Education Commons^™

Improving The Reading Skills Of Struggling Secondary Students In A Real-World Setting: Issues Of Implementation And Sustainability, Susan Main, Susan Hill, Annamaria Paolino

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Reading difficulties have been associated with limited academic success and related social-emotional outcomes including anxiety and low motivation. Recent research on the educational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that children with poor reading skills were disproportionally disadvantaged. This growing number of students experiencing reading difficulties will require effective implementation of strategies to prevent long-term disadvantage, including in the challenging context of secondary schools where teachers are unfamiliar with reading instruction and constrained by timetabling of subjects and teachers. This research examined whether a Direct Instruction programme could be implemented with fidelity in the real world of a secondary school …

Kindytxt: A Free Text Messaging Program For Kindergarten Children And Families, Lennie Barblett, Nicola Johnson, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Susan Hill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

• This project focused on developing, delivering and evaluating a literacy text-messaging program for parents / carers with a child at kindergarten in WA.
• Texts were delivered weekly over 30 weeks, in collaboration with Better Beginnings. Families were invited to participate through a flyer in the book gifting bag delivered by local librarians to families attending kindergarten across Western Australia.
• Kindergarten teachers and librarians from 16 LGAs attended workshops to establish kindergarten-family library partnerships, along with the production and evaluation of a partnership framework and implementation materials.
• Evaluation involved all participants, with in-depth data collected from participants in six communities.

What Is The Literacy Supportive Role Of The School Librarian In The United Kingdom?, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© The Author(s) 2020. Building students’ literacy skills is a key educative purpose of contemporary schooling. While libraries can play a key role in fostering literacy and related reading engagement in schools, more needs to be known about school librarians’ role in promoting these goals. To this end, this article seeks to identify the nature and scope of the literacy supportive role required of the school librarian in the United Kingdom. It also investigates how this aspect is situated within the broader competing role requirements of the profession. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis including both qualitative and quantitative …

Observations Of Children With Disability During Arts-Based Multisensory Story And Rhyme Activities: Is It All Just Chimes And Perfumes?, John O'Rourke, Susan Main, Christina Gray, Christine Lovering

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

It is generally acknowledged that alternative strategies are required to enable children with disability to access storytelling activities. In this study, we sought to analyse the benefits of one such strategy: an arts-based multisensory story and rhyme program delivered to children with Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. In order to determine the engagement and impact of the program on the participants, data were collected through a series of multisensory session observations, focus group interviews with parents of participants, and interviews with performing artists delivering the program. The findings of this study revealed multiple benefits of using sensory stimuli to …

School Leadership And Whole- School Support Of Struggling Literacy Learners In Secondary Schools, Margaret K. Merga, Saiyidi Mat Roni, Anabela Malpique

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The needs of struggling literacy learners beyond the early years of schooling warrant greater attention. For struggling literacy learners to attain their academic, vocational, and social goals, schools should position literacy as a whole school priority and enhance opportunities for student literacy learning across all learning areas. However, it is not known if literacy is typically supported as a whole school commitment in contemporary secondary schools. This paper draws on survey data from the Australian nation-wide 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners (SSSLL) project. Findings suggest that many mainstream secondary school teachers do not perceive that there is a whole-school …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness For Supporting Struggling Literacy Learners In Secondary English Classrooms, Margaret K. Merga, Sayidi Mat Roni, Shannon Mason

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The initial and ongoing professional education of teachers to prepare them to support students’ literacy development warrants research attention. The importance of meeting the needs of struggling literacy learners in secondary school does not diminish as students move through the years of schooling. This paper reports on data from the 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners mixed-methods project, which sought to explore the challenges of meeting the needs of struggling literacy learners in Australian secondary schooling, from the perspectives of teachers of mainstream English classrooms. …

School Librarians As Literacy Educators Within A Complex Role, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Librarians in schools are expected to play an important role as literacy educators, and have a positive impact on young people’s literacy learning. However in the context of their diverse workload, relatively little is known about how this aspect of their role sits within its competing demands, and the exact scope of the literacy educator requirements. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis, this article analyses 40 recent job description documents to identify the nature and prevalence of different aspects of the role, and to explore the literacy educator aspect of this profession. Findings suggest that while the literacy educator …

How Do Librarians In Schools Support Struggling Readers?, Margaret Kristin Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

While librarians in schools often face significant budgetary cuts, they can play an important role in supporting learning in literacy and literature. However, little is known about the practices that they may employ to this end. Of particular interest is the role of librarians in schools in supporting struggling readers, as these students may be increasingly disadvantaged as they move through the years of schooling. Semi-structured interview data were collected from teacher librarians at 30 schools and analysed to identify practices exercised by teacher librarians that aligned with extant research around supporting struggling readers. Teacher librarians provided support by identifying …

Assessing And Selecting Culturally Diverse Literature For The Classroom, Helen Adam, Laurie Harper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Articulated within the Australian Curriculum (AC) and the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) are strong principles of diversity and intercultural awareness. These principles place a responsibility on educators to make curriculum decisions that reflect inclusive goals and practices. It is important that all children have access to authentic and accurate representations and role models related to their cultural backgrounds and everyday lives, in order to gain benefits associated with developing a positive sense of identity and belonging (Gollnick and Chinn, 2006; Jones Diaz and Harvey, 2002; Morgan, 2009) with additional benefits to their academic and intellectual progress (Department …

Research In Action: Leading Literacy Learning In Primary Schools: Final Report 2013 - 2014, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

PALL Plus was funded by a Public Education Endowment Trust (PEET) grant and was conducted with the leaders of 12 primary schools serving low socio-economic communities in metropolitan Perth throughout 2013 and 2014. It was a development of the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) pilot project funded by the Commonwealth Government in 2009-10, which was designed to assist primary school principals across Australia to develop their capacity to lead the teaching of reading in their schools...

Growing Better Beginnings: An Evaluation Of A Family Literacy Program For Pre-Schoolers, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Carmel Maloney

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper investigates the implementation and outcomes of Growing Better Beginnings: a family literacy program for four and five year olds. The program builds on Better Beginnings: Birth to Three launched in 2005. Parents, teachers and librarians were surveyed and interviewed to ascertain their perceptions of the program. An analysis of the factors which facilitate the implementation and outcomes of Growing Better Beginnings and issues associated with the effectiveness of the implementation process is discussed. Findings indicate that perceptions of the program, central coordination, relationships and resources were viewed as facilitating implementation, whilst communication, impact on work, training and …

Teaching Reading: A Shared Vision And A Shared Responsibility 2012-2013: Principals As Literacy Leaders In Ceo Schools, Deslea Konza, Paul Woodley, Sam De Leo, Helen Dixon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The PALL Plus professional learning and research project was a collaborative effort between the Fogarty Learning Centre at Edith Cowan University and 16 Catholic primary schools within the Western Australian Catholic Education Office (CEO). It was initiated by the principal of Star of the Sea Primary School, Tim Emery, who coordinated involvement of the other schools and managed contractual responsibilities on behalf of the CEO. The project was based on the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) pilot project funded by the Commonwealth Government in 2009-2010, and originally developed in partnership with the Australian Primary Principals Association, Griffith University and the …

Responding To The Evidence: Synthetic Phonics In Action: Final Report: Keys To Unlocking The Future 2012-2013, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project aimed to develop the capacity of primary teachers and School Support Officers (SSOs) to deliver a synthetic phonics program to beginning and struggling readers in 12 primary schools in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. It was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the region over the previous three years, and to build a critical mass of skilled teachers in a region that usually scored below average in reading on NAPLAN assessments.

A synthetic phonics program refers to one that teaches the alphabetic code or …

Building The Systematic Teaching Of Reading Across Independent Schools: 2011-2012: Final Report, Deslea Konza, Paul Woodley

Research outputs 2013

The PALL project commenced in March 2011 with principals and other school leaders of 19 schools from the Association of Independent Schools in Western Australia, and concluded in November 2012. Participants attended five professional learning modules that centred on the leadership of literacy learning (specifically reading) and carried out activities between modules to connect their learning with practical action in their schools. Supporting these activities was a Mentor, whose task was to assist principals to understand and internalise key messages from the workshops, to implement interventions in reading consistent with the learning undertaken during the modules, and to support leaders …

Expanding The Vision: Synthetic Phonics In Action Ii, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2013

The Yorke and Mid North - Roxby Downs Area School (YMN-RDAS) Literacy Project in 2013 was largely an extension of the literacy project conducted with the YMN region of the South Australian Department of Education and Child Development in 2012. The 2012 project outcomes were very positive (see Konza, 2013) and funding was made available for continuation of the main elements of the project with another cohort of primary schools in 2013. As was the case with the YMN 2012 project, it was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the …

What A Difference A Year Made! : An Evaluation Of The National Year Of Reading 2012 In Western Australia, Queensland And The Australian Capital Territory, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Pru Smith, Karen Anderson

Research outputs 2012

This report is an evaluation of how the National Year of Reading helped to build a reading culture across the nation. The evaluation was undertaken by The Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia . The report describes the nature and outcomes of the National Year of Reading in the four case studies, including a consideration of what participating organisations delivered beyond what would normally be expected of them. The findings lead to a series of conclusions about the program's successes, challenges and legacy followed by recommendations about how these successes can be sustained and …

The Pipeline Project: Trajectories Of Classroom Behaviour And Academic Progress : A Study Of Student Engagement With Learning, Max Angus, Tim Mcdonald, Chris Ormond, Rudy Rybarcyk, Anthea Taylor, Anne Winterton

Research outputs pre 2011

The Pipeline Project addresses three questions concerning the relationship between the classroom behaviour of students and their academic performance. First, to what extent does classroom behaviour explain why students fall behind and fail to meet acceptable standards in literacy and numeracy; second, if student classroom behaviour does influence academic performance, what forms of classroom behaviour are of most significance; and third, are the students whose behaviour has contributed to their underperformance in literacy and numeracy likely to ever catch up?

Tackling Talk Through Action Learning, Rhonda Oliver, Yvonne Haig, Samantha Vanderford

Research outputs pre 2011

Tackling Talk Through Action Learning was a collaborative project involving teachers in both metropolitan and rural independent schools in Western Australia and a team of researchers from Edith Cowan University. The research was sponsored by the Association of Independent Schools of WA (AISWA) through its literacy funding. The teachers who volunteered to be involved in the project were guided in their investigation of the teaching and assessment of oral language based on an understanding of their students' oral language needs in the broader community. The teachers investigated how language is IJSed in their local area and what communication skills their …

Tackling Talk : Teaching And Assessing Oral Language, Rhonda Oliver, Yvonne Haig, Judith Rochecouste

Research outputs pre 2011

Tackling Talk was a collaborative research project sponsored by several bodies: the English Teachers Association (ETA), the Australian Literacy Educators' Association (ALEA) through Quality Teacher Program funding and the Association of Independent Schools of WA (AISWA). A team of researchers from the Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Research (CALLR), Edith Cowan University, guided teachers from the public and independent sectors through an action research program involving online/ electronic materials, professional development sessions and personal mentoring. Some 49 teachers from 28 schools from both metropolitan and regional districts of Western Australia were involved in the project.

In Teachers' Hands : Effective Literacy Teaching Practices In The Early Years Of Schooling, William Louden, Mary Rohl, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Claire Brown, Trevor Cairney, Jess Elderfield, Helen House, Marion Meiers, Judith Rivalland, Ken Rowe

Research outputs pre 2011

Aim and Methods

The aim of this study was to identify teaching practices that lead to improved literacy outcomes for children in the early years of schooling.

Literacy Assessments

The study began with literacy assessments of a representative national sample of 2,000 children using a literacy scale prepared by the Australian Council for Educational Research for the Longitudinal Literacy and Numeracy Study (LLANS). Assessments were caried out by 200 classroom teachers, half of whom were teaching in the first year of formal schooling and half of whom were teaching in the second year of formal schooling. A random sample of …

Prepared To Teach : An Investigation Into The Preparation Of Teachers To Teach Literacy And Numeracy, William Louden, Mary Rohl, Jennifer Gore, Daryl Greaves, Alistair Mcintosh, Robert White, Dianne Siemon, Helen House

Research outputs pre 2011

Teacher education in Australia is a large and diverse enterprise. There are more than 400 programs in 36 universities, enrolling a total of about 35,000 preservice teachers (DEST, 2003).

The labour market for newly graduating teachers, pattern of entry to teacher education, the range of courses offered, the place of literacy and numeracy in those courses, and the provision of school experience influence the quality of beginning teachers' literacy and numeracy teaching.

Better Beginnings: A Western Australian State Library Initiated Family Literacy Project, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Mary Rohl, Grace Oakley, Jessica Elderfield

Research outputs pre 2011

Better Beginnings is an early intervention family literacy program that has been developed by the Public Library Services Directorate, at the State Library of Western Australia. Its stated purpose is to provide positive language and literacy influences for children in their first three years of life. The program is thought to be the first of its kind in Australia and has recently been taken up by another Australian Territory State. A fully evaluated pilot of Better Beginnings commenced in January 2004 in Gosnells, Mandurah, Midland, Carnarvon, Halls Creek and Kalgoorlie and in September was extended to include Armadale, Rockingham, Bayswater, …

Aiswa Literacy Working Party (Project No.3): A Review Of The Establishment Of Databases For Literacy Achievement, Judith Rivalland, Adrienne Huber

Research outputs pre 2011

Project Three of the AISWA Literacy Research Project reviewed the establishment of databases in Literacy achievement at a systems and schools level with a view to providing resource information for schools. The purpose of Project Three was to provide information to facilitate schools' ability to respond to requests for evidence of literacy achievement. This report begins with a summary of the history of the national, state and territories move to outcomes based learning over the past decade. In 1993, the responsibility for implementing this change was given to the states and territories which has resulted in great variation across Australia. …

Australian Aboriginal Students In Higher Education, Ian Malcolm, Judith Rochecouste

Research outputs pre 2011

One of the striking features of Australian higher education over the last ten years has been the marked increase in participation by Indigenous Australians. In a National Review of Education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, carried out in 1994, it was noted that the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students had more than doubled between 1988 and 1993 (National Review of Education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 1994:28-29). Indigenous Australians constitute 1.6 per cent of the population of Australia and in 1993 some 5,578 indigenous people were attending Australian public universities, which is 1.3% …

Aiswa Literacy Project B P-3 Assessment : Teachers Developing Effective Literacy Assessment Strategies, Judith Rivalland

Research outputs pre 2011

This project originated from recommendations from Phase 1 in the development of the National Literacy Plan for the Association of Independent Schools. These recommendations included the need for a systematic approach to literacy assessment and teaching. The current project aimed to address this situation. The primary purposes of the project were: to explore how teachers can best improve outcomes for children by understanding assessment measures more effectively; to provide time for reflection and discussion about what participating teachers find out from using the assessment procedures; to explore how this knowledge will help teachers select appropriate teaching for all children, particularly …

Where Are The Women? A Report Into Issues Related To Women's Access To Workplace Literacy Programs, Marion Milton

Research outputs pre 2011

This study sought to investigate the provision of workplace literacy courses available for women in female dominated industries, and women's access to and participation in those courses. Further, it was intended to interview women who had dropped out or not accessed available courses.

Prior to discussing the study, it seems appropriate to locate it within the current economic, social and political climate of the Australian workplace, with a particular focus on the increasing demand for literacy skills.

Literacy At A Distance: Language And Learning In Distance Education, William Louden, Judith Rivalland

Research outputs pre 2011

This study provides a description of the practices and strategies of distance learning for students in Years 6 to 10. It describes the materials and modes of delivery of distance education, and identifies three influences on achievement. A model for improvement is proposed, identifying ten prospective areas for improvement of distance education services...

Developing A Measure Of Student Literacy Competencies At A Tertiary Level Using Rasch Measurement, Barry Sheridan, Les Puhl

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper reports an Australian investigation into concerns about student writing at University level and the construction of an objective measure of literacy. The English Skills Assessment (ESA) test, involving multiple choice items, and an essay, marked according to specified criteria, was administered to newly enrolled students (N = 495) in a University's Education programme. Analyses reveal inconsistencies between subtests of the ESA test, but the written test shows more promise. While some association is observed between the two measures, comparable subtests (such as spelling, punctuation, sentence structure) do not appear to be measuring the same thing.

Let's Decode: Inservice Manual, P. J. Formentin

Research outputs pre 2011

This manual contains inservice material that was prepared for a research project that came to be known as Let's Decode. My motive for publishing the material in this form is to make it available to other teachers who may wish to apply the same principles and procedures in their own classrooms. Typically, they will be teachers who are concerned about children experiencing difficulty learning to read, and teachers responsible for students with special education needs. I am confident that regular classroom teachers will also find the material valuable for all children in the early stages of learning to read. My …

The Education Of Children With Specific Reading Disabilities In Western Australia : Report To The Minister For Education, Western Australian Council For Special Education

Research outputs pre 2011

There are few developmental tasks in a child's life more important than learning to read. There are not many matters which concern parents and teachers more than whether or not a child makes satisfactory progress in learning to read. Parents and teachers are aware that young children soon realize whether or not they are progressing in much the same way as the rest of their peer group. As children move towards the end of primary school and enter secondary school, reading remains a fundamental skill on which so much other learning depends...