Implementation of a Literacy Hour in Small Rural Schools, 1998-1999

The overall aim of the project was to identify the problems, issues and possible solutions that arose from implementing a literacy hour within small rural schools in the first year of the <i>National Literacy Strategy</i> (1998-1999).<br> The objectives of the study were:<br> to measure the effect of the introduction of the literacy hour in said schools on pupils' literacy learning through small standardized tests and case study evidence;<br> to analyse how teachers modify the NLS guidelines to suit the classroom situation in a small school;<br> to identify reasons for these modifications;<br> to analyse ways in which teachers have attempted to overcome difficulties in implementation of the literacy hour and identify successful strategies.<br> The project consisted of detailed case studies from 20 classrooms, between September 1998 and July 1999. The study was designed to yield rich descriptive data to give a detailed picture of what was happening in classrooms in the first year of the NLS. This dataset forms part of a wider project which also comprised interviews with the class teacher at the beginning and end of the school year, and classroom observations and field notes of monthly observations of literacy hours in each classroom over eight months. The qualitative part of the project is not deposited at UKDA.