Recent Applications of New Literacy Studies

Brain V. Street introduces the two models of literacy in his article Recent Applications of New Literacy Studies in Educational Contexts.  According to Street the autonomous model assumes that acquiring literacy will lead to higher cognitive skills, greater economic performance, greater equality and so on. The model is based on the belief that literacy has effects on all the previously listed categories no matter what social conditions or cultural interpretations of literacy. Street's critique of the autonomous model is it's failure to take into account the cultural accept of literacy. "Research in social-practice approach challenges this view and suggests that in, in practice, dominant approaches based on the autonomous model are simply imposing western conceptions of literacy onto other cultures."

The ideological model in Street's opinion "offers a more culturally sensitive view of literacy practices as they vary from one context to another. The ideological model stems from different premises, what upholds this model is the central belief that literacy is a social practice. Because literacy is social and societies everywhere are different it is hard to define what literacy is. Literacy is always politicized,  "It is not valid to suggest that 'literacy' can be 'given' neutrally..."

The autonomous model fails to take into consideration the background of the student whereas the ideological model will use the student's background as a base.