Critical Literacy in Canada: A Systematic Review of Curricula and Literature

Authors

  • Jean Kaya University of Calgary
  • Roswita Dressler University of Calgary
  • Kim Lenters University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29606

Keywords:

critical literacy, literacies, equity, social justice, social action

Abstract

Critical literacy is a pedagogy that serves to mediate social justice issues and educate for transformative social action. We present a systematic review of how critical literacy has been incorporated in Canada’s provincial/territorial curriculum documents since the late 1990s and integrated in K-12 classrooms in the last decade. Our analysis shows that critical literacy has been addressed with varying degrees of explicitness in curricula, and there is an imbalance of studies on critical literacies among provinces and territories. We discuss implications and encourage stakeholders in education to explicitly embed critical literacy into curricula and promote critical literacy practices in the classroom.

Author Biographies

Jean Kaya, University of Calgary

Dr. Jean Kaya is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary. His research focuses on critical literacies, language learning and teaching, identities, teacher education, and international education. His recent research has been published in journals such Linguistics and Education, Latinos and Education, and the Journal of International Students. He recently co-authored a chapter in The Handbook of Critical Literacies (2022).

Roswita Dressler, University of Calgary

Dr. Roswita Dressler is an Associate Professor in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She holds an MA in German and a PhD in Education. Her research examines preservice and inservice teachers’ understandings of Second Language Teaching and Learning. Her recent research has been published in journals such as the Canadian Modern Language Review, the Journal of Language, Identity and Education, and Teaching and Teacher Education.

Kim Lenters, University of Calgary

Dr. Kim Lenters holds a Canada Research Chair in Language and Literacy Education at the University of Calgary, where her research focuses on the social and material worlds of children’s literacy development.  Her recent research has been published in journals such as the Reading Teacher, Literacy, Journal of Literacy Research, and Research in the Teaching of English, as well as several edited collections. She is also co-editor of the volume, Affect and Embodiment in Critical Literacy: Assembling Theory and Practice (2020).  

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Published

2022-08-19

How to Cite

Kaya, J., Dressler, R., & Lenters, K. (2022). Critical Literacy in Canada: A Systematic Review of Curricula and Literature . Language and Literacy, 24(2), 25–61. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29606

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 2 (2022): Regular Issue

Section

Articles

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