Melbourne Early Career Researcher Grants

Project Title: Literacy and teaching English outside of the mainstream

Chief Investigator: Dr Russell Cross

Funded by: 2008 Early Career Researcher Grant Scheme

Project Summary: The current ‘literacy crisis’ in Australian schools has been characterized by one particular take on literacy: one in which literacy is assumed to mean ‘(English only) literacy’, and literacy as it relates to the mainstream monolingual classroom in particular. The aim of this study is to critique this narrow view of literacy by asking what it means to ‘teach literacy’ when learners (especially migrants and refugees in intensive (i.e., ‘withdrawal’) programs) come to the classroom already literate in a language other than English. The findings will inform gaps in existing research on theoretical issues related to language teacher education, as well as make an informed contribution to current commentaries on literacy in Australia – especially as these move towards a greater awareness of multilingualism in schools and society more generally.