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CASE STUDY.

Reading and writing practices of the officials of the Family House, of

the Municipality of Concepción.

INTRODUCTION.

In this work, an interview was used to capture information about

reading and writing practices of municipal officials. The analysis of
speech allowed for the interpretation of the themes gathered from ideas or phrases to
to build two models; one explicit and the other implicit, but closely related
linked that are exposed on the following pages.

Culminating the work with the emergence of an emerging topic: Chilecompra,

a topic that opens a broad field of study for future research on
situated literacy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SITUATION TO BE INVESTIGATED:

In the research, officials from the Family House are interviewed.

from the Municipality of Concepción, to discover through analysis
of the speech of each of them; if the topic is about the family in general,
it is the center of their reading and writing practices and is present with
that name or with that of one of its component elements by
example; parents or children.

As it is an office that has abundant documentation

elaborate -in relation to the family- the discourse can be compared to
the interviewees, with the writing recorded in the documents that
they had in sight, in which they also have participation, drafting them
and recording the evaluations of various topics and programs. Also
it is considered interesting for this study the possibility of discovering
emerging themes in literacy events.
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THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

The theoretical starting point of this work is based on the ideas of

Barton and Hamilton (2000) argue that: literacy is a
social practice, and more precisely they indicate that they are practices of
reading and writing produced in a specific social context. For its
better understanding the authors describe 6 principles to understand that
practices are social processes that connect people with others
people:

Literacy is better understood as a series of practices.

social; these can be deduced from events which are
mediated by written texts.

There are different literacies associated with different domains of

life.

Literacy practices are modeled by institutions.

social and power relationships, and some literacies are more
dominant, visible, and influential than others.

Literacy practices are powerful and embedded in

social goals and broader cultural practices.

Literacy is historically situated.

•Las prácticas de literacidad cambian y las nuevas son

frequently acquired by understanding their meaning through
informal learning processes.

They feel the relationship between the individual and the social world and the
literacy practices are more usefully understood as existing in
the relationships between people, within groups and communities, instead
of how a series of properties residing in individuals" (Barton and
Hamilton; 2000:8
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Attention must be paid to the abstract nature of the idea of practice, which does not

it can be contained in observable activities and tasks.

To complement this theoretical framework, it can be added that the mission

from the House of the Family indicates: Promote strengthening and
integral development of families in the commune of Concepción, through
from the transmission of values, prevention and intervention of problems
social issues that arise in it.

It is also necessary to point out in this framework that law 18.695

Constitutional Organic Law of Municipalities (article 22) is another source of
rules that govern the work of the House of the Family.

Objective of the study:

Focus an analysis situation on literacy, in a core

of reading and writing practices expressed in the discourse of 4
functionaries.

•Know and, if possible, describe topics, categories, and models that

they have been generated in their daily work about the family.
looking for it as the central theme of the speech or exploring it in some way

of its component elements. (children, parents, others).

Discover 'emerging' elements in the topics or segments of

speech.

Study design:

a).- Sample; four officials from the Family House.

b).- Entrevistas a través de una guía de preguntas semi-estructuradas.

c).- Instrument:

Case Study: Reading and Writing Practices, of 5 members (in the

possible, at least 4) from the community of officials of the House of the
Family, office of the Municipality of Concepción.
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Intentionality of the synthesis of questions: Essentially trying to

find or discover: themes, segments, categories, and models for
describe the literacy of the 'community' under study.

Questions: It will be briefly explained to the officials that the analysis is

will fundamentally be based on readings and writing related to your work
in the office.

What is your job, profession, or trade? Do you have a specialization?

What are your areas of interest in reading? Please mention them.

most relevant Why? How does one read? Reading strategy: fast,
deep.

What is/are your writing interests? Please mention them.

most relevant Why? How does he/she write? Writing strategy.

Main sources/supports of reading, importance, and frequency of use

Books, magazines, newspapers, Internet, others?

Ends or purposes: Why and for what does one read? In the context of what
eventos o circunstancias? Dónde: lugar. Cuándo: hora, tiempo, esporádica,
Systematics. Does the reading you do influence your practice, in your work,
in their worldview? Could you describe the effect?

Why, for what, and for whom does he/she write? In the context of what
eventos o circunstancias? Dónde: lugar. Cuándo: hora, tiempo, esporádica,
systematics. Types of texts. Does the writing produced influence its
practice, in your work, in your worldview?

¿Podría describir el efecto?¿Se practica lectura y escritura en su familia?

Yes, No. Who reads or writes? What do they read or write? Why? In
proportion, more reading or more writing. Why?

ALP., November 29, 2006.

d) - Classification of the data:

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The obtained data is grouped into units of content, called

themes or segments, following the provided classification system
in the note 'Case Study II part'

First step: identify the segments in a dataset.

Dataset and segments on reading practices and

writing

["recreation","teenagers","family","anthropology","plan"]
["work","culture","enrichment","evaluation of work and activities"]
["remember","deep reading while attention lasts","communicate with"]
["messages","to prepare talks","educational pamphlets"]

["psychotherapy","family","documents","offices","reading"]
reflexive y ["profound","elaboration"] of reports”, “preparation of
programs, fulfill ["committed officials","to be trained"]
{"actualización":"update","resolver dificultades":"solve difficulties","entretención":"entertainment","para comunicarme":"to communicate"}

organize life and work

Funcionaria C.- “oficios”, “correspondencia”, “memos”, “programas”, “informes”,

["work plans","quick reading but twice","read news"]
“maternidad”, “niños”, “planillas de asistencia”, “mantenerse informada”,
“conocer procedimientos y mandatos”, “aprender a relacionarme”, “informes
of performance
objectives.

["officials","letters","provisions","reports","memos"]
["certificates","payment sheets","work plan","opi","permits"]
["inventory","records","programs","I take my time to read","for"]
["derive correctly","know what happens daily","better relationship of"]
"learning", "to have the information that comes in and out up to date and efficient"

“también informar al interior de la oficina”, “para rendir y esforzarse”, “lo

requires good performance and evaluation of my work
["knowledge","update","general culture","understand life","for"]
to yield and strive without falling behind
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Second Step, then I classified the topics into main ones,

important and remaining:

Main themes Important

Work plan, programs, Family, communication, reports, forms,
evaluation of the work anthropology, booklets, memos, to have at
fulfill tasks, talks, information day the information,
personal performance, do- day by day, derive co- to be formed.
documents, official letters, reports, correctly the info. Remaining
reminders, to know pro- information, solve di- value recreation,
procedures and mandates. difficulties, fulfilling- enrichment, psi-
goal setting, cotherapy, entertainment
preparation of OPI, general culture, Chile
. purchase.
From this classification and from the interpretation of the data in context
from the speech, I have distributed the information into three categories:

Information flow, personal performance, and task organizers.

that I will explain using a diagram.
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DIAGRAM

EXPLICIT, DOMINANT AND VISIBLE MODEL

WHAT GUIDES READING PRACTICES

NORMATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE
AND WRITING
UNDERLYING THE WORK PLAN (ANNUAL)

FLOW OF INFORMATION PERSONAL PERFORMANCE

ORGANIZERS OF
CATEGORIES (TYPES OF TEXTS)
TASKS (WORK)
FULFILL COMMITMENTS
OFFICES
ANNUAL PLAN
TO KEEP UP TO DATE THE
REPORTS
INFORMATION PROGRAMS OF
MUNICIPAL ACTIVITY
LETTERS
GOOD PERFORMANCE
TOPICS OR ORDER OF REQUEST
DOCUMENTS
INTERNAL (OPI)
SEGMENTS UPDATE
MEMOS
CHILECOMPRA
TRAINING
PROVIDENCES

FORMS

PRLAONVIILDLEANSCIAS
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Explanation of the Diagram:

The social practices that shape the literacy of the officials of the House of the
Family is deduced from the analysis of the discourse produced in the interviews.

The texts read and written by the interviewees allow for the description of the themes or segments of
your interest, but in this case - to say it more precisely - they are mandatory for the
compliance with their functions. Finally, the information is grouped into three categories

Information Flow:

The trades, the memos, the reports were repeatedly mentioned,

provisions, the letters, the forms and other undeclared documents, such as the supports in
to which information arrives and can also go out when answers are required, such is the
case of the provisions or other instructions. This is also the way in which it circulates the
information through the interior of the office.

Based on everything described, it seemed to me that the category should be called Information Flow.

Personal Performance:

Everyone is interested in fulfilling the tasks assigned to them, having

a good performance and evaluation of your work, keeping the service information up to date,
to stay updated on information and general culture, to achieve your enrichment and
personal training, based on this description it seems to me that the category must
Personal Performance

Task organizers (work):

Municipal activity programs are an instrument (a copy is attached in

annex), designed to develop an idea and submit it for evaluation in various instances
administrative, starting with the certification of budget availability for execution
the described activity continues with the review of the Internal Comptroller's office, to finally if it is
the idea of obtaining a municipal authorization decree has been approved. After this step, we will

initiates the process to acquire goods or services with Internal Purchase Orders (IPO),
reports if required and operation in the Chilecompra Portal for all transactions
that exceed 3 UTM.
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The fundamental work method at the Family House corresponds to the preparation and
organized execution of municipal activity programs for this reason the category is
task organizers, in which the programs function as articulators of
activities and are written by the officials themselves without during the interview
they all reflect on it as their own "literary" production, it is surprising that reading and
everyday writing is not considered in immediate memory, they only think about readings and
writings foreign to the service.

These three categories converge in a model that I call

administrative - normative that is included in the Annual Work Plan and appears as the
dominant literacy practice.

However, I cannot conclude the analysis at this point since other "elements" appear.
susceptible of being analyzed and which adhere to another model whose diagram is observed at
continuation:

.
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DIAGRAM

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY

IMPLICIT MODEL, WEAK, NOT VISIBLE

BUT WHAT IS THE FUND FOR WHICH ASSISTANCE WITH PROBLEMS

OPERATE THE OTHER MODEL. (CONTAINMENT)

FAMILY PROMOTION CATEGORIES

CASE MANAGEMENT

(INTRAFAMILY VIOLENCE AND OTHERS)

DISSEMINATION OF PRINCIPLES AND
TOPICS
VALUES
(BOOKLETS, SCHOOL FOR O
PARENTS Referral of cases
SEGMENTS
(SPECIALIZED ATTENTION)
INSTALLATION OF
CAPABILITIES
(WORKSHOPS)
The diagram shows a model that underlies the practices of the Office.
and that is clearly described in the documents that were reviewed,
DIRECTED VALUE RECREATION two categories clearly appear: Family Promotion and
Assistance with Problems.
(MAGICAL CHEST)
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Family Promotion: I found that the segments; dissemination of principles and

values in educational pamphlets, the installation of capabilities in people and
The value recreation cannot be ignored. The Schools for Parents that is
un programa de orientación para padres representa la intensión del enfoque
promotional so the category is called Family Promotion.

Assistance with Issues: The psychological care of individual cases is

register in this category and its purpose is to provide initial care for
derivar posteriormente a Centros especializados.

The contents of both categories converge in the aforementioned model, and

ésta es la finalidad última de la Casa de la Familia, el Desarrollo Social de la
community, this is the Fund, the foundation that guides the work, but that
is "hidden" by the dominant, visible, and influential practice of the other model.

CONCLUSIONS:

1.- The core of practices observed through the discourse of 4 people and
the Office's own documentation has allowed for the description of two
models.

The conjunction of the models allows for a better understanding of the practice, the

literacy that occurs and is expressed in events mediated by texts, read and
written daily by the officials.

2.- The theme of the family as the center of the theoretically proposed activity,
Contrary to what one might expect, it underlies as a backdrop of the
dominant practice of the administrative-normative model, despite the fact that everything

what is done finds its foundation in the promotion of the family,

transmission of values, the installation of capacities, and intervention in
problems that arise in the family.

3.- The organization of the general office work is described annually in

a work plan that contains the programs that will be developed in the
course of the year from which various activities arise, which emphasizes the
administrative - regulatory character of the dominant model.
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4.- "literacy practices change and the new ones are frequently
acquired by understanding the meaning through learning processes
informal, this principle outlined by Barton and Hamilton (2000) agrees with
the creation of the public procurement system that operates on the Portal
Chilecompra, which has enabled the acquisition of new practices of
literacy in informal learning processes.

5.- Chilecompra is an emerging topic that is progressively becoming present.

in the municipalities and other state services, from the issuing of the
Law No. 19.886.

The management of the supply of goods and services has created a language and
technical writings of their own that allow operation in the Chilecompra Portal and that
it affects and will progressively affect in the sense of understanding and using that

operational language that is learned informally in reading practices

and writing of a large number of public officials.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

THE ONE USED BY YOU.

ANNEXES:

THE TRANSCRIPTION OF AN INTERVIEW MUST BE INCLUDED,

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

ALP., 2006.