The University of Newcastle
Final Project Report 
(1.1 MB)
Developing Boys’ Literacy Through Community Literacy was conducted in eight government schools in NSW and targeted Year 3 boys who had not reached the national literacy benchmark standards.
The project developed, trialled and analysed a capacity inventory for strengths of community members (especially fathers and males) and community resources to support literacy. Contextually specific programmes were then developed and implemented using community strengths to enhance boys’ literacy. A resource kit was also developed which outlined the project method and use of a capacity inventory to identify effective community literacy practices.
Findings indicated that boys’ literacy interests were non-fiction and other text types, such as puzzle books, joke books, text based computer games and shopping catalogues. The project highlighted the need for parental education about the use and importance of alternate literacy material. The development of home-school partnerships, where teachers clearly communicate the value of alternate literacy material, was also reinforced.
The University of Melbourne
Final Project Report (757.9 KB)
Students experience reading difficulties for several different reasons. Teachers need to know which intervention is most likely to benefit particular readers. This project compared the effectiveness of three interventions for Year 2 students who were experiencing reading difficulties. The three alternative interventions targeted:
- Phonological knowledge and skills relevant to text reading;
- Orthographic knowledge and skills relevant to text reading; and
- Oral language comprehension knowledge.
All three interventions improved students’ reading accuracy and comprehension. They produced similar results for improving accuracy. For improving comprehension the oral language strategy was the most effective.
The project also compared teaching students individually, in pairs or in threes. Students learnt equally effectively in each context for the orthographic and oral language interventions. For the phonological intervention, students learning in groups of three achieved lower comprehension gains than those learning in pairs.
Murdoch University
Final Project Report (495.3 KB)
Making Connections to Promote Early Literacy set out to document the principles and practices that promote children’s early literacy development in a kindergarten setting, and the strategies for collaboration between home and kindergarten. Using this knowledge, the project developed a set of best practice guidelines and supporting materials to assist the implementation of similar projects in other kindergarten groups across Australia.
The project recognised the importance of establishing a wholistic approach to learning, ensuring that home and kindergarten literacy practices connect. The project successfully communicated to parents the literacy activities their child had been involved in, through documenting the literacy practices at the kindergarten.
The importance of using a multitude of literacy techniques, including visual, audio and written, to assess a child’s literacy development was a key finding. This approach allowed teachers to assess the children’s abilities in the learning environment on a day-to-day basis, rather than developing specific assessment tasks.
Charles Darwin University
Final Project Report (1.2 MB)
Discontinuities in Literacy and Numeracy Practices between Indigenous Community Schooling and Urban High School gathered detailed case study information about the transition experiences of seven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as they moved from their home community and community schools to their new urban high school. The project also documented the literacy and numeracy practices valued in the home, community school and urban high school, with a view to highlighting any discontinuities between the practices.
The major outcome of the project was the identification of the continuities and discontinuities between the literacy and numeracy practices, constructions of identity and knowledge, and teaching and learning practices valued in both the community and school contexts. These included differences in the value placed on children’s backgrounds and existing knowledge, the oral or written mode of teaching valued in each context, and the development of independent learners in the school context versus learning as a shared responsibility within communities.
Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne
Final Project Report (542.3 KB)
Mouse Driven Literacy- A Study Supporting Literacy in Communities investigated and documented the literacy backgrounds and literacy learning needs of targeted marginalised young people. The project also sought to develop a Mouse Driven Literacy Programme Plan and Design Brief that provided access to learning opportunities through an IT based literacy-learning programme for this group of young people.
The project found that marginalised young people need to be supported in the early years of education particularly those experiencing multiple transitions in both primary and secondary education. The project also found that education environments should support young people whose learning has been disrupted.
The project recommended that an IT-based literacy programme for marginalised young people be comprehensive, targeted towards literacy outcomes, user-friendly, easily accessed, provide for flexible entry, and self-paced in delivery.
Monash University
Final Project Report (917.2 KB)
Catch the Future: Literacy and Numeracy Pathways for Preschool Children aimed to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes of low socio-economic children residing in the Hastings Area, south-east of Melbourne.
The project involved the development and implementation of an intervention program in the preschool years to promote early literacy and numeracy development and preparation for school. The program was designed to form the basis of a professional development strategy in literacy and numeracy for trained and untrained staff in other early childhood centres located in the Hastings area.
The project found that it was possible to identify measurable outcomes resulting from the intervention through the pre and post testing of children. The research highlighted the multiple ways in which literacy and numeracy are constructed and enacted within homes in lower socio-economic families. The project also detailed an effective strategy to support childcare and preschool teachers build literacy and numeracy programs for children from economically disadvantaged communities.
Murdoch University
Final Project Report (517.7 KB)
Using Action Learning Principles to Inform and Improve Students’ Numeracy Progress sought to improve student numeracy performance through developing and implementing a range of strategies designed to heighten the awareness and ability of teachers, students and parents in responding to numeracy opportunities in the classroom and in everyday life.
The project was conducted at the Waikiki Primary School in collaboration with Murdoch University. The school is located in the Peel Region, south west of Perth in Western Australia in a low to medium socio-economic area, and has strong parental involvement through its Parents and Citizens group and School Council.
Encouraging parents to support their children’s numeracy development, and linking classroom mathematics to numeracy across the curriculum resulted in improvement in students’ numeracy. This improvement was demonstrated by teachers’ case studies, by the project’s mathematics-testing program showing that most classes made a significant improvement in achievement and by students’ and parents’ assessment of the students’ numeracy competency.
Queensland University of Technology
Final Project Report (2.6 MB)
Train a Maths Tutor Program- Training Indigenous Education Workers to Support the Mathematics Learning of Educationally Disadvantaged Indigenous Students in their Community was collaboratively undertaken by Wadja Wadja High School, Woorabinda State School, Woorabinda Aboriginal Community, the Association of Independent Schools of Queensland, Inc., and Queensland University of Technology.
The project set out to develop mathematics learning activities that were appropriate for educationally disadvantaged Indigenous students in Years 8-10 in Wadja Wadja High School, and to develop, conduct and evaluate a training program to enable Indigenous Education Workers (IEWs) to use the mathematics learning activities to support these students. The activities were then used to produce a package of materials, the Maths Tutor Training Package, which could be used by teachers in training IEWs to support the mathematics learning of educationally disadvantaged Indigenous students.
Teachers and researchers reported that the training program increased the knowledge and skills of the IEWs which in turn increased their confidence and effectiveness in tutoring the students.
Worklinks Inc.
Final Project Report (1.3 MB)
The Worklinks Industry-focused Numeracy Project trialled the delivery of numeracy training to students identified as having low level numeracy skills in six secondary schools in north Brisbane. The numeracy training involved practical and innovative experiences which incorporated basic numeracy concepts relevant to work in a range of industry areas. The numeracy training aimed to raise the students’ confidence with, and engagement in, tasks requiring numeracy skills leading to increased engagement with school.
The students who participated in the project completed one week of work experience during which they also undertook a basic numeracy research task.
The project provided participating teachers with renewed vigour and motivation, and raised their awareness about using community networks to improve a student’s learning and life skills. Project findings indicated improved numeracy outcomes for the participating students. The Project also found that the students’ confidence, understanding and their attitudes towards numeracy education and/or training improved in a range of workplace contexts.
Deakin University
Final Project Report (365.8 KB)
Scaffolding Literacy in the Middle Years aimed to improve the literacy outcomes of educationally disadvantaged middle years students through the use of a particular approach to scaffolding literacy development. This approach supports students in reading and writing age-appropriate texts across the curriculum.
The project reinforced the potential of Scaffolding Literacy as an effective literacy intervention for students underachieving in the middle years of schooling. Scaffolding Literacy was seen to enhance student attitudes to learning, increase confidence and improve literacy performance.
Teachers reported that the key to Scaffolding Literacy becoming part of mainstream classroom practice was its capacity to challenge the most competent students, while creating a teaching and learning situation where underachieving students learn effectively along with their peers.
The positive written and verbal responses, from parents and carers in the school cluster, indicated that they had gained a clearer understanding of the literacy challenges students face as they move from primary to secondary school and the role of Scaffolding Literacy in helping students meet these challenges.
For further information on any of the above projects, please contact schools web.