Whole-Language Research: Foundations and Development

Whole language is a grass-roots movement among teachers that is based on research. It integrates the holistic, psychological research of Piaget, Vygotsky, and schema theorists with the social, functional-linguistic research of Michael Halliday. It uses the research on the reading and writing processes and on reader response to literature. This research base is unified with the strong humanistic traditions of holistic movements in education that go back at least as far as Comenius. Whole-language teachers have a philosophy of education with this strong base in theory and research that they use to make practical decisions and to plan innovation. They take responsibility for knowing the research. In many cases they become researchers and co-researchers in their own classrooms. For these reasons, whole-language practice is getting ahead of theory and research. Researchers have the opportunity to do research in authentic holistic learning settings that were not available in traditional schools. So they can explore literacy and cognitive development, as well as learning and teaching, in innovative ways. Whole-language teachers are eager for the support of researchers, but it is up to the researchers to demonstrate their relevance.