Abstract:
Constructing inclusive, integrated and evidence-informed literacy instruction that supports learning for all students is an essential but challenging pursuit for classroom teachers. Despite this imperative, discourse surrounding early literacy instruction in political, research and educational domains, in Australia and internationally, has commonly become distracted by isolated debates regarding specific pedagogical approaches. This presentation will provide an overview of a mixed methods study undertaken to examine NSW kindergarten teachers’ approaches to kindergarten literacy instruction through an inclusive lens. By examining early literacy education using the Inclusive Pedagogical Approach (Florian & Spratt, 2013), it is proposed that this research provides a way forward in terms of educational research and practice which is applicable in the classroom. For teachers, translating government policy and educational research into the practical realities of the classroom is a challenging task. While teachers in Australia are mandated to teach the content outlined by the relevant syllabus documents for their state or territory, they are tasked with determining how this is taught in the classroom. Recent reform in NSW and Victoria with regard to literacy through the English curriculum area adds complexity and topicality to this field.
This presentation will outline the research design for the study and focus on data gleaned from the first phase of the research involving teacher questionnaires. The analysis of kindergarten teachers’ survey responses provides insight with regard to: (1) the syllabus requirements, professional knowledge, qualifications and research on which teachers rely to inform their implementation of classroom literacy instruction; (2) the definitions of ‘literacy’ which drive teachers’ approaches to literacy pedagogy; (3) the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of teachers’ literacy block instruction; and (4) participants’ conceptualisation of inclusive literacy practice in terms of their agreement with Likert-scale items. This self-reported data indicates that while some teachers' kindergarten literacy instruction aligns to some extent with research evidence, the practices of others may persist long after both the discontinuation of their promotion by departments of education and the emergence of opposing evidence. The presentation will conclude with an outline of preliminary analysis of classroom observation and teacher interview data.
Florian, L., & Spratt, J. (2013). Enacting inclusion: A framework for interrogating inclusive practice. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(2), 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2013.778111
This presentation will outline the research design for the study and focus on data gleaned from the first phase of the research involving teacher questionnaires. The analysis of kindergarten teachers’ survey responses provides insight with regard to: (1) the syllabus requirements, professional knowledge, qualifications and research on which teachers rely to inform their implementation of classroom literacy instruction; (2) the definitions of ‘literacy’ which drive teachers’ approaches to literacy pedagogy; (3) the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of teachers’ literacy block instruction; and (4) participants’ conceptualisation of inclusive literacy practice in terms of their agreement with Likert-scale items. This self-reported data indicates that while some teachers' kindergarten literacy instruction aligns to some extent with research evidence, the practices of others may persist long after both the discontinuation of their promotion by departments of education and the emergence of opposing evidence. The presentation will conclude with an outline of preliminary analysis of classroom observation and teacher interview data.
Florian, L., & Spratt, J. (2013). Enacting inclusion: A framework for interrogating inclusive practice. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(2), 119-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2013.778111