Stories of ‘successful’ readers: Matristic ontologies of emotioning, reciprocating and (de)growing

Abstract

This article responds to debates about what affects/effects reading in the primary school years, with a focus on tracing examples of matristic ontologies that foster success. We offer matristic ontologies, which are ‘an entirely different concept of life, one based not on domination and hierarchies but on the relational web of life’, as alternative pedagogies for nurturing success in reading in the primary school years. Drawing on decolonial theorising of matriarchal cultures, we attempt to rupture patriarchal ontologies that value individual freedom, competition and growth and underpin children's reading success. Instead, we explore the matristic ontology whereby communal worlds organised around reciprocal relationships support reading success. Using interviews with children who made better-than-expected learning gains in reading during the primary school years, along with their parents and teachers, we highlight their accounts of the criteria for being a successful reader during this period. We consider how aspects of a matristic ontology, grounded in emotioning, reciprocating and (de)growing rupture, challenge the coloniality of literacy and learning to read, thereby nurturing in(ter)dependent reading that is responsive to students, teachers and parents alike.