A survey of middle years students’ perceptions of aesthetic literacies, their importance and inclusion in curriculum and the workforce

Abstract

The ways in which we communicate have expanded substantially. Not only are we expected to read and create print-based text but also those that include images and other modes. To effectively make meaning from contemporary texts, students need to know about aesthetics, that is, how various texts are appreciated and presented. However, evidence suggests that limited attention to aesthetics occurs in schools. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent middle years students understand the importance of aesthetics in their school and work across different professions. To address this, we share data from a survey distributed to two schools and completed by 80 middle years students aged 8–13 years of age. The survey aimed to determine these students’ knowledge and understanding of aesthetics and their associated literacies and if they knew of their inclusion in the curriculum. We also asked about their knowledge of aesthetics in different jobs. Findings showed that students are aware of aesthetics in society and work, but they also indicated that they did not feel they had been taught these important literacies at school despite thinking they could improve their grades. These findings suggest that teachers and students may require more development in the area of aesthetic literacies to enhance language and material resources for meaning making. It is hoped that research on aesthetic literacies can provide further insight on their importance in preparing students to be job ready.