Multimodality, Educational Policy, and Secondary School English Language Learners: Reflection and Analysis

Abstract

This study was inspired by the Identity Through Art project, where multimodal, multilingual, and project-based literacy learning enhanced student engagement, identity affirmation, and language development among secondary English language learners (ELLs). Using a mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative document analysis with keyword frequency counts, the study examined whether four Ontario literacy and assessment documents for ELLs, STEPs to English Proficiency (Secondary ESL), The English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development Curriculum, Grades 9-12, The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), and The Adolescent Literacy Guide (Grades 7-12), support contemporary perspectives on multimodality, multilingualism, identity texts, and project-based learning. Findings revealed that while the documents occasionally acknowledge student identity and first-language resources, they largely privilege standardized academic English and traditional print-based literacy practices. References to multimodal, multilingual, identity-affirming, and inquiry-based approaches were limited and often positioned as scaffolds rather than central features of literacy learning. The study concludes that Ontario's current policies do not adequately reflect contemporary understandings of language and literacy and highlights the need for more inclusive, multilingual, and socially just curricular and assessment frameworks for ELLs.