Ellen Grote | Research Consultant, Perth, Western Australia
Repeated assessments of literacy skills have shown that Aboriginal students do not achieve at the same level as their non-Aboriginal peers. Many Aboriginal students speak Aboriginal English, a dialect different from the Standard Australian English used in schools. Research shows that it is crucial for educators in bidialectal contexts to be aware of students’ home language and to adopt appropriate educational responses. For over a decade, the ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning Professional Development Program has sought to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students in Western Australia. By promoting a two-way bidialectal approach to learning, Aboriginal English is valued, accommodated and used to bridge to learning in Standard Australian English. This paper draws on a large research project, which used qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of the on-going professional development for teachers. It reports on the attitudes and understandings of teachers, with and without professional development and working in different contexts.
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Cited by (17)
Cited by 17 other publications
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2019. A systematic review of pedagogies that support, engage and improve the educational outcomes of Aboriginal students. The Australian Educational Researcher 46:2 ► pp. 297 ff.
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2016. Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2008–2014). Language Teaching 49:4 ► pp. 513 ff.
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Nguyen, Bich, Rhonda Oliver & Judith Rochecouste
2015. Embracing plurality through oral language. Language and Education 29:2 ► pp. 97 ff.
Oliver, Rhonda, Ellen Grote, Judith Rochecouste & Tomzarni Dann
2015. Indigenous Student Perspectives on Support and Impediments at University. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 45:1 ► pp. 23 ff.
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2015. Dialectal grammatical differences in oral narratives of school-aged Indigenous Australian children. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 17:4 ► pp. 335 ff.
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2013. A task-based needs analysis for Australian Aboriginal students: Going beyond the target situation to address cultural issues. International Journal of Training Research 11:3 ► pp. 246 ff.
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2012. Addressing the Language and Literacy Needs of Aboriginal High School VET Students who Speak SAE
as an Additional Language. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 41:2 ► pp. 229 ff.
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