Stephen Black|Keiko Yasukawa
The literacy myth continues: adapting Graff’s thesis to contemporary policy discourses on adult ‘foundation skills’ in Australia
University of Technology Sydney|University of Technology Sydney
harvey graff 1979 study literacy taught common schools midnineteenth century canada demonstrated beliefs acquisition literacy upward mobility economic success myth moreover literacy instruction promoted educational reformers manufacturers means controlling working class masses instilling traits including thrift order punctuality required employment factories paper consider thesis adapted describe contemporary national adult literacy policy discourse australia main drivers australias national policy peak industry associations skills agencies human capital rationale promotion literacy derived largely powerful influence organisation economic cooperation development oecd critique discourse literacy reference studies conceptualise literacy social practices including one recent australian study three manufacturing companies reinforce claim literacy myth relation economic development continues contemporary adult literacy policy explain social control function adult literacy education continues interests industry elites capitalist relations production