MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDY

SKBI 6153 LANGUAGE AND LITERACIES

ASSIGNMENT TASK

NAME RAIHAN BT MOHD RAMLEE @ MOHD

YACOB
MATRICULATION P110815
NUMBER
SUBMISSION MAY 24TH, 2021
DATE
LECTURER PROF. DR. HAZITA AZMAN
PART A: CONCEPTUALIZATION OF LITERACY

Based on the graph below, explain the developmental process in achieving literacy as
depicted in the figure given:

The world has evolved immensely in the past sixty or so years and, along the journey, has
been in a dispute, many of our long-standing conjectures regarding literacy and language, to
such length that a rethinking of what is insinuated by literacy is somehow needed. Little that
we know, how literacy is discerned held enormous implications for policy-makers,
practitioners, researchers and students, be it in the governments, workplaces or even in an
institution for which literacy are preferred and supported because the way we define literacy
can probably lead to various conclusions about the extent of illiteracy. Moreover, the
meaning of literacy has been defined in various and from time to time, in contradictory ways.
Certain definitions focus on the skills that are needed by individuals for education, work and
also for everyday living of social engagements. While on the other side, the tendency is more
on the social focus, including particular subjects and those which empower specific societies
enabling them to justify the status quo. It is the way literacy is defined that help configures
the development of policies including the teaching and learning processes.

Nowadays, the definition of literacy are no longer revolves around individual skills that were
aimed in rising national productivity, instead, it focuses more on the tendency of
sustainability of literate citizenry. It is crucial for people to understood the evolutions of
literacy against a background of extensive cognitive skills, intellectual, competence, ideology
and critical changes. There are a few key factors that have contributed in shaping the
contemporary comprehension of literacy. To begin with, in today’s fast pacing world,
education is no longer confined to the epoch of formal schooling, instead, it is perceived as a
lifelong experience. As can be seen in the diagram, underpinning the characteristics of being
literate is actually the possession of cognitive skills. Back then, people were categorised by
their lifelong careers or their status quo in the society without even taking their rate of
literacy into consideration. Today however, the skills that we possessed has somehow
evolved from basic rudimentary skills to the skills of adaptability, problem solving,
multitasking, decision making, high order thinking skills and also mobility. This is because,
with the influence of post-modern literacies, the old ways of thinking have been significantly
challenged. Intellectuality has widely spread in our society nowadays, thus making language
seems as arbitrary and indefinite. Notions like reality, sexuality and morality are no longer
viewed in definite terms but as an interrelated issues and somehow aiming for homogeneity
and standard practices. Thus making literacy a social construction with competency being the
key factor, instead of autonomous and universal.

Other than that, in spite of the aforementioned definite cultural classification, our society has
successfully dismantled the stereotypes and replaced it by a variation of perspectives. For
example, the replacement of monoculturalism with multiculturalism, diversity of literacies
replace the idea of a single literacy. More recognition is given to the occurrences of the
marginalised and oppressed compared to what happened in the past. This new ideological
way of literacy has shown that there is a new inclusiveness and diversity celebrated in today’s
society.

Moving to the stage of critical literacy, as distinct structure of knowledge are broken down,
they are substituted by interdisciplinary studies. As an example, conceptual and theoretical
progressions in literacy have been affected by the exertion of anthropologists, linguists,
historians and also psychologists. Later then, the structure of knowledge are further been
observed and viewed in terms of skills and progression that must be acquired. These
extensive changes have had an effect in the field of education, leading the teaching and
learning practices to become more student-centred. Knowledge and information are no longer
simply imparted from the teacher to the students, instead, our students nowadays are actively
engaged in constructing their own experiences of learning. Success is no longer measured in
paper and examination as formulated goals but in terms of outcomes statements by the
students. The focus is leaning towards ‘learning how to learn’ instead of the digestion of facts
and information. The invalidation of traditional ways of thinking has enhanced the learners’
abilities to enquire texts and the prevailing ideologies. Literacy today has a come compelling
critical extent, whether it is conceptualised as rudimentary skills or as a scope of various
practices.
PART B: DEFINING LITERACY

Based on the multiple definitions given in the readings and the lecture notes:
Explain the descriptions of literacy below which illustrate the following concepts of Literacy.

1. Literacy is a social practice.

Literacy is actually an embodiment of multiple social experiences that requires more modes
of representation than it ever was. It lingers like a mote of dust, suspended in every corner of
our multi-diverse society. This thinking found its roots back to the Ideological Model of
Literacy by Brian Street, 1984, that posits literacy as social practices in today’s constantly
changing world. It is not just a technical and neutral set of skills, instead it is about the ways
of how ones address reading and writing rooted in conceptions of knowledge, identity, and
being. As an example given in the article entitled ‘The New Literacy Studies and Teaching
Literacy: Where We Were and Where We Are Going’:

Literacy Event Literacy Practice Social Practice

Sending a message Facebook messaging Facebooking to a friend in the next corridor.

If literacy as social practices are to be described in physical terms, it pretty much will look
like this diagram.

2. Literacy is multidimensional.

Nowadays, multidimensional view of literacy is pretty much needed, that takes into account
its four core dimensions; linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural and developmental. This Stephen
B. Kucer's research explores how literacy is somehow not compartmentalized, but
rather, multidimensional. Hence to dispel the analogy that literacy is all about reading and
writing skills. In literacy, the developmental dimension or the critical literacy avail of the
cognitive and sociocultural in order to comprehend the world better and become aware of the
marginalised thus advocate for changes. Literacy is a great social tools for changes to happen
and it is useful to emancipate the oppressed in fighting for their rights, as in the light of current
events, the flare up of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Considering the four core dimensions of
literacy as crucially equal and interwoven gives a full and multidimensional view of literacy
where each of the dimensions completes the others.

3. Literacy is beyond reading and writing skills.

As what underlies in the literacy is beyond reading and writing skills is that literacy is no
longer viewed as finite, but rather as a flexible set of skills that are mainly linked to context
and also purpose. According to Bartlett, the New Literacy Studies began with the pioneering
research of Freire in 1970 which then further discussed by Giroux (1983) and Bordieu (1977)
that addresses the analysis of communication and therefore interaction. Contemporary
perspective of literacy have progressed far beyond simple printed-based literacy to enclose
notions of literate citizenry, social engagement, technological information, critical with
creative thinking, linguistic and also cultural multiplicity. The diversity of literacy practices
has given critical implication to the education field especially by the use of the terms ‘literate
practices’ and ‘multiliteracies’, in order to highlight the diversity of ways on how we use the
non-verbal, spoken, print, visual and social engagements. This is supported by one of the
example adopted by the Tasmania government school in 1997 that emphasised on literacy as
the ability to read as well as to write and use written knowledge properly and deliver it in a
range of context. However, it also focuses on the integration of listening, speaking, viewing
and using critical thinking which act as enabler for people to recognise and use language
appropriately in various social-dependent situation.

4. There is no divide between literacy and orality.

There is no divide between literacy and orality as both of the skills coexisting with one
another. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, literacy has always been linked to the idea of reading
books and writing poems or letters with the language structure, collected over time in our
mind. It was perceived as a set of skills that need to be mastered in order for ones to be
considered literate, for which the skills were normally taught in school. However, in the mid
of the 80’s, literacy was later recognised as a social practice and a social experience that need
orality and communication for it to be executed. The literacy has evolved as a social
construction rather than just a reading and writing skills, thus leading to communication in
every engagement. This celebrated theory of literacy and orality is inspired by Walter Ong’s
that were later develops the theme running through much of Ruth Finnegan’s oeuvre, further
discuss the continuity and relationship between these two apparent points. The underlying
researches focuses on historical, theoretical and comparative field but is also engaging with
crystal clear case studies throughout the horizon, especially in Africa and Fiji where most of
her researches take place.

5. Literacy is about making sense of the world and reshaping it.

Literacy is about making sense of the world and reshaping it for a better literate citizenry.
This is because, as we are all aware that by becoming a literate society, it will vastly
enhances economic production and growth, boosting self-esteem and empowerment, provides
immense benefits for safety and health while strengthens one's relationships and civic
engagement. As mentioned by Emily Musil Church in her article; Literacy Changes Lives,
changes of the world starts at the heart of education therefore where literacy takes place. In
other word, literacy is actually central to the right of education set forth in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, where society are encourage to empower themselves and at the
same time, empower their community.
PART C: MODELS OF LITERACY

Provide the differences between the TWO MODELS OF LITERACY in terms of:

AUTONOMOUS MODEL IDEOLOGICAL MODEL

CONCEPTUALIZATION The conceptualization of The conceptualization of
this model is stressing on the this model is viewing
literacy as the expression of literacy as a social practice
a ones’s intellectual abilities and as also a social
and diversity psychological responsibility.
tests are used to
There are diversity of
acknowledge the rate of
learner-centred literacies
literacy.
involving a various scope of
Illiteracy is viewed as a skills and comprehension,
deficit, with ones held including technological
wholly accountable for this literacies.
lack.
Critical thinking skills hold
Literacy is considered an important role as enabler
independent and mainly in this conception.
print-based.
Ethnographic approaches are
The underlying purpose of adopted and adapted as
literacy is to permeate medium of assessment .
acceptance of the main
The focus is stressing on the
ideologies into society and
social context which
its explicit purpose is to
practising literacy and a
encourage the economic
consequent shift take place
development.
 This model is aligned with from shallow vocational
the concept of human capital resultant for ones to more
and knowledge has become holistic outcomes regarding
a commodity to be exported empowerment and capacity-
to other country. building for both individuals
and societies.

DEFINITION This model views literacy as This model posits that

a set of skills that need to be literacy is a social practice
mastered. that can be learned and
gained through various
changeable and
situationally-dependent
social context.
EXAMPLES OF One of the example for One of the example for
LITERACY EVENTS literacy events in regards of literacy events in regards of
the Autonomous Model is the Ideological Model is the
the advent of public stages of child development.
schooling.
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