Are New Zealand’s literacy policies still relevant for the 21st century?

Abstract

Literacy education has changed drastically in recent times as we live at an unprecedented point in history where our technological, communicative and informational paradigms are developing exponentially. Such shifts have resulted in multiplicities of both communication forms and linguistic diversity. What it means to be literate in today’s society, and the skills required to be an active participant in global communities, have significantly changed and will continue to do so. With such developments, there is growing concern that a traditional literacy approach is no longer adequate to equip students with the skills and abilities for future success. Delving deep into the interdiscursive field of literacy policy in Aotearoa, post the establishment of the national literacy strategy in 2000, this research considers whether New Zealand’s literacy policies reflect the changes in our communication environments, and if the current policy approaches are relevant for the 21st century. In this thesis, I relate Aotearoa’s literacy policies to the burgeoning national and international theories and practices of ‘multiliteracies’ and ‘critical literacies’, and to the discourses of social equity and ‘new managerialism’. To facilitate this research, I utilise critical discourse analysis as a systematic framework for analysing and exploring how language and semiotics act as agents in the discursive construction of power relations. The thesis findings indicate that New Zealand literacy policies continue to promote a traditional approach to literacy education that lack relevancy in preparing students to be successful text users and learners in the 21st century.