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Literacy and Numeracy Development for Indigenous

Students: A Longitudinal Study

Improving Learning

Nola Purdie

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AimsAssess English literacy and numeracy skills

Measure growth in skills over time

Explore learning environments and relationships with literacy and numeracy development

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Longitudinal (2000 – 2004 )

Qualitative and quantitative data

Indigenous research team

Study features

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AcknowledgementsTracey Frigo

Isabelle AdamsPaul Hughes

Maria StephensDavina Woods

Matthew CorriganKen Rowe

Cathy UnderwoodKathy Nolan

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The Study 13 schools in 2000 (4 metro, 5 regional, 4

remote)– 10 more schools in 2003 – 2 more schools in 2004 (urban, all Indigenous)

Quantitative data– English literacy and numeracy assessments– Student background information– Teacher questionnaire

Qualitative data– Field visits by Indigenous research team– Questionnaires, interviews, school documentation,

observation

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English Literacy AchievementAss. 1 Ass. 2 Ass.

3Ass. 4 Ass. 5

LLANS 47.4 60.4 66.4 77.2 85.5

ILLANS 48.8 55.2 59.9 64.3 74.1

N (LLANS)

911 795 744 698 648

N (ILLANS

113 71 63 89 82

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Numeracy AchievementAss. 1 Ass. 2 Ass.

3Ass. 4 Ass. 5

LLANS 44.7 62.2 62.6 71.5 79.0

ILLANS 49.2 62.0 67.6 70.2 68.9

N (LLANS)

911 798 747 697 650

N (ILLANS

117 73 63 86 84

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Student growth trajectories for English literacy

School 4 ILLANS Literacy

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Mar-00 Sep-00 Mar-01 Sep-01 Mar-02

Date of ILLANS Assessments 1 - 5

Stan

dard

ized

Sco

re

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Mean Literacy Test Scores for your School and Alll Schools in the Sample

57

911

1315

1719

2123

2527

Australian Non-IndigenousStudents

AustralianIndigenousStudents

School G Non-IndigenousStudents

School GIndigenousStudents

Mea

n Li

tera

cy S

core

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Mean Literacy Test Scores for Your School and All Schools in the Sample

4

68

10

1214

16

1820

22

Australian Non-IndigenousStudents

AustralianIndigenousStudents

Inala PS Non-IndigenousStudents

Inala PSIndigenousStudents

Mea

n Te

st S

core

(with

95%

Con

fiden

ce

Inte

rval

School x School x

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Mean Literacy Scores for Your School and all School in the Sample

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

All Schools Non-IndigenousStudents

All SchoolsIndigenousStudents

School B Non-IndigenousStudents

School BIndigenousStudents

Mea

n Te

st S

core

(with

95%

Con

fiden

ce

Inte

rval

)

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Factors relating to growth

School factors

Location

Teachers’ ratings of student achievement (compared with peer ratings and ‘official’ results)

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Student factors relating to growth

Initial Achievement

Absenteeism

Attentiveness

Language Background

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Factors NOT related to achievement

Parents’ occupational status

Gender

Age

Pre-school attendance

Mobility

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Case StudiesFocus on:

School learning contexts

Classroom practices

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Case Study Themes: The School

Recognition and celebration of Indigenous cultures

Literacy and numeracy programs

Other programs and initiatives

School-community partnerships

Parent friendly

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Recognition and celebration of Indigenous cultures

School-wide recognition and celebration of Indigenous cultures and languages was viewed positively by the Indigenous community and facilitated positive school-community relationships

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Literacy ProgramsMost common: First Steps, Walking Talking Texts and the Scaffolding Literacy Program

Other programs and literacy resources : Early Years Literacy Program, State-Wide Early Literacy Learning, Koorie Literacy Links, Spalding and Reading Recovery

ESL teachers and teaching strategies featured in many of the schools, particularly those in more remote locations

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Teacher, on Scaffolding Literacy

Looking at the school results, it’s had a big impact on children’s confidence to read, and some kids who couldn’t read like “Yuk Soup’ and Transition books like that now read Paul Jennings books. Having said that, they haven’t has such successful transfer rates. They can’t pick up an unseen text and read it without no hiccups and inaccuracies, but they’ve got the confidence to at least have a go and read, so I think that’s the best thing about scaffolding [is] the confidence it’s building.

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AIEW, on Scaffolding LiteracyI’ve seen some positive feedback with kids that hadn’t been attending much – and now they’re coming five days a week. [The students] have an understanding quicker than if a teacher uses all different systems of teaching… you see great leaps from the kids who’s not reading at Year 1 level now in Year 2…I think what matters the most is their attendance… if they get to school on a regular basis, the chances of reading are great

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NumeracyNumeracy programs

State curriculum programs Count Me In Too Lots of hands on

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Other programs and initiatives Pre-schools Health Room Behaviour management

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School-community partnerships

ASSPA Committees Visiting Indigenous speakers/

elders/parents Employment of Indigenous people Schools going out to communities

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The Principal’s office is used as a workplace – nothing more, nothing less. I don’t interview parents in there, I don’t interview kids in there, because I think we need to realise that a lot of the parents have particular hang-ups about Principals’ offices, from when they went to school themselves, as places of authority and places of pain…it puts me at an unfair advantage to be asking the parent to come in there because the chances are that they work themselves up into a pretty fair frenzy to even come up to the school. [Principal]

Parent friendly schools

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There is a lack of what we know as involvement in education and the school… the things like coming up to the school, coming into the classrooms, collecting reports, turning up for events you know those kind of thing that we see as being involved…teacher things you know [but] I know if I go down to the club, a lot of the parents of my own class will come to me and talk to me. How's my little son going at school? And they really want to know, but they won't do that anywhere else. [Teacher]

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Case Study Themes: The Classroom Classroom structure Recognising culture Supporting language Pedagogical practice

Literacy teaching strategies Numeracy teaching strategies Assessment and recognising

achievement Collaborating with AIEWs Teacher attitudes and beliefs

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In the classrooms

Classroom structure Recognising culture Supporting language Pedagogical practice

Literacy teaching strategies Numeracy teaching strategies Assessment and recognising

achievement Collaborating with AIEWs Teacher attitudes and beliefs

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Enabling Learning Environments

Enabling factors Strong leadership A shared vision Quality teachers Learner-centred teaching High expectations

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Factors that militate against success

The attitude of staff in the staffroom was generally one of not wanting to be there…some conveyed that they were middle class and generally gave the impression that this was just a job that they had to have

There was a core group of community people who came into the school on a regular basis, and were paid with special funding. However a number of the teachers were critical of the community members and indicated that they felt it would be better if they didn’t come.

She [teacher] made a tasteless comment about Aboriginal families…

The Deputy said that Aboriginal people, if disadvantaged, are only disadvantaged because they are too lazy to get to school.

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Good teachers

Early intervention