Investigating the relationship between literacy teaching, research and policy. An expected outcome is contribution to the development of a national literacy research agenda that includes priority areas; conceptual frameworks for characterising literacy; research approaches that help illuminate key issues and practices in literacy teaching and policy; and means for dissemination amongst researchers, teachers and policy makers. Another outcome is establishment of an Australia-based journal that pu ....Investigating the relationship between literacy teaching, research and policy. An expected outcome is contribution to the development of a national literacy research agenda that includes priority areas; conceptual frameworks for characterising literacy; research approaches that help illuminate key issues and practices in literacy teaching and policy; and means for dissemination amongst researchers, teachers and policy makers. Another outcome is establishment of an Australia-based journal that publishes substantial literacy studies, which is not currently done in Australia. With a view to internationalisation of the journal, and encouragment of submissions that explore nexus of research, policy and practice, this journal would fulfil a significant function in assisting interaction among the three fields. Read moreRead less
The National English Curriculum: Understanding the development, interpretation and implementation of disciplinary knowledge. The National English Curriculum, the focus of this project, represents a renewed national effort to improve every students' educational achievements to the betterment of their social and economic participation in society. Explicating how knowledge about the subject English is institutionalised and implemented, and the role of social structures amongst those involved in the ....The National English Curriculum: Understanding the development, interpretation and implementation of disciplinary knowledge. The National English Curriculum, the focus of this project, represents a renewed national effort to improve every students' educational achievements to the betterment of their social and economic participation in society. Explicating how knowledge about the subject English is institutionalised and implemented, and the role of social structures amongst those involved in the curriculum in shaping this process, will be key outcomes. Examples of classroom implementation will document the intellectual challenges teachers present to students and give voice to teachers in terms of how policy works for them, the challenges they face, and the support they require.Read moreRead less
Jean Rhys: Her Literary Career. In recent decades Jean Rhys (1890-1979) has become an iconic (post) colonial modernist author. With fresh major archival finds, close work on manuscript materials, and new scholarship on location, this project will reposition her literary career. Innovative approaches to Rhys’s affiliations with other writers and artists and her interest in popular cultures feature in the research methodology. The project addresses the ways that the reception of Rhys’s fiction ove ....Jean Rhys: Her Literary Career. In recent decades Jean Rhys (1890-1979) has become an iconic (post) colonial modernist author. With fresh major archival finds, close work on manuscript materials, and new scholarship on location, this project will reposition her literary career. Innovative approaches to Rhys’s affiliations with other writers and artists and her interest in popular cultures feature in the research methodology. The project addresses the ways that the reception of Rhys’s fiction over time and across cultures may be read, creative engagements with Rhys, and biographical responsibility. Projected publications include a scholarly monograph; articles; a digital knowledge site; and contributions to an international collaborative project on interculturality. Read moreRead less
Optical Illusion in Victorian Culture. The aim is to undertake a major interdisciplinary study of optical illusion in Victorian culture, both as a form of popular entertainment and as a discursive field in which new modes of self-representation and knowledge were explored. By focusing on an extensive range of cultural forms including, optical treatise, literary texts, popular entertainments, new visual technologies, newspapers and the periodical press, this project will provide an invaluable his ....Optical Illusion in Victorian Culture. The aim is to undertake a major interdisciplinary study of optical illusion in Victorian culture, both as a form of popular entertainment and as a discursive field in which new modes of self-representation and knowledge were explored. By focusing on an extensive range of cultural forms including, optical treatise, literary texts, popular entertainments, new visual technologies, newspapers and the periodical press, this project will provide an invaluable historical context for contemporary speculations about the impact of new visual technologies on the increasingly blurred boundaries between different cultures, identities and modes of self-representation.Read moreRead less
The measurement of primary traits in second language oral proficiency in second language acquisition research. The proposed research will help to inform high-quality learning outcomes for international ESL (English as a Second Language) students and students who study Japanese or Spanish as a second language in Australian universities. Improved effectiveness in current second language teaching pedagogy will result from a deeper understanding of the role that the key language traits (syntactic co ....The measurement of primary traits in second language oral proficiency in second language acquisition research. The proposed research will help to inform high-quality learning outcomes for international ESL (English as a Second Language) students and students who study Japanese or Spanish as a second language in Australian universities. Improved effectiveness in current second language teaching pedagogy will result from a deeper understanding of the role that the key language traits (syntactic complexity, lexical range, accuracy and fluency) play in the attainment of advanced proficiency. Read moreRead less
Family literacy practices, pedagogy and achievement in year one: A quantitative sociological study. Who succeeds and fails in the first year of school literacy? Why and how? Standards and methods for teaching initial literacy are the topic of national policy debate. Yet the debate often is based upon generic and populist claims about the efficacy of instructional methods, relying upon small scale and overseas studies. This is the first large scale quantitative study of variable sociodemographic ....Family literacy practices, pedagogy and achievement in year one: A quantitative sociological study. Who succeeds and fails in the first year of school literacy? Why and how? Standards and methods for teaching initial literacy are the topic of national policy debate. Yet the debate often is based upon generic and populist claims about the efficacy of instructional methods, relying upon small scale and overseas studies. This is the first large scale quantitative study of variable sociodemographic factors, home experiences, instructional treatment and literacy achievement. It addresses policy debates on phonics, early intervention and standards. It will offer guidance for the development of early childhood curriculum strategies and programs.Read moreRead less
A critical study of the works of V.S. Naipaul. This project aims to study V.S. Naipaul, whose books defy the protocols of post-colonial theory. Literature students have met Naipaul’s books with outright denigration and unnerving silence, leading to an absence of serious engagement with the genesis of his works and their relationship to post-colonial criticism. This project will emphasise post-colonial texts rather than post-colonial theory and criticism. It will use the Naipaul Tulsa archive to ....A critical study of the works of V.S. Naipaul. This project aims to study V.S. Naipaul, whose books defy the protocols of post-colonial theory. Literature students have met Naipaul’s books with outright denigration and unnerving silence, leading to an absence of serious engagement with the genesis of his works and their relationship to post-colonial criticism. This project will emphasise post-colonial texts rather than post-colonial theory and criticism. It will use the Naipaul Tulsa archive to uncover the difficulty in the material itself. A close reading of textual variants, their transmission and reception is expected to show a post-colonial writer's struggle with form, aesthetics and ideology.Read moreRead less
Cyberkids and cyberworlds: new literacies, identities and communities in formation. Little is known of the online cyberworlds of young Australians. Yet they are the highest users of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This project theorises that these cyberworlds are sites for the development of new forms of literacy, identity and community. This study will achieve a new perspective by utilising a multi-disciplinary approach to produce case studies that examine new literacies an ....Cyberkids and cyberworlds: new literacies, identities and communities in formation. Little is known of the online cyberworlds of young Australians. Yet they are the highest users of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This project theorises that these cyberworlds are sites for the development of new forms of literacy, identity and community. This study will achieve a new perspective by utilising a multi-disciplinary approach to produce case studies that examine new literacies and communities generated online and their consequences for literacy and ICT education practice. Such information is vital in Australia and internationally if education is to produce the highly technologically literate citizens on whom future economic prosperity depends.Read moreRead less
Key indicators of development in adolescent writing. The project aims to identify significant indicators of development in the writing of adolescents at various stages of secondary education. There are a number of students who struggle with the demands of secondary schooling because they have not developed control over the more abstract, technical, and metaphorical language required in written assignments and examinations. This study will map the development of those linguistic resources critica ....Key indicators of development in adolescent writing. The project aims to identify significant indicators of development in the writing of adolescents at various stages of secondary education. There are a number of students who struggle with the demands of secondary schooling because they have not developed control over the more abstract, technical, and metaphorical language required in written assignments and examinations. This study will map the development of those linguistic resources critical to success in secondary learning, drawing on and extending Halliday's functional theory of language. An understanding of typical patterns of development will enable teachers to productively intervene in those cases where students' academic progress is impeded.
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Tense and topic in English as an Asian lingua franca. Using the Asian Corpus of English (ACE), this project will investigate linguistic features of 'Asian' English, how Asian multilinguals use English with each other and consider the implications of this for regional communication and English language teaching.