Children learning with peers: The confluence of peer status and literacy competence within small-group literacy events

This study investigated the interactions of 16 first-grade children during one academic year as they participated in literacy events with their peers. Of particular interest was how children with different levels of acceptance from their peers and different levels of reading achievement experienced collaborative peer-only literacy events. A sociocultural perspective guided the investigation. Constructs related to the individual psychology of the children were also considered to gain insights into experiences of individual children. Data included 138 hours of classroom observations, video and/or audiotapes of the children as they participated in collaborative literacy events, assessments of the children's reading ability, and assessments of the children's acceptance by their peers. A constant comparative method guided the data analysis. The analysis suggests that issues related to peer acceptance and reading competence complicate children's interactions during collaborative literacy events. While interactions during these events are a source of support for some, they may be a source of stress for others. Concepts critical to understanding how children with different levels of acceptance from peers and different levels of reading achievement experience these events are presented. Implications for classroom teachers and for researchers are presented. /// [Spanish] Este estudio investigó las interacciones de 16 niños de primer grado durante un año académico, mientras partici- paban en eventos de alfabetizaci6n con sus pares. Resulté particularmente interesante la forma en la que niños con diferenres grados de aceptación por parte de sus pares y diferentes niveles de lectura experimentaron los eventos colaborativos de alfabetización. Una perspectiva sociocultural guié la investigacion. Asimismo, con el fin de obtener conocimientos sobre las experiencias de cada nifio, se consideraron conceptualizaciones relacionadas con as caracteristicas psicológicas de los niños. Los datos incluyeron 138 horas de observaciones en el aula, registros de audio ylo video de los niños mientras participaban en eventos colaborativos de alfabetización, evaluaciones de la habilidad de lectura de 10s niños y de la aceptación de los nihos por parte de sus pares. El mitodo comparativo constante guió el andisis de los datos. El andisis sugiere que las cuestiones relacionadas con la aceptaci6n de los pares y la competencia en lectura complican las interacciones de los nihos durante 10s eve