Discursively complex identities of New Zealand teachers of writing in times of contestation and change

Changes in political, social and educational curriculum policies over the past four decades have created discursive shifts in writing theory and practice for New Zealand primary teachers. While these policies have historically privileged a particular view of writing over others, very little is known as to how teachers engage with experienced discourses of writing.Three broad conceptual metaphors, taking a ‘writer’, ‘text’ and ‘social’ perspective, frame the writing theories and practices and provide a context for the development of heuristic markers used to analyse the teachers’ interviews. Discourse analysis revealed teachers’ complex identities and knowledge or lack of, available writing discourses.

► Teachers experience continual curriculum changes in the writing classroom. ► I use a metaphorical framework to examine discourses in writing. ► The framework reveals discourse markers for analysis. ► Teachers’ identities are shaped and positioned in dominant, merging and/or contested discourses. ► Teachers and educators need to be aware of discourses made available or omitted in the writing classroom.