Communicative practices and participation in school councils

This project focused on children's participation in decision making and the communicative practices that enhance democratic processes in schools. The study was an action-orientated research project, and it drew on a methodology known as participatory rural appraisal' to introduce visual strategies for communication. This article focuses on the analysis of existing communicative practices within school councils and the kind of literacy dominant in this setting. Analysis of these practices illuminated the extent to which children were marginalised. Analysis of the wider implications showed that the important factor influencing participation was not the kind of literacy practiced but the ways in which social policy shaped that literacy. The chapter was delivered as a paper at the international launch of the book. The editor of the book is a leader in the field of New Literacy Studies. There was a 50% contribution from each researcher.