Aboriginal-English speaking students' (mis)understanding of school literacy materials in Australian English

The project will explore the failure of the education system in Australia to improve literacy outcomes for the vast majority of Aboriginal-English speaking students, a national issue of highest priority. It will in particular focus on the degree to which this failure is due to the differences that exists between the cultural-conceptual basis of the dialect that many Aboriginal children speak (ie, Aboriginal English) and the one that is reflected in school literacy materials (ie, Australian English). The project will employ an innovative multi-faceted approach to examine the ways in which Aboriginal children understand or misunderstand school literacy materials.