Academic research and public debates: A media analysis of the proposed Australian phonics check

This chapter engages with current public and political debates on the teaching of literacy in the early years in which the dominant voices advocate for one best method of teaching literacy. Such debates often surface in media coverage and give rise to negative public perceptions of literacy learning in schools. We take as an example the recent move to introduce a Phonics Check into the early years of schooling in Australia, as a way into thinking about whose voices are heard and come to matter in policy debates, and the impact of contemporary communications methods, particularly social media, on policy debates. The policy suggestion has been billed as working toward the provision of important information about young children to their teachers, but has been critiqued for presenting nonsense words to young readers, and for ignoring the professional capacity of early years’ teachers in knowing and assessing the capabilities and needs of the children they are teaching, without the requirement for standardised tests. We examine this policy, which is part of a suite of policy initiatives that risk creating an imbalance between professionalism and prescription in schools in current times, and provide an analysis of the debate in contemporary print and social media