A BETTER READ WITH MEANING-MAKING
AS we race towards becoming a developed nation, many have been made aware that a wellinformed and critical citizenry is crucial for the survival of a democracy. One way in which a citizenry becomes well-informed is by possessing a strong reading culture. Yet, although Malaysia’s literacy levels are known to be considerably high, with the youth’s literacy rates being reported by Unesco to be at 98 per cent, Malaysians are not known for being ardent readers.
We believe there are at least three reasons for this finding.
FIRST, literacy, which is generally understood as reading and writing, is subsumed under language education in the Malaysian context. This has significant implications for how school literacy is perceived and treated.
Our own research has shown that Malaysians who are schooled to be literate in multiple languages often also fail to be encultured with the broader, deeper practice of reading for pleasure. While it is understandable that Malaysia’s education policies are, and indeed must be, historically and socioculturally shaped by the country’s identification with language instruction due largely to its multilingually-rich context, it is the reticence in literacy matters that needs voicing. This silence, if nationally not addressed, will result in perpetuating the already uneven development of literacy culture, where those largely from privileged backgrounds continue to benefit from growing up in literacy-rich homes.
SECOND, literacy research in the Malaysian context is still scarce. In contrast with research in language education, literacy research has not received sufficient attention. This is also a reflection of research in literacy education in the Southeast Asian region where new efforts must be made for charting trajectories and initiating conversations. These conversations must be located in local communities and must account for how our postcolonial past collides with our current developing-nation, socioeconomically-driven status that go on to shape education, language and literacy policies.
THIRD, Malaysian educationists tend to define literacy in narrow terms. To view reading and writing as being largely about decoding serves to reduce the experience of “meaning-making”. This view impacts the way reading and writing are rigidly assessed in school contexts. Standardised tests that assume all children read and comprehend texts in the same way can shortchange actual readers’ genuine efforts in making sense of nonmainstream texts.
We argue that being able to read must mean more than being able to comprehend alphabetic texts which are often prescribed by a powerful other. We urge educators and policymakers to take on a paradigm shift and acknowledge how reading and writing is changing in the 21st century. Particularly, the sociocultural perspective of literacy and education has been found to be a powerful means that speaks to matters of inequality, marginalisation and social injustice as they relate to Malaysians sustaining literacy practices.
Some of our cross-continent research demonstrate how a perspective that takes into account the context, background and even geography of the individual reader is able to rationalise and localise literacy challenges which marginalised communities face.
More importantly, this broad perspective that considers multiple forms of meaning-making is able to address how reading can mean differently to different communities. Armed with such consideration, new dimensions of what it means to read and to make meaning from symbols surrounding that community can be created so that being literate can be understood from inclusive positions. This inclusivity not only accounts for technological advancements which have altered the way young Malaysians negotiate web content but recognises as-yet undiscovered ways through which communities make meaning in their day-today living.
Malaysia will benefit from a broad understanding that sees literacy not merely as an economic or educational measure driven by a narrow definition, but as a way of life. Literacy for life will place meaning-making above the plane of simple decoding. This requires a mindset change that embraces a range of meaningmaking platforms which prioritise contexts. Once meaningmaking is recognised as being central to the act of reading, alphabetic reading can then be made an annex to the larger meaning-making experience. Such new dimensions for reading will allow us to make the most of how literacy is lived and experienced.