Loading...
Examining the paradoxes children experience in language and literacy learning
Auld, Glenn O’Mara, Joanne Cloonan, Anne Delphine, Tim Eyers, Andrew Nicholas, Maria Ohi, Sarah Paatsch, Louise Pangrazio, Luci Quick, Joanne Ruth
Auld, Glenn
O’Mara, Joanne
Cloonan, Anne
Delphine, Tim
Eyers, Andrew
Nicholas, Maria
Ohi, Sarah
Paatsch, Louise
Pangrazio, Luci
Quick, Joanne Ruth
Abstract
Paradoxes are particularly problematic in literacy as they often complicate learning. However, identifying and examining them can also tell us something about the inherent problems within social, political, and educational systems. This paper reports on an analysis of a total of 205 AJLL articles and editorials, published between 2011 and 2021. The purpose of the study was to identify the paradoxes associated with student language and literacy learning. The systematic literature review identified 311 instances of paradoxes across these 205 articles. Thirty instances of paradoxical terminology associated with student literacy learning were selected from the 311 instances. The excluded 271 instances of paradox were associated with policy contexts, teacher performance, and accountabilities, which are outside the scope of this article. The research in the 205 articles found that literacy learning was shaped by the skills of literacy learning, the complexity of student learning through standardised approaches, and textual plurality. The contexts of literacy learning spanned the virtual and real, the implications of national testing on local situations, and the changing nature of text and what it means to be literate. This review identified that students negotiate paradoxes associated with the risks of standardised testing, the narrowing of the writing curriculum, and understanding the variety of textual forms and practices. Identifying and examining these paradoxes will help address some of the persistent problems in literacy learning faced by students and teachers.
Keywords
paradox, literacy learning, literacy skills, literacy context, becoming literate
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Journal of Language and Literacy
Book
Volume
45
Issue
2
Page Range
183-198
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open