asked to bring in particular items). Given the wealth of knowledge parents demonstrated of their children’s interest in popular culture, media and new technologies, it is clear that they have a valuable role to play in projects which focus on these aspects of children’s lives. Children’s popular culture is also a part of the families’ ‘cultural capital’ (Bourdieu, 1977), and provides a valuable means of building bridges between homes and educational settings for both children and parents.
3. The projects involved all members of staff
   The projects worked successfully because practitioners reported that all members of staff were involved and committed to it. In all cases, if senior managers were not the representatives of the setting directly involved in the project, they were highly supportive of it.
4. Settings were supported by ‘critical friends’
   Practitioners suggested that being part of the project had offered them support for new initiatives, support which was important because it provided new ideas, resources and the opportunity to work with a group of others with whom they could discuss progress. Being part of an externally-monitored research project also meant that practitioners were encouraged and supported in collecting data systematically. Although collecting data on children is an integral part of early years practice, the project did impose additional demands and the advice and support offered by the project team in relation to the research methods was valued.
5. Activities were sustained and integrated
   Settings did not plan ‘one-off’ activities or events, but carefully planned integrated units of work which offered development and progression. One highly successful project had developed the themes from a children’s television programme and had planned the curriculum in all six areas of learning from this programme. Practitioners felt that this enhanced the project further, as it enabled children to integrate aspects of their learning across the curriculum.
6. Activities drew on a range of modes and media
   The most successful projects drew on a wide range of modes and media in their planning. Children enjoyed encountering, playing with and producing narratives across a broad range of multimodal texts, as this reflected their encounters with media texts outside of schools and early years settings.

Student teachers could be asked to consider this list of success factors and place them in order of importance.