Adult literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand: Policy, potential and pitfalls

Authors

  • Jane Furness Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato
  • Judy Hunter Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/nzaroe.v22i0.4149

Keywords:

literacy education, literacy policy, adult education

Abstract

Policy aimed at increasing adult literacy and numeracy skills has been a strong focus of the New Zealand Ministry of Education since the launch of More than Words: The New Zealand Adult Literacy Strategy in 2001. This policy and the foundation learning strand in consecutive Tertiary Education Strategies since 2002 have involved significant sector investment. This article examines the current state of adult literacy policy, its trajectory, potential, and pitfalls. Applying a sociomaterial perspective, we explore how the discourse of adult literacy is well embedded in dominant ideologies of individual responsibility and entrepreneurialism. We argue that interest in other perspectives that offer the hope of a more inclusive society must be supported through broad dissemination of alternative material text and artefacts.

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Author Biographies

Jane Furness, Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato

Jane Furness has recently completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, Faculty of Education at the University of Waikato where she is now a Research Fellow. She is also a Research Fellow and Teaching Fellow in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Jane has worked in the area of adult learning and adult and family literacy education for over twenty years with a particular focus on social justice and wellbeing Her doctoral research explored the wellbeing outcomes for individuals, families and communities from adults' participation in family-focused adult literacy programmes.

Judy Hunter, Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato

Judy Hunter is a Senior Research Fellow at the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, the University of Waikato and doctoral supervisor at the University of Waikato Faculty of Education. Her research focuses on understanding how people make sense of their world through language and literacy in use, particularly those from marginalised populations.

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Published

2017-12-19

Issue

Vol. 22 (2017): New Zealand Annual Review of Education

Section

Articles

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