Art education in New Zealand: issues of culture, diversity and difference

Abstract

New Zealand is becoming increasingly multicultural and its school population progressively diverse. Ministry of Education policy documents present policy and curriculum direction which acknowledge the value of New Zealand's bicultural identity and multicultural society. These policies impact on the field investigated, secondary school art education. Developed under the influence of neo-liberal political theory, which emphasises economic sustainability rather than principles of social justice, they raise issues of the position and value of art education in the contemporary age of globalisation. Cultural theorists claim that schooling has a responsibility to educate for an equitable democratic society. Multicultural art education theorists argue that art education can make a significant contribution towards democratic practices. Evident in the literature from within New Zealand is critical, theoretical and philosophical debate on the framing of the arts curriculum and its socio-political and cultural contexts. There is no evidence, however, of practical investigation into how secondary school art teachers are interpreting and implementing the visual arts discipline in the arts curriculum or exploring the underlying issues of cultural diversity in an increasingly multiculturalised society. The thesis is underpinned by a critique of interpretations of culture, diversity and difference, an interrogation of pedagogical practices for culturally inclusive art education, and a critical analysis of curriculum policy. The research investigated, through case study fieldwork in secondary schools, the extent to which policy and curriculum directives and art education practice take into account the ethnic diversity and cultural differences of students from diverse cultures living in a contemporary globalised world.