Research Projects
Evaluation of Literacy Approaches (ELA) for ESL Indigenous Students Project 2005-8
Project Director: Dr Marion Meiers
The Evaluation of Literacy Approaches (ELA) for ESL Indigenous Students Project is a three-year study, 2005 – 2008, on the efficacy and sustainability of literacy approaches used by the Northern Territory Department of Employment Education and Training (DEET) to inform policy development and to improve outcomes for ESL Indigenous students in the Northern Territory. It is an initiative of the Northern Territory Department of Employment, Education and Training, funded from Commonwealth Targeted Programme funds. ACER and Charles Darwin University are collaborating with DEET on the project. The project is designed to collect a range of quantitative and qualitative data on the literacy strategies and programs implemented in 20 NT schools. The literacy approaches involved are the main literacy approaches used in the NT, including Accelerated Literacy, First Steps, and Walking Talking Texts. Data are also being collected on other literacy approaches. Interviews have been conducted in the schools involved in the project, and Clare Ozolins will transcribe and write up these interviews for NT DEET.
This is a three-year longitudinal study for which ACER is to provide rigorous assessments using the LLANS literacy assessments to provide quantitative data on children’s literacy growth across the life of the project. The first round of assessments was administered in Semester 1 2006, and will provide the baseline data for the study. The new LLANS data entry interface is currently being used for the entry of four different assessments from 20 NT schools. Marion Meiers and Siek Toon Khoo will meet with the ELA Steering Committee in Darwin in July 2007 to discuss preliminary results and the management of the next stage of the study.
Staff: Dr Marion Meiers, Dr Siek Toon Khoo. Tracey Frigo, Geoff Noblett
(Phillips KPA), Nick Thieberger (University of Melbourne).
Chris Bain, Denise Angelo, and Robert Ah Wing (Queensland DEA) are critical friends to the project.
Expected Completion Date: March-April 2009
Funding: NT Department of Employment, Education and Training
Deliverables: Report to client