Research undertaken by ACER for the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) has highlighted the importance of a good foundation to literacy beginning in the preparatory year or even earlier in the pre-school years, with benefits flowing through to the later years of schooling.

This is among the findings contained in a report, Five Years On: Literacy Advance in the Primary Years, by ACER researchers John Ainley and Marianne Fleming published by the CECV in April. The report describes Phase Three of the Literacy Advance Research Project (LARP), which evaluates Literacy Advance, the CECV strategy to improve the literacy development of students in Victorian Catholic schools.

The Literacy Advance Research Project investigates the implementation over time of key elements of the Literacy Advance strategy in schools; evaluates the effectiveness of approaches to literacy in the early years of schooling; and examines various school, classroom and student background factors and their effect on the development of literacy.

A cohort of students who were in Year 1 at the beginning of the study in 1998 has been followed to the end of Year 5.   A second cohort of students who were in Year 1 in 2000 has been followed through to the end of Year 3. Comparisons between the two groups have been drawn and the factors influencing their literacy development have been examined.

The report on Phase Three of the study concluded that after five years of Literacy Advance there is evidence of a strengthening of the foundations in literacy. The process of implementation of the strategy has continued, with the steady update of key elements already introduced.

The report examined the uptake of elements of the Literacy Advance program over time. It operates through a whole-school approach to program design, mandated professional development for teachers, designated blocks of time for literacy in schools, intervention programs for students needing additional assistance and the systematic evaluation of student learning.

The Children's Literacy Success Strategy (CLaSS), which incorporated these elements most explicitly, was found to be the most popular program operating in schools and has grown in popularity over the course of the study. By 2002 almost 80 per cent of the schools in the study nominated the CLaSS approach as their focus for the teaching of literacy in Year 1. Only 14 per cent did so in 1998, the first year of Literacy Advance. Schools progressively allocated more staff time to the coordination of literacy programs and supporting the work of teachers. The provision of Reading Recovery, the individual intervention program for Year 1 students, increased from 50 per cent of schools in 1998 to 90 per cent of schools in 2002.

Findings in the new report indicate that the Literacy Advance strategy has benefited students who have taken part in its programs. Phase Two of the study found that students who began Year 1 in 2000 had a reading proficiency about one quarter of a year ahead of their counterparts who had begun Year 1 in 1998. The latest study found that the 2000 cohort maintained this advantage through to the end of Year 3.

According to co-author of the report Dr John Ainley, these findings indicate that several years of Literacy Advance has provided substantial benefits for the second cohort. "It can be concluded that the increased emphasis on literacy development in the early years, including the preparatory year, has had lasting beneficial effects for these students." he said.

Analysis of the effects of Reading Recovery, a program for students identified as requiring additional assistance, was found to provide benefits during Year 1 for those students who participate in this program. However, the results indicate a need to ensure that a higher percentage of students on the program maintain their gains in subsequent years.  

In assessing factors influencing literacy achievement, the study found that what happens in the preparatory year and earlier is influential for progress in later years. For both the 1998 and 2000 cohorts there was a strong influence of Year 1 initial achievement on the student literacy growth with those achieving higher reading scores in Year 1 maintaining their advantage through to later years.

"We have found throughout the study that Year 1 achievement has the strongest influence on literacy growth in later years. This reinforces earlier conclusions that a good start in literacy is crucial for later development," Dr Ainley said.

Other factors identified as influencing reading growth include student attentiveness and engagement. Those students who were more attentive and engaged in reading and other literacy activities progressed to a greater extent than their peers. The gender of students did not have a significant influence on growth in literacy achievement.

School factors that influenced reading proficiency included the approach to literacy development during Year 1 and the socio-economic context of the school. Students who experienced the CLaSS approach in year 1 grew more rapidly during Year 1 than other students and maintained the gain over subsequent years. There was an effect of both student socio-economic background and school-level socio-economic context on literacy achievement. Students from enriched backgrounds, in schools with other such students, developed higher levels of achievement than other students.

The report concluded that the introduction of Literacy Advance has been successful not only in increasing attention on student literacy development, and promoting strategies and good teaching practices in literacy, but also in bringing about its aim to improve the literacy achievement of students in the early years. However, there are some areas that provide challenges for the future if all students are to be good readers before they finish their primary years of schooling. These include a consideration of strategies to lessen the gap between low and high achieving students. A challenge remains to find effective strategies with which to assist students who are experiencing difficulties in literacy beyond Year 1, and to reduce the extent to which the gap widens between low and high achieving students as they move through school.

Enjoyment of activities involving literacy is a further element vital for continued growth in literacy according to Dr Ainley who said, "The challenge for schools is to encourage and foster a love of reading beginning in the early years and continuing through primary school. Providing a range of materials and literacy activities that interest and engage students and that are both suitable for the students' capabilities whilst challenging them are essential.

"Building a strong foundation in literacy in the earliest years of schooling is crucial to the growth in literacy in later years. There is a window of opportunity in the first two years of schooling that can make a difference to the literacy development of children."

The Literacy Advance Research Project was a collaborative venture of the Australian Council for Educational Research, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria and the University of Melbourne's Centre for Applied Educational Research.

The findings from Phase One (1998) and Phase two (1999) of the study have been published in two reports: Learning to Read in the Early Primary Years and Three Years On: Literacy Advance in the Early and Middle Primary Years .

Additional findings and information are contained in the report, Five Years On: Literacy Advance in the Primary Years, John Ainley and Marianne Fleming, which is available from the Catholic Education Commission in Melbourne.

« Back to eNews