Where are the students? - A close reading of priorities and silences in scholarly and public debates on VCE English (1990-2021)

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Levi

Debates about subject English in Australia are often held within senior curriculum structures. Anticipating the 2022 release of the new Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) English study design for 2023 implementation, the paper reviews research status by mapping research interests, evidence types, and gaps. Using a hybrid narrative scoping review and intersecting scholarly, professional, and media discourse from 1990–2021, it finds student experience and the enacted curriculum largely omitted, then proposes new inquiry directions for senior secondary English in Australia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methodology

Situatedness and positionality

Narrative and scoping review approach

Framing questions and conclusions

Where are the students? A close reading of priorities and silences in scholarly and public debates on VCE English (1990–2021) Allayne Horton1 · Larissa McLean Davies1 Received: 13 November 2021 / Accepted: 30 May 2022 © The Author(s) 2022 Abstract Debates about subject English in Australia are often conducted through the senior years curriculum. In light of the anticipated interest in the new Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) English study design released in 2022 to be implemented in 2023, this paper outlines the current state of research on the VCE English subject by mapping areas of interest, types of evidence and gaps in research. The authors utilise a hybrid approach of narrative scoping review to identify methodological and thematic trends in the scholarly literature, and intersecting professional and media discourse on VCE English from 1990 to 2021. Finding that the student experience and the enacted curriculum have been largely elided, the paper identifies fresh lines of inquiry into VCE English and advocates for new discussions around scholarly interest and approaches to senior secondary English in Australia. Keywords Senior English · VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) · Subject English · Narrative scoping review Background The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) English subject is a key tenet of Victorian students’ senior secondary education. In order to receive their VCE, students must complete at least three units from the English subjects; the most generalistand populist of these offerings is the VCE English course, with over 41,000 students sitting the exam in recent years (VCAA, 2021a) . The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2014) (VCAA) recently undertook a review of the VCE English curriculum (see VCAA, 2014) including “the rationale for and focus of the study”, organisation of “knowledge and skills” and assessment components (VCAA, * Allayne Horton [allayne.horton@unimelb.edu.au](allayne.horton@unimelb.edu.au) 1 Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia 1 3 2021b), resulting in a new Study Design released publicly in March, 2022 (see VCAA, 2022) . Through various iterations since its inception in 1990, 1 VCE English has been a continuous magnet for scholarly, professional and media debate. Thus, it is unsurprising that comments on teacher agency as well as the knowledge and skills contained in the 2023 Study Design have already begun to emerge (Carey, 2019) . The topic of VCE English offers an enlightening microcosm for curriculum development and reception in Australia. In short, the 1980s marked the beginning of Victoria’s consolidation towards one matriculating pathway for senior secondary students. In 1982, the newly elected Labor government, emboldened by a reformist agenda and later the Blackburn Report (1985), which recommended a broadening of the curriculum in line with increasing student participation in Years 11 and 12, took action to reshape post-compulsory education in Victoria (Howells, 2003/2019) . These sweeping changes became the VCE: the standardised certification for all government and non-government schools, colleges and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions. Under the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board (VCAB), VCE English was one of three core subjects to be implemented in 1990 alongside maths and Australian Studies, replacing the multiple and divergent Englishes taught across the state (Gill, 1994) . Through various iterations in the following three decades, VCE English has maintained its status as a central feature of the VCE qualification as well as an area of keen public and scholarly interest. This paper utilises elements of scoping and narrative review to lay the foundations for fresh and targeted research on VCE English by opening new conversations about preoccupations and underexplored areas. More broadly, this research contributes to investigations into the ways

FAQs

What is the central focus of the paper on VCE English debates?

It examines priorities and silences in scholarly and public debates on VCE English, emphasizing how research has treated (or omitted) the student experience and the enacted curriculum.

Which research methods does the paper use to map trends and gaps?

It uses a hybrid approach combining narrative scoping review with an intersection of scholarly, professional, and media discourse from 1990 to 2021.

Why does the paper argue new research discussions are needed for senior secondary English in Australia?

It identifies that scholarship has largely elided enacted curriculum and student experience, calling for fresh lines of inquiry and new discussions aligned with the contemporary policy moment.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Levi