Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Changing Face of Literacy in New Zealand’s School Journal. Part Two, 1939–2015: From Nationhood and Dewey’s Progressive System to Neoliberal and Socio-cultural Influences, and Uniformity

  • Article
  • Published:
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Since its inception in 1907 New Zealand’s School Journal has provided primary schools with free good quality material to be used for a variety of purposes in the classroom. At the same time, in reflecting curriculum reforms and changing perceptions of literacy learning, it has reproduced often conflicting ideologies. This article examines the Journal in relation to two periods of major change in education. The first of these extends from 1939 through to the 1980s, during which the initiatives of Labour Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, and subsequent rolling reforms led to what could be considered the Journal’s heyday with an increased emphasis on the national identity, literature of a high standard, and a burgeoning romanticism. The second extends from 1984–2015—a period in which another Labour government (but one heavily influenced by the worlds of commerce and culture) implemented reforms with such speed and crusading zeal they were termed a “blitzkrieg”. Ultimately leading to an emphasis in education on the one hand, on skills, standards, and achievement, and on the other hand, ethnicity and socio-culturalism, they have positioned the Journal as almost the polar opposite of its 1960s–1980s counterpart, and in some respects as similar to its earlier twentieth century forebears, as a final survey will show.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bell, R. (2014). A window for revisionism: Presenting Te Tiriti in the primary school bulletins. New Zealand Journal of History, 48(2), 119–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, A., Dryburgh, M., & Johnston, D. (2012). Empire to nationhood: Heroism in natural disaster stories for children. History of Education Review, 41(1), 20–37. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/08198691211235554.

  • Bieringer, A. (producer). (2016). Notes on The heART of the matter. Retrieved March 12, 2017, from https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/heart-of-the-matter-2016 accessed 12 March 2017.

  • Bieringer, L. (director). (2016). The heART of the matter. Film screened during The international festival of the arts, Wellington

  • Campbell, A. (2001). Interview with the author (unpublished). Wellington.

  • Campbell, A. (Accessed 2001). Letters from the editor in response to School Journal submissions. Held in National Archives, Molesworth Street, Wellington.

  • Codd, J., Harker, R., & Nash, R. (1990). Political issues in New Zealand education. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earle, P. (1954). The informative article in the School Journal 1907-1948. MA Thesis. Victoria University, Wellington.

  • Ewing, J. (1970). Development of the New Zealand primary school curriculum 1877-1970. Wellington: NZCER.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibbons, P. (2006). The history of Mr Anderson’s writing: Discourse and author/ity in a settler society. In C. Coleborne, M. Houlihan, & H. Morrison (Eds.), Telling lives: Essays in biography and history (pp. 29–43). Hamilton: University of Waikato.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilderdale, B. (1995). Colonial and post-colonial children’s literature: New Zealand. In P. Hunt (Ed.), Children’s literature: An illustrated history (pp. 343–351). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasenby, J. (2001). Interview with the author (unpublished). Wellington.

  • Locke, T. (2002). English teaching in New Zealand: The current state of play. Retrieved May 4, 2016, from https://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/files/etpc/files/2002v1n1art4.html.

  • Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1997). Shaping the social practices of reading. In S. Muspratt, A. Luke, & P. Freebody (Eds.), Construction of critical literacies. Hampton, NJ: Creskill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malone, E. P. (1973). The New Zealand school journal and the imperial ideology. New Zealand Journal of History, 7(1), 12–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, G., & Benton, R. (1992). The Beeby fascicles (Vol. 2). Wellington: Te Aro Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGeorge, C. (1993). Race, empire, and the Maori in the New Zealand primary school curriculum 1880-1940. In J. A. Mangin (Ed.), The imperial school curriculum: Racial images and education in British colonial experience (pp. 64–78). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mein Smith, P. (2005). A concise history of New Zealand. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (1985). Reading in junior classes. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (1990). School Journal catalogue 1974−1989. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (1994). English in the New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2009). The New Zealand curriculum reading and writing standards for years 1 to 8. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2010a). The literacy learning progressions: Meeting the reading and writing demands of the curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2010b). The New Zealand curriculum update. Education Gazette 3.

  • Ministry of Education. (2011). The New Zealand curriculum update. Education Gazette 13.

  • Moore, H. (2008). Imag-Ining ourselves: Illustration and identity in the New Zealand School Journal. History of education review, 37(2), 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, G. (Ed.). (2007). A nest of singing birds: 100 years of the New Zealand School Journal. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Openshaw, R. (2010). ‘Disadvantaged by a Pākehā based education system’. The impact of biculuturalism on radical educational reform in New Zealand. Journal of the Pacific circle consortium for education, 22(2), 5–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Openshaw, R. (2013). ‘A blank page approach’? Diverse influences on New Zealand’s Picot taskforce deliberations, 1987–1988. New Zealand Journal of History, 47(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Openshaw, R. (2014). Picot report/‘tomorrow’s schools’. Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://dehanz.net.au/entries/picot-reporttomorrows-schools/accessed.

  • Openshaw, R. & McKenzie, D. (1987). Reinterpreting the educational past. Wellington: NZCER.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picot, B. (1988). Administering for excellence: Report of the taskforce to review education administration (the Picot report), Wellington.

  • Price, H. (2000). Lo! I am on an ox: Teaching reading in New Zealand, 1877 to 2000. Wellington: Gondwanaland Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ranger, L. (1995). Laura's poems. Wellington: Godwit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, M. A. (1988). Ideology, hegemony and the New Zealand School Journal: A comparative and critical analysis of two selected topics, 1907–1914, 1930–1940. MA Thesis, University of Otago, New Zealand.

  • Robinson, R., & Wattie, N. (Eds.). (1998). The Oxford companion to New Zealand literature. Auckland: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • School Journal Survey (1970s). 1970, 1.1; 1970, 1.4; 1973, 1.4; 1976, 1.3; 1971, 2.1; 1973, 2.3; 1976, 2.3; 1976, 3.3; 1977, 3.2; 1978, 3.2.

  • School Journal Survey (2011/12). 2011, level 2 (August); 2012, level 2 (February); 2012, level 2 (May); 2012, level 2 (August): 2011, level 3 (September); 2011, level 3 (November); 2012, level 3 (February); 2012, level 3 (April); 2012, level 3 (June): 2012, level 3 (September).

  • School Journals (1939–2015) see in-text citations.

  • Smith, F. (1990). Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, J. (1982). Shaping the Journal. Education, 1, 14–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trevor, R. (1982). This singular publication: Reading and the School Journal. Education, 1, 26–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tunmer, W., Chapman, J., Greaney, K., Prochnow, J., & Arrow. W. (2013). Why the New Zealand national literacy strategy has failed and what can be done about it: Evidence from the progress in international reading literacy study (PIRLS) 2011 and reading recovery monitoring reports http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms/Massey%20News/2013/8/docs/Report-National-Literacy-Strategy-2013.pdf accessed 6 May 2016.

  • Van Rij, V. (2017). The changing face of literacy in New Zealand's School Journal. Part one, 1907 to 1978: From imperialism to romaticism and security. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 3(5), 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waite-Stuplansky, S. (1997). Building understanding together: A constructivist approach to early childhood education. London, NY: Delmar Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westra, A. (2001). Interview with the author (unpublished). Auckland.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Victoria University of Wellington, 15C Waiteata Road, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand

    Vivien van Rij

Authors
  1. Vivien van Rij
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vivien van Rij.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 1.

Table 1 A comparison of genres in ten Parts 1, 2 and 3 School Journals from the 1970s, and ten Levels 2 and 3 School Journals from 2011/12
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

van Rij, V. The Changing Face of Literacy in New Zealand’s School Journal. Part Two, 1939–2015: From Nationhood and Dewey’s Progressive System to Neoliberal and Socio-cultural Influences, and Uniformity. NZ J Educ Stud 53, 5–36 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-017-0097-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-017-0097-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation