From Personal Growth (1966) to Personal Growth and Social Agency (2016) – proposing an invigorated model for the 21st century

Abstract

The Personal Growth (PG) model, as outlined by John Dixon in 1967, is unquestionably still recognisable to English teachers, remaining aligned to their philosophy of teaching English. This article traces a key aspect of the history of Personal Growth and explores present continuities traceable to Dartmouth in 1966, in suggesting an invigorated Personal Growth model to embrace 21st century life. Dixon himself never offered a concise definition; however, one historically significant attempt to do this was produced in the Cox Report, the document that defined the first National Curriculum in English (NCE) in England in 1989. In focusing on a key historical moment, the UK's Cox Report in 1989, almost half way between 1966 and the present day, this article addresses the continuities and developments stemming from Dixon and indicative of how subject English has expanded and changed over 50 years. A final move is to provide a new perspective on Personal Growth, more appropriate for the 21st century. Using contemporary Critical Realist theories of identity, Personal Growth is re-articulated to include a broader conceptualisation of an omniculture, and a prototype successor model is offered as Personal Growth and Social/Cultural Agency.