Denna studie utgår från Bourdieus begrepp kulturellt kapital och undersöker hur socioekonomisk bakgrund, kön och fritidsaktiviteter påverkar högstadieelevers förhållande till läsande och skrivande. Materialet är baserat på två källor, en enkätundersökning och en kvantitativ elevtextanalys där 102 elever i årskurs 9 har deltagit. Syftet med studien är att studera relationen och sambandet mellan elevernas kulturella kapital och läs- och skrivvanor, samt kulturellt kapital och en avgränsad skrivuppgift. Resultatet visar att kulturellt kapital står som en förklarande faktor för skillnader mellan elevers läs- och skrivvanor samt deras sätt att förhålla sig till och utföra en icke betygsgrundande skrivuppgift. Det framkommer också att kön kan komplettera det kulturella kapitalet.

My curiosity concerning what pupils read and write during leisure time led me to gather information using a quantative method. The study's aim is to investigate which reading and writing habits they have during their time outside school. A comparison was done of pupils at school year level 3 and level 4 in two different schools with the intention of investigating the influence of social background on reading and writing habits. 137 pupils filled in survey forms and thereafter the MYSTAT statistic program was used to process the information. The results point towards that the pupils read story books both more often and for a longer time than any other type of literature and that they read them often or very seldom.

This essay elucidates upper secondary students? literacy practices, (literacy events, literacy competencies and literacy culture) during a typical day, with focus on the daily literacy practices. A literacy ethnographic study conducted in the environment which participants naturally are, at home, at school and in leisure. The study is inspired of a project, Skriftbruk i arbetslivet, ´Literacy Practices in Working Life´, that conducted by Anna-Malin Karlsson, Per Ledin and Olle Josephson, in collaboration with Vetenskapsrådet ´Science Council´(2002-2004).The result of this study shows that students from professional preparing programs not use such literacy competencies that been tested in traditionally reading comprehension test, particularly much. However, do they read a lot during the literacy practices day by television, computer and mobile phone.

In the discourse of teaching it?s often mentioned that the pupil?s previous knowledge and experience plays an important part in the process of learning. For the teachers it?s in general crucial to be familiar with their pupils abilities and skills, talents and shortcomings in order to successfully teach them. Knowledge and an understanding of their pupils, also helps the teacher to organize and customize a successful teaching for each individual.