A critical reading of arts education policy in South Africa

Rabinowitz, Lindsey

A critical reading of arts education policy in South Africa

Master Thesis

1999

Abstract

The transformation of the educational system since 1994 has been marked by a multitude of policy documents envisaging change at a number oflevels. This study sets out to explore possible ways in which the arts education policy could be taken up by those who must read and act on them. i.e. educators at sites oflearning. The subject of this study are the policy documents which have been analysed through quantitative analysis and discourse analysis. Quantitative analysis assisted in the initial phase of identifying themes in the policy documents; Parker's discourse analytic framework was used to unpack the themes exposed in greater depth. The results revealed different ways of conceiving arts education, all of which have possibilities and limitations for practice. In addition, the study raised concerns regarding competing discourses across the documents, namely the hegemony of the political discourse over aesthetic considerations for arts education.

Keywords

Education Support

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