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Interrogating Indigenous Student Literacy Programs

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Assessing the Evidence in Indigenous Education Research

Part of the book series: Postcolonial Studies in Education ((PCSE))

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Abstract

There is a perennial focus in the media and politics on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literacy outcomes, often linked to national testing results such as NAPLAN. This chapter explores the kinds of literacy skills that are valued and tested in large-scale literacy programs, through technology-based intervention, bilingual curriculum, community partnerships, and specific classroom skills-based literacy approaches. When considering decades of literacy research, there are significant gaps in the literacy skills tested; the dominant focus is on mechanical aspects of language, with very few programs testing critical literacies and developing multiliteracies or creativity skills. This chapter explores voices on sustainable and effective approaches to literacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, voices which are largely ignored in the literacy programs funded by the government.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are two specific Indigenous groups located within Australia. When the term ‘Indigenous’ is used in this chapter, it refers to traditional peoples from these two groups.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University, Buderim, QLD, Australia

    Amanda Gutierrez

  2. School of Education, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia

    Kevin Lowe

  3. Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Darwin, NT, Australia

    John Guenther

Authors
  1. Amanda Gutierrez
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  2. Kevin Lowe
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  3. John Guenther
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amanda Gutierrez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nikki Moodie

  2. School of Education, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia

    Kevin Lowe

  3. School of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

    Roselyn Dixon

  4. Faculty of Business, Law, Education & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia

    Karen Trimmer

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Gutierrez, A., Lowe, K., Guenther, J. (2023). Interrogating Indigenous Student Literacy Programs. In: Moodie, N., Lowe, K., Dixon, R., Trimmer, K. (eds) Assessing the Evidence in Indigenous Education Research. Postcolonial Studies in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14306-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14306-9_10

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-14305-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-14306-9

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